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Project No. 8: Creative Minds and Great Design Finds

FEBRUARY 6, 2009

By day or night, design lovers will see the light at this LES shop

On a zig-zaggy no-man's land stretch between the LES and Chinatown, the subtle glow of the Project No. 8 storefront doesn't stand out much—until you're inside the store itself. Since it opened in 2007, the noteworthy boutique has kept up a steady rotation of unusual, modern designs for men and women, accessories, and other brainy goodies. It's a style fiend's paradise, where dedicated shoppers will discover European labels like Maison Martin Margiela, A Detacher, and lesser-known finds.

Elizabeth Beer & Brian Janusiak, the duo behind the store (it's the 8th venture by their design partnership, Various Projects) also sell their own designs and creative collaborations—the shop was home base for their Obama Button Project during the '09 election campaign. And since serious design is never far from the worlds of art and technology, the store is also home to an unusual light installation by the German architect Christoph M. Wagner. At night, each passerby activates a hidden sensor mounted near the shop's windows. Lights may go on inside according to this sensor, and the visitor becomes part of the pattern.

Project No. 8
138 Division Street, (between Orchard and Ludlow streets)
http://www.projectno8.com/