Small Watches Seize the Limelight

In early December, Nicolò Villa, a jeweler from Milan, was in Manhattan for a trunk show when he spotted a pre-owned Rolex Lady-Datejust with a blue-green opal dial in a shop on West 47th Street. At 26 millimeters in diameter, the watch’s two-tone case was only slightly larger than a 25-cent piece. Mr. Villa bought…

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Squeezed by Soaring Rent, Small Shops Get Creative

Last March, Emily Schildt opened Pop Up Grocer on a Bleecker Street corner in the West Village, selling artfully packaged condiments, beverages and other products made by small, emerging brands in a pay-to-play business model. Customers can buy artisanal hot sauces or zucchini chips from brands like Peepal People and Van Van that pay a…

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