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mine too. they got me out of more than one last-minute gift jam, and I always ended up with something unique. I really miss this place.

a similar online experience can be found here:
http://www.uncommongoods.com/

I was in there one time (shopping their great greeting card selection) and the owner was talking to another customer about the business. From what I remember, they've lived in JC a long time and when the Village store was struggling, they decided to do the JC one to at least be closer to home. Then some of the lines that they've always carried that used to be difficult to come by started selling through big boxes like BB&B and JCP, cutting into their business.

IMO you've got to be able to adapt if you see changes like that happening. Start carrying something new and different. They had a great, ever changing selection of cards by artists, but honestly the rest of the store was just filled with things that you see everywhere these days in modern gift shops.

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They had already closed their West Village location before closing their Jersey City location. They are only online now.

This was my local goto place for greeting cards and little gifts for kids. Their little shop was like an edited down MOMA store. Their creative gifts were unique in downtown JC.

People? Does anyone understand that they were in business successfully in NYC for about 20 years? And may still be?
The problem is with the matchup between the business and Jersey City.
Take note, anyone who thinks we are the Sixth Borough.

yeah... one would think maybe they were attempting to be too clever in their marketing to come up with such a stupid concept.

Even if any of their odd, overpriced items had ever tempted to walk in the store, let alone tell a friend -- i couldn't actually tell the friend the name of store because i couldn't pronounce it myself.

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mix-ee-pliz-ik

"Greenwich Village gift boutique named Mxyplyzyk. The store claims ?the name is inspired by a character in early Superman comics.? Ironically, they didn?t use the actual character?s name, (Mr.) Mxyzptlk, (pictured below) which is spelled differently than ?Mxyplyzyk,? (perhaps thinking they might head off a C&D letter from D.C. Comics), because you cannot, after all, confuse Mxyplyzyk with Myxzptlk."

http://eatmywords.com/mxyplyzyk-a-superman-name-thats-super-bad/

Except that it's spelled completely different from the villain. I always pronounced like mixie-plizik

Quote:it's a villain from Superman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuRqVg6tHcE

I don't have any trouble pronouncing it, either. Maybe because I knew right away where the name came from.

Care to share it?

I never went in because I thought I was a plebe so I kept walking.

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They have had at least 2 locations in NYC and been in business probably 20 years. Jersey City gets nowhere near the foot traffic anywhere that Greenwich Ave. or Columbus Circle gets.
I don't have any trouble pronouncing it, either. Maybe because I knew right away where the name came from.

It was sometime in April. Someone had posted about it but the posts were wiped with the JCList site crash.

They had already closed their West Village location before closing their Jersey City location. However, their website is still up and running. Maybe they are just going to remain an online shop?

I wouldn't expect someone who thought it was a good idea to name their store something unpronounceable to be the type who could keep a store going in the long term.

can't believe it lasted this long.

IMHO... the store had some nice things but it was very limited and the guy who worked there wasn't especially welcoming or friendly. You have to be friendly and be able to chat up your customers or they will go elsewhere. Now it's OVER. The end. Buh-Bye.

Hey, does anyone know when this store closed?

This is a great boost for Grove Street. But I'll wait for the usual condemnations. If you're reading this thread, Myxplyxyk, WELCOME! I'll buy stuff at your store even if I don't need it. Though from what I've been reading, I'll probably want many items. Best of luck and congratulations for jumping the hurdles that City Hall puts in your path so far.

Hey! Welcome to JC, Myxplyxyk!!! Many homes ago, I lived around the corner from their Greenwich Ave location; it's a great store with a great sense of fun and style.

It's actually a great store. They do have lots of knick knack West Village-y stuff but I had an amazing wool blanket and bed side lamp from there that was just awesome. They sell cool things - but I definitely prefer their home collection versus their goofy toys that are more like Alphabets (the store on Greenwich Ave and on the West side of Tomkins Square Park). I'm very excited!

If you trick one of their employees into saying mxyzpylk backwards will the store disappear?

Mxyplyzyk - a Superman name that's Super Bad
Submitted by our Sous Chef, Caroline ?Ruby Sneakers? Leavitt, our most outrageous inductee into the Name Shame Hall of Fame ever is a quirky Greenwich Village gift boutique named Mxyplyzyk. The store claims "the name is inspired by a character in early Superman comics." Ironically, they didn't use the actual character's name, (Mr.) Mxyzptlk, (pictured below) which is spelled differently than "Mxyplyzyk," (perhaps thinking they might head off a C&D letter from D.C. Comics), because you cannot, after all, confuse Mxyplyzyk with Myxzptlk.
Mxyplyzyk hits all the criteria to qualify for the Name Shame Hall of Fame and is a leading contender for the annual Head Scratcher? trophy, awarded each December by Eat My Words. Here's why:

It?s difficult to pronounce the first time you see it (actually every time you see it)
It?s meaningless unless someone explains it to you (even then)
It's forced and unnatural sounding (oh boy)
It has an unnatural spelling (ya think? )
It?s just damn annoying (did we say oh boy yet?)
Inc. magazine briefly discussed Mxyplyzyk in an article entitled "What's in a Name"?

Here is an except from the full article:

Kevin Brynan spends a large chunk of his day explaining over and over again how to pronounce the word Mxyplyzyk--the name of his gift shop in New York City's Greenwich Village. As it happens, the name (which is pronounced "mix-ee-pliz-ik," in case you were stumped) is so long that Brynan's business card is a three-part foldout. The unusual moniker, created by a co-founder and inspired by a Superman comic book character, is fitting for a shop with unusual items like pug dog "puggy" banks and warped vinyl record serving bowls. On the other hand, it's hard to tell your friends about a store when you can't pronounce the name, and good luck finding it online. Ultimately, Brynan thinks the unusual name has been a plus, highlighting the store's quirkiness and helping to draw foot traffic. Nonetheless, he adds, "sometimes I wish we'd named it John Doe."

(Side note to all journalists: Please stop using "What's in a name?" every time you do an article about naming. It was clever about 400 years ago, but not so much anymore.)

So, welcome to The Hall Mxyplyzyk. It's a rare name that is so very wrong on every level and makes us scratch our heads super hard. However, we can give credit where credit is due. We are quite sure that every extension of the domain name was available on GoDaddy for $9.95, which is a deciding factor for many companies when choosing a name. More on that later...



http://eatmywords.typepad.com/eat_my_ ... 8/03/at-least-the-do.html

The comic book villain was named Mister Mxyzptlk, not mxyplyzyk. Why the discrepancy?

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Ha! I knew it had to be mxyplyzyk.

I love that place, but hello, Williamsburg 1996. Rents will go up.

Chalk one up for the dollar and budget stores remaining among the most genuinely useful retail establishments in the downtown area.

Oh, I see. It'll be good to have some variety on Grove Street beyond cafes, restaurants, and bodegas.

It's too bad that the storefront itself is not as interesting and quirky as the store seems like it will be.

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That's great!



From NY mag:

The name of this home-d?cor and specialty gift shop references a wily villain from DC Comics; that sense of playfulness informs the inventory as well which features porcelain molars that double as toothbrush holders and metal antler sculptures that multipurpose as ever-so-curious coat racks. Not everything is kookily conceptual, however. Also in stock are South American natural-fiber lamps from La Vida Verde, agendas and notebooks from Leuchtturm, and substantial furnishings such as the sleek industrial desks and chairs. Much of the regular clientele returns for diminutive treasures between larger purchases: Le Corbusier?inspired model homes, an interactive, all-ages line from Chronicle Books, and an indispensable wall of greeting cards?some homemade; many of them, not surprisingly, quirky. ? Alexandra Vallis


See 49 reviews -- click link below:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mxyplyzyk-new-york

yrd, its myxplyzyk. they have/had a nice store (with a focus on creative mid-price design )in greenwich village. its encouraging that they are opening up in jersey city

It's a store in West Village.

https://www.mxyplyzyk.com/v03/index.htm