How to Have Fun with Felt at Lucy’s Delicatessen on 6th

How to describe Lucy Sparrow’s Delicatessen on 6th? Art installation? Pop-up store? Fantastic journey? Toy store? The future of retail? A comment on Western society? Dear reader, it may be all of this and more. Felt artist Lucy Sparrow is back in New York. Here’s how to have fun with felt food at Lucy Sparrow’s Delicatessen on 6th in Midtown Manhattan right now.

How to Have Fun with Felt Food at Lucy’s Delicatessen on 6th

Two years after her hand-crafted felt bodega art installation 8 ‘Till Late delighted New Yorkers, British artist Lucy Sparrow is back in Manhattan. This time she’s in Midtown, at 30 Rockefeller Center, courtesy of the Art Production Fund.

who is lucy sparrow?

Lucy Sparrow is a UK-based artist, craftsperson and self-described “feltist.” She first gained public notice in Summer 2014 when she opened the fully stocked felt Cornershop installation in London’s East End.

Previous Lucy Sparrow installations in London

2015’s Warmongery explored the issues around gun control and mental health. And in October 2015, Sparrow staged the installation Madame Roxy’s Erotic Emporium in London’s Soho, a felt sex shop including a fully working, animated peep show. In 2016, the artist rendered the Crown Jewels in felt to celebrate HRH The Queen’s official 90th birthday.

Previous Lucy Sparrow installations in the US

New Yorkers may remember Sparrow’s 2017 installation, her first in Manhattan. 8 ‘Till Late was a downtown felt bodega, stocked with cigarettes, frozen foods, candy bars and cleaning products in the aisles. 

We really wanted to see 8 ‘Till Late, but by the time we got of word of it, the installation was closed – everything had sold out at a far more rapid clip than anyone had expected. The work closed a full nine days ahead of schedule, after its shelves were wiped clean of 9,000 items.

The Standard Hotel brought Sparrow to the West Coast in 2018, where she created 31,000 pieces for Sparrow Mart, a Los Angeles supermarket installation.

You’re getting it now, right? This is A Thing. So when we heard about the new installation, Lucy’s Delicatessen on 6th, we made a beeline to see what all the fuss is about. And before all the shelves were cleared by ravenous fans.

Dear reader, we feel confident in saying that you’ve never seen anything quite like this – unless you’ve visited one of Sparrow’s other installations, of course.

what exactly is lucy sparrow’s delicatessen on 6th?

Imagine walking into a small, extremely well-stocked gourmet grocery store. Or even better, a classic Parisian market. Or the market at Pike Place in Seattle.

A place where there’s a bakery, a fresh produce section, meat and fish counters, and shelf-stable items like canned goods and pasta. Wine, beer and spirits, too. Envision a space with about 30,000 individual items, because – like we said – it’s really well-stocked. And of course, everything you see is for sale.

In the case of Lucy Sparrow’s Deli on 6th, every item in the store is true to scale in size, just as it would be in real life. The only difference between this and your typical Citarella? All the items have little eyes. And cheerful expressions. And everything is  entirely hand-made of felt. 

Come on, let’s take a walk and you’ll see what we mean.

The Produce Aisle

We begin in the produce section, where nearly every type of fruit and vegetable imaginable is available (we didn’t see blueberries and grapes, but they may have been hiding in plain sight).

Fruit

Red and green apples and avocados (because you know those are a fruit, right?)

Pink grapefruit, watermelon slices, and bananas. 

Vegetables

If such a thing is possible, the vegetables are even cuter than the fruit.

We loved the garlic bulbs, eggplant, and ears of corn. But the carrots in particular stole our hearts.

Can’t make salad without lettuce leaves.

Can we just say, while the kale is clever and the red and green chiles are adorable, these Brussels sprouts make you want to scoop them up and bring them home. Aww . . . 

It’s impossible to be a bad mood when confronted with a pile of jolly potatoes, smiling cucumbers and sassy green and red peppers. Our hearts go out to the onions, all of whom were shedding a single tear.

The boulangerie

Like any good bakery, Lucy’s Delicatessen on 6th is stocked with baguettes, bread rolls, bagels, cinnamon rolls, and viennoserie like croissants and brioche. The New York bagels were a particular hit the day we visited.

The Boucherie and charcuterie

You’ll soon be lured by the bright colors to the butcher’s counter, where you’ll find prime rib, sausages, ground beef, pork chops and the like.

Tucked in a corner, there’s more charcuterie and a cold cuts. And a ham slicer made of felt. 

The fromagerie

Next up? Cheese. Lots and lots of different kinds of cheese. From Camembert to Comté, goat cheese to Gorgonzola, mozzarella to manchego. For some reason, we liked this spot the best of all. So inventive!

the fishmonger

As entranced as we were by the cheese counter, the shellfish counter is a real show-stopper. We’ve been to the new Food Hall at Harrod’s in London, and you’d be hard-pressed to say that this is meaningfully different from that. It’s almost as equally well-stocked. And definitely just as pleasing to the eye. Perhaps more so.

And of course, there’s sushi. Lots of it. 

Pantry Staples

Of course, a well-stocked grocer has everything you need for your pantry, too. At Lucy’s Delicatessen on 6th, you’ll find pasta, canned goods, peanut butter and jelly, and wide range of condiments.

The Beer Cooler

Wine, beer and spirits are part of the mix, of course. 

the Pâtisserie

Mille-feuille, cheesecake, rainbow cake, carrot cake and opera cake – all our fancy friends are here!

the confectionery

Tucked into a corner is the chocolate and confections case.

The variety of tiny confections is remarkable – and should you choose to, you can fill a traditional flat box with the tiny sweets and present them as a gift – carb free!

how much does all of this cost?

Sharp-eyed readers will have been clocking the prices as we’ve moved through our virtual tour. This is definitely a luxury experience when it comes to check-out time.

Those tiny adorable Brussels sprouts? $10 each. A slice of Rainbow Cake? $50.

If your aim is to purchase a sufficient number of items to curate an acceptable gift or display (like a felt cheese board), you’re looking at about $200 for 4-5 items.

A woman ahead of us in the check-out line had a total bill of over $1,100. And this was her second visit in 2 days! In a chat with the cashier, she mentioned that she had already been there once, earlier in the week.

As we checked out, a cashier mentioned that one visitor bought only cheeses, “but she bought one of every single type we have.” At $35 each.

Bottom line, particularly for all the parents out there. Have you been to an American Girl store? Then you know what to expect. Everything is so cute, and charming, and desirable. Then the bill comes, and you’ve dropped quite a lot of cash. If you bring your little ones with you, perhaps set some boundaries BEFORE you enter. BTW, the shop accepts all major credit cards. 

There are other options for souvenir merchandise, too: aprons, tees, tote bags and stickers.

how long will Lucy Sparrow’s Delicatessen on 6th be here?

“Lucy Sparrow: Delicatessen on 6th” is on view at Rockefeller Center, 1240 6th Avenue between West 49th and 50th Streets, October 1–20, 2019. The project is open daily 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Admission is free and there is no purchase required.

If you miss it, head to the “Sew Your Soul” website, where you’ll find most of these items available for sale (each is made to order, so plan accordingly).

what you need to know before you go

Plan on a wait outside the shop to get in. We visited on a Tuesday afternoon the first week it opened, and we stood in the queue on Sixth Avenue for about 25 minutes.

More puzzling was how long it took to check out. We waited in the check-out line for 45 minutes the day we were there. Not sure why it couldn’t be done faster, and luckily the people we were next to in line were really chatty and friendly. But you have to plan for a lot of time to exit once you’ve selected your purchases.

Be very glad that right next door to this pop-up space is a Magnolia Bakery. Lots of groups with little kids split up, with an adult remaining in line to make purchases, and the rest of group departing for a snack. You’ve also got the entire subterranean food hall at 30 Rock as a haven for the hungry, the tired and those in need of a loo. 

One last tip: be sure that every item you purchase is signed by the artist. 99% of them are, but a helpful man in line noted that occasionally he found some unsigned work. If you’re going to this much trouble, be sure you’re buying signed pieces.

fun with felt food at Lucy’s Delicatessen on 6th

That’s our report. Are you in? And if so, what’s your favorite felt food? For the record, we departed with some cheeses and some pastries. Next time, vegetables – we promise.

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