Henri Myers & Tom Blackie, Co-Founders of MAISON 10

Meet Henri Myers (left) and Tom Blackie (right), Co-Founders of MAISON 10. Myers and Blackie, who are also Flatiron NoMad Partnership Board Members, describe the gallery and boutique located at 4 West 29th Street as a “unique platform for talented, innovative designers and artists to bring high-quality products to a wider market by using ethical consumerism as its core concept.”

1. Tell us more about your MAISON 10 (M10), which opened in 2016 and the significance of its name?

Henri Myers: Part of what makes M10 special is that it’s all based on our love of music. Back in the day when we were teens, Tom, growing up in Edinburgh and me here in Queens, we were obsessed with music stores and the top hits that would change every week! When we were coming up with the concept of M10, we wanted to include the idea of the Top 10 but present it in a way that showed all the things we love and with the items we feel should be on everyone’s radar by presenting it in a way that would introduce an exciting new collection every 10-week cycle.

Tom Blackie: With that being said, M10 features 10 categories (art, accessories, beauty, best sellers, candles, fragrances, gifts, home goods, and well-being products). The 10th category always is a mixed bag that connects with the theme. All these categories change out every 10-week cycle and anything anyone purchases online or in-store, the customer selects which of the 10 charities will receive 10% of the sale.

2. Describe your roles at M10. What aspect of the job excites you the most?

HM: Both of us oversee all aspects of what and how M10 is presented. I focus on product selection and merchandising while Tom works closely with the artists and what artworks we feature. It’s exciting to pull it all together and see the reaction to how it completely changes the shape of the gallery and all the products.

TB: What excites us both is the fact that every 10 weeks we come up with a new vibe for M10 and how it comes together. We just launched our 29th collection on Sunday, June 18th called, “Color Fields.”

3. What items are trending among customers and what are your personal favorites?

HM: The CANDLE and FRAGRANCE categories have always been our most popular selections over the past seven years, but now after COVID-19, HOME GOODS and our BEST SELLERS have become big fan favorites. 

TB: I agree with Henri–every one of the items featured in our BEST SELLERS collection is obviously a fan favorite such as our ‘Forest Floor Incense’ and our ‘Black Rose’ candle. I love a lot of our newly featured candles especially ‘Smells Like Summer.’

4. June marks Pride Month and you also married each other during this month in 2014. With careers that span fashion marketing, branding development, and non-profit charities, what inspired each of you to open a gallery and boutique together?

HM: It’s a long funny story but in a nutshell, we were doing a tandem bike ride from London to Paris to raise funds for one of the charities that Tom worked with, Opening Doors London, part of Age UK Camden. We were in the middle of the northern countryside of France and had miles and miles of time to chat, sing, and tell stories about ideas and what we wanted to pursue. I feel over the four days of us cycling in the middle of nowhere, we created the small seed of the idea of working together and subtly fusing our common interests alongside the new beginnings of our relationship together. We both have a deep love of art, design, and community and this, I feel, was the beginning stages of making MAISON 10 come to life.

TB: In addition to what Henri said above, the simple answer is that we both love beautiful things and wanted to share these with the wider community. We also both love being part of a neighborhood and opening a gallery and boutique gave us the opportunity to meet lots of great artists and designers and the people who appreciate them. This is something that happened almost immediately and nearly seven years later we feel that we’ve helped to create a really wonderful community of like-minded individuals.

5. For those aspiring to own or work in a gallery and boutique business, what professional advice can you share?

HM and TB: It’s not all glamorous. What we do is very hands-on and takes a lot of time, energy, and positivity. We’ve survived a fire, a flood, COVID-19, and more construction than anyone could ever imagine. Keeping your eye on the prize and having a thoughtful partner along the way really helps. It all takes great perseverance and the community that we’ve built keeps us going. Our customers are everything and keeping in regular contact through events, social media, and direct contact is very important.

6. When you’re taking a break from your business in the neighborhood, how do you like to spend your time in Flatiron and NoMad? What do you love most about these vibrant communities?

HM and TB: M10 does take up most of our time as it has become our home away from home. We love being there and welcoming current and new faces to the M10 family. We’re lucky in that we both have a lot of similar tastes. The Flatiron Nomad district is filled with great bars, restaurants, and the amazing people that live and work in the area. When we are out and about, we love the cocktails and nibbles at the Lobby Bar at the Ace Hotel and late-night shenanigans at John Doe. We can’t stay away too long from Debajo it’s that good! The rooftop of the Ritz-Carlton is a treat, and when we’re really feeling like meat, we’re also waiting in line at Skirt Steak.

7. Finally, choose three words to describe Flatiron and NoMad.

HM: Urban. Vibrant. Connected.

TB: Diverse. International. Creative.

Header & Thumbnail Photo Credit: MAISON 10