Much like parents who name their baby several weeks post-birth, the owners of Azalea like to let the moniker of their shops marinate a little before making a permanent decision. (You’ll recall the public naming contest for men’s store Welcome Stranger after it had already been open for a month-plus). However, it seems a name for the third shop in the Azalea empire has finally come to fruition. Drumroll, please! And the name of the boutique, located right next to the Azalea flagship at 425 Hayes Street, is...
Rand + Statler!
Co-owner Catherine Chow gave us the story behind it. “My business partner Corina and I combined the names of two college buildings from Cornell, our alma mater. There was Rand Hall for architecture and the Statler Hotel,” she says. “Plus, Ayn Rand is one of Corina's favorite authors and Ellsworth Statler was one of the first Americans in the early 1900s to open clean, moderate hotels for the average traveler. After he died, his hotel chain was sold to the Hiltons in the 1950s, and that’s how the Hiltons got their start. Overall, we thought it was a good underlying name for our love of design, hospitality, and fashion.” We’re digging it, and we bet you will to!
Rand + Statler, 425 Hayes Street (between Gough Street and Octavia Boulevard).
