Cale Guthrie Weissman

New York

Managing Editor, New York at The Real Deal

EIC @ modern retail | it was an act of whimsy | [email protected] | dm for signal, plz don't pitch me via dm

Articles

StreetEasy Lands Major Blow in Private Listings War

1 week ago | therealdeal.com | Cale Guthrie Weissman

The private listings war continues apace. This week, StreetEasy announced that it would shut off access to programs like StreetEasy Experts, StreetEasy Concierge and Zillow Premier Agent for New York City agents found publicly-marketing listings to individual groups of clients. As Jake Indursky reported, it’s the latest development in the growing fight over private listings. Zillow, StreetEasy’s owner, has banned listings that are privately listed for more than one day.
Rialto Takes the King of Retail to Court

2 weeks ago | therealdeal.com | Cale Guthrie Weissman

Major real estate fights are brewing in New York City. First, we have a showdown between Rialto Capital and Jeff Sutton. Earlier this week, Jeff Krasnoff’s firm filed a lawsuit seeking to foreclose on Wharton Properties’ leasehold on the retail building at 144 5th Avenue in the Flatiron District. Rialto is also seeking to enforce a bad boy guarantee over Sutton’s alleged “misappropriation or conversion of the rents” at the property.
How Modern Animal is using technology to make pet care more customer-centric

Feb 6, 2025 | modernretail.co | Cale Guthrie Weissman

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify Most founders are loath to compare their businesses to other companies. Not the veterinary care startup Modern Animal. “We were definitely inspired by One Medical early on,” said Steven Eidelman, founder and CEO of Modern Animal.
After de minimis change, Temu's selection is now mostly 'local' items

Feb 5, 2025 | modernretail.co | Cale Guthrie Weissman |Allison Smith

Only a few days ago, Temu was the way to buy cheap goods directly from China. The Trump administration may be changing all that. Now, when a user opens the Temu app in the U.S., nearly every product has a green sticker below its image that says “local.” This means that the item is warehoused and sourced in the U.S. It’s a very different assortment than what most people have come to expect from Temu. Before, the app showcased hundreds of items that were mostly from sellers based in China.
Mschf seems to be making a media product called Soap Magazine

Feb 4, 2025 | modernretail.co | Cale Guthrie Weissman

Mschf, the self-described art collective known for its buzzy product drops and stunt promotions, seems to be getting into the print media space… sort of. According to a document viewed by Modern Retail, Mschf is now soliciting pitches for a new product called Soap Magazine.
How Whatnot is pushing social commerce forward amid TikTok's uncertain future

Jan 30, 2025 | modernretail.co | Cale Guthrie Weissman

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify During the weekend when TikTok was briefly offline, Whatnot — a platform that lets online brands and merchants sell products via livestreams on its app and website — saw its user numbers surge. “It was our biggest weekend for new sellers — both in terms of news sign-ups and also sellers who went live for the first time,” said Armand Wilson, vp of categories and expansion at Whatnot.
Modern Retail Rundown: Theft ring to pay back retailers, TikTok updates and VF Corp layoffs

Jan 25, 2025 | modernretail.co | Cale Guthrie Weissman

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify In this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses the latest retail news headlines. First, we dive into the latest developments about a retail theft ring that cost companies millions of dollars. Then, we check in on TikTok and what its future looks like. We end with reports of layoffs at VF Corp and what that means for the company.
How Renais is trying to make ultra-premium gin popular in the U.S.

Jan 23, 2025 | modernretail.co | Cale Guthrie Weissman

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify Renais has lofty ambitions to be the leading global ultra-premium gin brand. The company, which launched in 2023 in Europe and expanded to the U.S. last year, just raised a fresh round of capital and is working on expanding even further. It was founded by CEO Alex Watson and his sister, actress Emma Watson. Renais Gin isn’t cheap — it retails for around $60 a bottle.
How THC-infused beverage brand Cann is capitalizing on Dry January

Jan 16, 2025 | modernretail.co | Cale Guthrie Weissman

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify With New Year’s resolutions in full force, brands are trying to cash in on Dry January. Cannabis-infused beverage brand Cann, in fact, usually sees its sales jump every January due to more people teetotaling. “I just got these numbers earlier today,” co-founder and CEO Jake Bullock said on this week’s Modern Retail Podcast.
How Gregory's Coffee is taking the craft coffee business to scale

Jan 9, 2025 | modernretail.co | Cale Guthrie Weissman

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify Where Starbucks zigs, Gregory‚Äôs Coffee zags. That’s at least been the unofficial strategy for the cafe chain over the last few years. Gregory’s, which initially launched in 2006 in New York but has expanded to more than 50 locations throughout the U.S., sits at the intersection of craft coffee and convenience. It first launched during the early years of the third-wave coffee boom.