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Softville, a 2,500-square-foot art and dessert concept store from Studio Jeremyville and Gelato Messina, is open daily at 137 Orchard Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The venue combines rotating art displays, gelato-style soft serve and pastry, with workshops and cultural programming also planned.
Softville, a new 2,500-square-foot art and dessert space from New York-based Studio Jeremyville and Australian gelato brand Gelato Messina, is open at 137 Orchard Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The concept pairs rotating art and design objects with a dessert menu, marking Gelato Messina’s North American debut.
The venue occupies the former Ben Freedman department store. Interior designer Sarah Carpenter worked with the owners to retain and restore its original 1920s curved-glass storefront, a feature that the source report says can be seen in the film Marty Supreme. Sculptures displayed in the windows are intended to attract pedestrians, while the interior combines curved forms with warm wood seating and a vanilla-toned palette.
Softville’s display system is designed to accommodate changing exhibitions while protecting the building’s architectural details and millwork. The store presents a rotating selection of art and objects for purchase alongside food, combining exhibition and retail with an open kitchen and dessert service.
Gelato Messina’s signature offering at Softville is gelato-style soft serve. The source report says it is made with fresh milk from Hudson Valley dairy Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, rather than premade mixes. Eva Wintersteen, formerly executive pastry chef for the Il Buco restaurant group, is leading the kitchen with Gelato Messina executive chef Tom Mitchell. The menu brings together the brand’s gelato-making approach and Wintersteen’s pastry experience, though the source does not provide a full menu or prices.
A New Format for Art and Dessert
Softville brings together activities that are often separated across galleries, shops and restaurants: viewing art, buying design objects and eating dessert. Its founders are presenting food as part of the creative experience, rather than as an amenity alongside an exhibition. The format may appeal to visitors looking for a casual, food-centered way to encounter art and design, as well as to Lower East Side residents and businesses watching how new venues use the neighborhood’s historic storefronts.
The project also establishes a New York presence for Gelato Messina, which the report identifies as the Australian brand’s first North American location. Its local operation includes Hudson Valley milk and a pastry collaboration, but the source does not say whether this opening will lead to further locations or a wider U.S. rollout.
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A Historic Orchard Street Storefront
The concept is a collaboration between Studio Jeremyville, a New York-based multidisciplinary art and design practice, and Gelato Messina, an Australian dessert company. The source report describes the relationship between the two companies as a collaboration spanning more than two decades. Softville extends that partnership into a physical space where exhibitions, retail and food service share a storefront.
The building’s former department-store use shaped the design choices. Megan Mair, creative director and co-founder of Studio Jeremyville, said the team wanted the venue to feel connected to the Lower East Side’s history and independent character, rather than imposed on the neighborhood. Preserving the curved glass was one way the team sought to retain that connection while adapting the interior for exhibitions and a working kitchen.
““We wanted Softville to feel woven into that fabric rather than imposed on it, which made preserving the architectural character essential.””
— Megan Mair, creative director and co-founder of Studio Jeremyville
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Opening Details Still Unspecified
The source report says Softville is open daily but does not give a specific opening date, operating hours, dessert prices or a complete menu. It also does not identify the artists or works in the initial display, or provide dates for the first workshops and drawing clubs. The report describes future programming as planned, but does not give a schedule.
It is also not clear whether Gelato Messina intends to open additional North American locations or whether Softville will remain a one-off concept. No financial details, visitor targets or longer-term plans were provided.
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Exhibitions and Workshops Ahead
Softville is expected to change its art and design displays over time and host drawing clubs and creative workshops led by artist and Studio Jeremyville co-founder Jeremyville, alongside guest artists. The source describes an evolving cultural program but gives no dates or confirmed lineup. The venue is currently listed as open daily at 137 Orchard Street; readers seeking hours, menu details or event schedules will need to check the business’s own current listings.
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Key Questions
Where is Softville?
Softville is at 137 Orchard Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The source report says it is open daily, but does not specify its hours.
Who created Softville?
Softville is a collaboration between New York-based art and design practice Studio Jeremyville and Australian gelato brand Gelato Messina.
What can visitors find there?
The 2,500-square-foot venue combines rotating art and purchasable design objects with gelato-style soft serve and pastries. It also plans drawing clubs, workshops and other cultural programming.
What is Gelato Messina serving at Softville?
The report says the brand’s gelato-style soft serve is made with fresh milk from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy in the Hudson Valley. The kitchen is led by former Il Buco executive pastry chef Eva Wintersteen, working with Gelato Messina executive chef Tom Mitchell. A full menu and prices were not provided.
Are Softville’s events scheduled?
The source says drawing clubs and creative workshops with Jeremyville and guest artists are planned, but it does not list dates or a confirmed event schedule.
Source: rss
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