Urban Archaeology

Interview with owners, Gil Shapiro and Judith Stockman

Urban Archaeology is one of those unique, only in New York City shops; not only is the store an amazing resource for all sorts of wonderful lights, beautiful bathroom fixtures (both ornate and minimalist), stylish furniture and very unique tiles; Urban Archaeology manufactures most of what you see here in their Tribeca shop. They also custom build almost anything you want. Their motto is: “if you have a design idea, we can make it happen.” What started off years ago as an architectural salvage company by Gil Shapiro, grew, with the creative design hand of his wife Judith Stockman, into a firm that restores and creates masterpieces for residential, hotel and commercial clients all over the country. Even if you are not currently undertaking a renovation or construction project, visit Urban Archaeology, a true Tribeca store of creativity and inspiration.

Where did you grow up?

Gil: I was raised in what amounted to City Housing in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Great place for me to grow up.

Judith: I was born and raised in Fairfield, CT – a very different place than Brooklyn [smiles], but came to Brooklyn early on in life to go to the Pratt Institute to study design.

Where do you call home now?

We have lived in Tribeca since 1978. It was a very different neighborhood than it is now. Filled with artists, designers, and bunch of other creative, sometimes crazy, people living life. But even then, it had a great sense of community. We raised our daughter here, but did need to send her to the West Village for school, since no school existed down here yet.

What is your business best known for?

We are probably best known in the industry as an architectural salvage place, since that’s the way we started. But we are sought after by designers, architects, retailers and developers for custom fabrication. We also are known for all our selections of bathroom furnishings, lighting fixtures and tile. Most of what you see in the shop we manufacturer in our workshop in Long Island City.

How did you start your business?

I had a passion, some may say “disease”, for finding architectural gems since I was a kid. I loved collecting old cabinets and such, restoring them and selling them. I had an entrepreneurial leaning even then. But I really got started when I was working at Hunter’s Point Steel, in Long Island City. That experience helped me with my restoration efforts since a lot of items – light, chairs, cabinets had major metal components. Back then, I had a warehouse in Bushwick where I stored most of my finds. Some of my first major acquisitions were buying all the furniture, lights and furnishings from a closed ice-cream shop and barber shop.

How long have you been in business?

My first shop was opened in 1978 on Spring Street in Soho. We had a huge space where I could display all the architectural salvaged items. Then we moved to even bigger space on Lafayette Street, just south of Houston where we also had a workshop to do restorations. At this point we had received great deal of press and people came to know to come to us for great historic architectural pieces. In 1979 I met Judith, who had a successful design business of her own, and we became business and life partners. It was about that same time that The Puck Building, then next door to our store, was being renovated. They wanted us to make a series of lights for the lobby. Judith’s office created the product drawings, and we made them. That’s how we really got into the manufacturing business as well.

When and why did you move your business to Tribeca?

In 1995 we lost our lease and moved to the building in Tribeca, 143 Franklin Street, an old six story, 30,000sf plus, warehouse building. Because of its size, we had a showroom, offices, a large workshop and warehouse space there. It was grand. When our lease expired in 2015 we built a smaller showroom down the street. Staying in Tribeca was a natural decision for us, not just because we lived here, but because there were a number of designers and architects downtown, and still are.

What is the best part about being in Tribeca?

We obviously love Tribeca. Love it because of its historic architecture, and stayed because of the people, the other shops and restaurants. We have done work in many of the buildings down here. For example, we produced or sourced all the products for bathrooms in the Greenwich Hotel – each one had to be unique. It was wonderful fun and an exciting challenge. We also made all the door hardware, cremone bolts for all the windows and the lighting too. We supplied the vintage lighting in the library and medallions on the façade.

What percentage of your business is local?

It’s hard to say, but we have about 20-30% from what you may call locals, but we have clients all over the country and the world. About 70% of our work is custom work for designers, architects and developers.

How do you market your business/shop?

It’s mainly been word of mouth, some advertising and now social media. We got established when in Soho, and ever since people know to come to us for unique architectural items, lighting and bath furnishings.

What advice would you give anyone starting a business in Tribeca?

One of the first things a business needs is a good sustainable lease. Then one needs to take the time to design a store that is welcoming, and of course, to focus on what the neighborhood actually needs.

What else did you want us to know?

We love Tribeca – its home. Although we reminisce about the old days, we love how Tribeca has grown and changed. Love that it’s a real walking neighborhood too. Love walking around our neighborhood, admiring all the historic structures and love to go out to the esplanade along the Hudson River Park. It all combines to make Tribeca a dynamic beautiful part of our city.