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Softville, a 2,500-square-foot art, design and dessert space created by Studio Jeremyville and Gelato Messina, is open at 137 Orchard Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The venue combines rotating art displays, a dessert kitchen and plans for drawing clubs and creative workshops.
Softville, a 2,500-square-foot art and dessert concept created by New York design practice Studio Jeremyville and Australian gelato company Gelato Messina, is open at 137 Orchard Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The venue pairs rotating art and design displays with a dessert menu, marking Gelato Messina’s North American debut.
The space occupies the former Ben Freedman department store. Interior designer Sarah Carpenter worked with the owners to retain the building’s original 1920s curved glass storefront, while carrying its rounded forms into the interior. Warm wood seating and a vanilla-toned palette balance the curves, according to the source report.
Softville presents a changing collection of art and objects for sale alongside desserts designed to be both edible and sculptural. A flexible shelving and display system allows exhibitions to change while accommodating the building’s existing finishes and millwork. Large character-based sculptures are displayed in the windows.
The kitchen is led by Eva Wintersteen, a former executive pastry chef with the Il Buco restaurant group, working with Gelato Messina executive chef Tom Mitchell. The report says the menu combines Messina’s gelato-making approach with Wintersteen’s pastry work and unconventional flavor pairings. Messina’s signature gelato-style soft serve is made with fresh milk from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy in the Hudson Valley, the report says.
Softville brings together food, art and retail in a single Lower East Side venue, giving visitors the option to view changing displays while ordering dessert. The concept moves art beyond a conventional gallery setting, while the sale of displayed objects gives the space a retail component.
For Gelato Messina, the opening establishes a New York presence and its first North American location, according to the source. For the neighborhood, the project places a new hospitality and cultural business inside a former department store, retaining a visible part of the building’s historic storefront rather than replacing it.
The model also depends on activity beyond the initial exhibition and menu. Softville says it plans drawing clubs, creative workshops and other cultural programming, which could give the venue a role as a gathering place as well as a dessert stop. The report does not provide attendance targets, operating figures or details about how often exhibitions will change.
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A Former Department Store Reworked
Softville’s address is 137 Orchard Street, in a neighborhood that the project’s creative director describes as having a distinct history and independent character. The decision to preserve the former Ben Freedman store’s curved glass windows is central to the design: the restored frontage remains part of the street-facing experience, while the interior was adapted for food service, displays and seating.
Studio Jeremyville and Gelato Messina have collaborated for more than two decades, according to the source report. Softville extends that relationship into a permanent physical venue. The report also notes that the original storefront can be seen in the film Marty Supreme; it does not give further details about the film’s connection to the location.
Gelato Messina is described in the report as an Australian gelato brand. Its New York opening brings its dessert operation to a new market, while the partnership with Studio Jeremyville links the food offering to a rotating program of art and design objects.
““The Lower East Side has always been defined by its creative energy, independent spirit, and layered history.””
— Megan Mair, creative director and co-founder of Studio Jeremyville
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Opening Details Still Unreported
The source report says Softville is open daily but does not specify when it opened, its daily hours, prices, reservation arrangements or whether any part of the venue requires advance booking. It also does not give a schedule for the rotating exhibitions, workshops or drawing clubs.
The report describes the project’s intended approach and menu, but provides no customer numbers, sales data or independent evaluation of its business performance. It is not clear how frequently the cultural program will run, which guest artists may take part, or whether the workshop calendar has been published.
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Softville says it will offer drawing clubs and creative workshops led by Jeremyville and guest artists, alongside an evolving cultural program. The source does not provide dates or a calendar for those events, so visitors will need to check directly with the venue for current programming and practical details.
The venue’s exhibition system is designed for regularly changing displays, and its food offering brings together Gelato Messina’s soft serve and Wintersteen’s pastry work. Future updates may clarify how often the art and menu change, as well as the schedule and format of public events. For now, the confirmed details are that Softville is open daily at 137 Orchard Street and combines a dessert kitchen with art and design displays.
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Key Questions
What is Softville?
Softville is a 2,500-square-foot venue combining art and design displays with a dessert kitchen. It was created by Studio Jeremyville and Gelato Messina.
Where is Softville located?
Softville is at 137 Orchard Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, in the former Ben Freedman department store.
What desserts does Softville serve?
The report describes a menu developed by pastry chef Eva Wintersteen and Gelato Messina executive chef Tom Mitchell. It says the venue serves Messina’s gelato-style soft serve, made with fresh milk from Hudson Valley dairy Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, alongside pastry and dessert creations. Specific menu items and prices are not listed.
Does Softville have events or workshops?
Softville says it plans to host drawing clubs and creative workshops led by artist Jeremyville and guest artists. The report does not provide an event calendar or dates.
When is Softville open?
The source report says Softville is open daily, but does not list hours. Visitors should check with the venue for current opening times and other details.
Source: rss
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