Motley lives up (or down) to its name.
I've got a few pieces of hard-to-find furnishings on my list, and was prowling around the Arts District hoping to spot something I liked. Motley was in the neighborhood so I overlooked the disheveled appearance of the store and walked in.
The first thing I noticed was loud music -- not bad music, but so amplified that it felt almost hostile -- and a woman sitting at the back. We made our way through the maze and when we got near her, I asked about a piece near the front, as nothing in the store was identified or priced. She told me the price, which was astronomical, but nothing else about the piece that might explain the price.
I looked at everything on the floor, including the small room spilling over with random (also unpriced and unsized) used clothing.
Later, I found out the provenance of the piece that interested me -- still doesn't explain the price -- and also noticed that the Motley website is a 1stdibs storefront, which makes sense, I guess. They must get most of their sales via 1stdibs. Which doesn't explain why they even bother to keep open a storefront or hire a store minder who seems to like loud music but isn't that interested in what the store sells. read more