Interview: Century 21’s Leaders Reflect on the Downtown Icon’s Triumphant Return

After shuttering all 13 of its stores at the height of the pandemic, Century 21 reopened its flagship location at 22 Cortlandt St. in 2023, bringing its plethora of affordable designer goods back to Lower Manhattan. Since then, the iconic store’s return has been cause for celebration, and customers continue to flock to the flagship to score deals on everything from couture dresses to the hottest new Ray-Bans. Still, the neighborhood and city have changed since Century 21 first closed its doors more than four years ago, and longtime fans visiting the store (and block) may find the experience somewhat different, though no less thrilling. We chatted with Larry Mentzer, Century 21 NYC’s chief operating officer, and Sonny Gindi, VP of operations, to learn more about Century 21’s transition over the last two years. Read below, and note the interview has been edited for space and clarity. 

What has the response been since Century 21 reopened in Lower Manhattan?

LARRY MENTZER: Century 21 originally opened in 1961, and unfortunately due to the effects on the economy in New York and our business in 2020 due to Covid, we were closed from December 6, 2020 until we reopened the store on April 16, 2023. Some days it feels like we never left, and other days, I can’t believe we’ve been open for two years. I think it feels good to be downtown. [But] downtown is different, New York is different, the world is different post-Covid, so we’re learning every day about the new New York.

People’s shopping needs and habits have changed, traffic patterns have changed. Hybrid work schedules have certainly changed the way downtown feels. It’s much more residential than it used to be. We now feel like we’re more of a neighborhood store. [Though] tourism this year is projected to be back to where it was pre-Covid, and we are starting to see that. 

So we’re excited to be downtown, where we’ve always been and where we belong. And we’re excited to watch our business continue to grow in the Financial District. It’s been a good relaunch.

When you closed in 2020, what was the reaction from Century 21’s longtime shoppers and fans?

LM: I think everyone was devastated and shocked. I had been at Century 21 since 2011, so I was coming up on my 10th year. We were a private company and doing very well up until Covid. We had opened a store a year for the five years prior, growing the company from around six stores in 2011 to a planned 15 stores in 2020, though our downtown store was the beacon for the whole company. [But in 2020] Covid began to take a heavy toll on the economy in New York, and on tourism, and caused concern amongst consumers, because at that point we didn’t know anything and people were afraid to go out. And as a private company, we were too big to be considered a small business, but yet too small to be considered a big business for any government Covid benefits. The owners had to do what all business owners have to do, which was to make a decision about the viability of the business in an unknown situation. 

The decision to close all the stores was shocking for consumers in general. Whether it was their daily destination on their lunch break, or the place they ran into once a week to see what was new, or the place they came to once a year on their annual trip to New York, it was a destination for people. I think people were saddened, shocked and had a little bit of disbelief when we closed because Century 21 was such an institution for so long. With everything else that was going on due to Covid, it was like, “Wow, one more thing.” But it was joyful when we reopened in April of 2023. And for us, the people that come here every day to work, that excitement continues.

You mentioned that the city, Lower Manhattan and the retail experience have changed a lot since Covid. How has Century 21 been adapting to this new normal?

LM: We have an amazing group or family of owners, including Sonny, who have worked hard to repurpose the block. [Pre-closure] Century 21 had grown to fill the entire block between Broadway, Church, Cortlandt and Dey streets. Post-Covid, when we re-imagined the store, we took it from 237,000 square feet down to 100,000 square feet. We intentionally lost our frontage on Church Street as well as on Broadway and made the store smaller, knowing that people were shopping differently. At that point, the future was — and still remains — unpredictable. But by right-sizing the store and shrinking our footprint, we created a lot of vacancies around us, which is never a good thing.

So the owners of Century 21 and their partner company, ASG, found great new tenants for the block to help repurpose and re-retail that entire area. There’s Sephora on Broadway and an expanded Dunkin’, which is desperately needed on Cortlandt. Mercer Labs takes up the entire frontage of Church Street. Barcade, which is opening soon, is also on Cortlandt Street. All of that is in vacated Century 21 space. Bringing more customers to the neighborhood, specifically to our block, will help Century 21. It’s like a halo effect, that if you come to one [establishment], you might go to the other. We can cross-market, we can cross-promote, we can reactivate the block together for a lot of different reasons other than shopping.

You can come for a refreshment, you can come for makeup, you can come for a museum experience, you can come for a night out at Barcade or you can come to shop, or to any of those other co-tenants around the block. I think reimagining the space, our store and the block is really a great visionary approach from the Gindi family to not just accept a bad situation, but to make it better.

Century 21 is such an icon, and such a classic New York City shopping experience. What makes it so specific to New York and what makes it special compared to the other department stores and shopping centers in the city?

LM: Century 21 has always been New York’s best-kept secret. That was one of our taglines from the beginning. Founded in New York, we’re inspired by New York, everyone who works here is from New York, so we have New York spirit. 

The assortment at Century 21 is different, the merchandise you find is different, the pricing proposition is different, the vibe is different, the store feels different. There’s this thrill of discovery and of the hunt that you don’t find anyplace else. If you go to any of our off-price competitors, they’re full of discounts, deals, bargains, stuff on the cheap, as I like to call it. A lot of it is private label. It’s stuff you’ve never heard of.

When you come into Century 21, you find real designers, real designer brands at amazing prices. And while that’s our tagline, it’s also the truth. We don’t make anything. We don’t produce anything. Everything that we offer for sale in our store is designer, a real brand that our buyers have great relationships with and are able to negotiate amazing prices that we then pass on to our customer. 

There are some stores that cater to the low end and some that cater to the middle and some that cater to the high. We cater to everyone because everyone wants the best price that they can get. I don’t care how much money you make or how much money you have, everybody loves a deal. And that’s why you come to Century 21. Anything that we sell in our store, you can Google it and see, “Wow, I’m in New York City and this item is cheaper here than it is someplace else.” And that’s an amazing thing to be able to do.

Anything else to add?

SONNY GINDI: . It’s super exciting that we’re back. And hopefully everything will start to flourish again downtown — as it seems to be, with so many re-openings and new openings — which will encourage more customers to be around. 

photo: Century 21’s grand opening in April 2023