A Jeweler Makes the Most of Her Hudson Yards Studio
For many New
Yorkers, living in a full-service doorman building simply means being
able to receive Amazon packages and FreshDirect shipments headache-free.
But for Madhuri Parson,
a sixth-generation jeweler whose Hudson Yards studio has doubled as her
company’s base of operations since she moved there in the summer of
2016, it was an absolute must.
Ms.
Parson had been living in her brother’s two-bedroom West Village co-op
since 2011, when she came to the city to learn the ins and outs of the
jewelry business, first at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the
Gemological Institute of America, and later in the design and sourcing
divisions of Liz Claiborne and David Yurman.
“It’s
ingrained in Indian women that we wear lots of jewelry — a lot of gold,
22-karat usually, gifted by someone who loves you,” she said. “I was
inspired by my family’s Old World heritage, but I wanted to blend it
with a modern sensibility.”
But
shortly after she devoted herself full-time to producing her own line,
she realized that she would have to find a better place to run her
business than out of her brother’s apartment.
“I
was basically traveling half the year,” said Ms. Parson, who worked in
corporate marketing on the West Coast before deciding to take up the
profession practiced by five generations of her Indian immigrant family.
“And he started getting a lot of packages from DHL and FedEx” — or more
often than not, as he didn’t have a doorman building, a missed package
notification. That meant her brother would have to make the trek to the
shipping office before whatever it was got sent back.
“At some point, he was like, ‘You have to figure out what you’re doing,’” she said.
She
started looking for her own apartment in the spring of 2016, and 20
apartments and several months later, she found one that met her
standards: a studio at Abington House, a Related rental building on West 30th Street.
“I
had visualized a space like this, open plan but with separation between
the kitchen and the bedroom and living room,” Ms. Parson said,
describing her corner-unit studio with soaring ceilings and a huge
window overlooking 10th Avenue. “It also has really nice light. The
first time I saw it was 4 p.m. on a summer day.”
She
had thought that finding a place would be a relatively simple process.
She knew she wanted a studio in an elevator building — as a frequent
traveler, she preferred not to have to lug her suitcases up and down the
stairs. And a doorman was a must. Not only did she need someone to
receive valuable shipments, she wanted the additional security because
of the nature of her work.
But
as she quickly discovered, many Manhattan studio apartments are
less-than-charming shoeboxes, particularly in the West Village and SoHo,
the neighborhoods she initially set her sights on. And as she would be
living and working out of her apartment, the bar was higher than it
might otherwise have been for a businesswoman who spent half the year
traveling. Also, even buildings described as “luxury” often didn’t have
in-unit washer and dryers, which she considered a deal-breaker.
“When
I was growing up, my parents would say, ‘Your house is your temple,’”
Ms. Parson said. “I didn’t really understand it when I was younger, but
as I got older I understood that you want to keep your home nice and
clean and welcoming. A lot of apartments didn’t feel like temples; there
was no sense of peace.”
Madhuri Parson
Occupation: Jewelry
designer with her own line. Family in India helped make introductions
to gem dealers and the jewelers who execute many of her designs. “It’s
very difficult to build a supply chain,” she said. “The craftsmen I work
with have plenty of work — it’s them deciding if they want to meet with
me.”
Walking along the High Line: is her preferred method of transportation; otherwise, she likes to use Citi Bike.
Why she likes the building: “Here, I feel a good general vibe. Everyone is friendly but gives each other space. Fundamentally, I feel independent and private here.”
She
saw another studio at Abington House early on in her search, but it was
“a very, very tiny studio with a beautiful view, and I thought maybe
their spaces were too small,” she said. But the building’s leasing agent
kept in touch, and she eventually agreed to come back to see another
unit.
“Walking
back through the lobby of this building, it just felt like home,” she
said, adding that she found comfort in the lobby’s natural hues, the
cozy fireplace and the tall windows that let in plenty of natural light.
The only problem? She didn’t like
the second studio, either. While slightly larger than the first, it was
still too small, although it also had a stunning view.
Hesitantly,
the agent offered to show her another unit on the fourth floor, warning
her that she might not like it: It was larger, but faced 10th Avenue
and had no view to speak of.
“But even outside in the hallway, I was like, ‘I feel it!’” Ms. Parson said.
“The
layout was the major selling point. I didn’t care that it had an
obstructed view,” she said. “I felt a really good energy in here.”
And
moving in that August, when Hudson Yards was a massive construction
site years away from becoming a major attraction, she was offered a
relatively low rent. She now pays $3,100 a month.
In
the years since, she has found the space conducive to the needs of her
growing jewelry line, which is now sold at Bloomingdale’s and Moda
Operandi, among other places. She has never had a package lost or
stolen. And when she is not at the gem markets in Jaipur, India, or at
jewelry shows in London, she can print documents in the building’s
office area or reserve rooms to meet with clients. She also books the
lounge every December for her annual holiday trunk show.
“It’s
funny, sometimes going into a building, the amenities seem like the
last thing you’d use,” she said. “But here I actually use them a lot
more than I thought.”
Living
and working out of a studio apartment, even a large one, can be a
challenge. But as a renter and a frequent traveler, she didn’t want to
splurge on a one-bedroom, paying for more square feet and walls than she
needed.
“A studio made a lot of
sense,” Ms. Parson said. “I wanted someplace that would be big enough
for my purposes. But I’m also an entrepreneur, so I have to watch
expenses. ”
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