‘Real Housewives of NYC’ star’s ‘stoop sale’ attracts hundreds of shoppers in Lower Manhattan

On Tuesday, more than 100 people filled nearly three blocks of a Lower Manhattan loft for the chance to participate in a “stoop sale” hosted by Jenna Lyons, former president and creative director of J. Crew who is now part of the reality TV cast. show “The Real Housewives of New York.”

Lyons, known for her unique style, announced the sale via Instagram on Saturday. It generated so much buzz that she later extended sales hours and instituted a $15 cover charge, which would be applied to anything someone decided to purchase. Half of the profits would be donated to Planned Parenthood, she said in a second Instagram post.

In the hours before the sale opened at 2 p.m., Lyons posted several Instagram photos of clothes that would be on sale, including a 2012 Met Gala look and signature button-down shirts. And a queue was still active outside the sale as the sale’s end time of 7 p.m. approached.

Fans of Lyons and “RHONY” — as well as people who had no idea who Lyons is — waited in line for hours in 80-degree weather to get into his SoHo loft on Mercer Street, between the Spring and Prince streets. Some lined up hoping to see Lyons herself or get their hands on some of the pieces that helped make her a style icon.

“She’s obviously the most stylish one and the other housewives don’t really understand because she doesn’t dress for the male gaze,” Sarah Siegel, 31, said. “I just think she’s really cool – and I hope she has a lot of accessories and stuff.

Siegel said she hopes to be able to see Lyons in person as well.

Chelito Villafor, 39, who lives in Los Angeles, bought a pair of low-rise wool Marni pants for $65. He said he arrived after 5 p.m. and only waited in line for 45 minutes before his turn to enter. He described the loft as “hot and humid,” but added that Lyons was also in the space.

GiGi Principe was the first person in line even though he had no idea who Lyons was. The 25-year-old actress, who also works as a professional waiter for a company called Same Old Line Dudes, said she arrived at 10:30 a.m. But there was something different about this sitting mission, she said – it was a bit more secretive in nature.

“Usually when I wait in line, I get an exact address in advance, so this was definitely new to me,” Principe said. “I’ve never done a dry sale before.”

Sitting next to her in the queue was her colleague Abraham Addison, 66, who arrived at the garage sale shortly after 11am. He said he also had no idea who Lyons was.

Those waiting in line also learned they might appear on the next season of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” Members of the show’s production team surrounded the crowd, presenting them with press release forms in case they found themselves on camera.

Sharon Croxon, 53, was visiting New York from Toronto this week when she saw Lyon’s Instagram post promoting the stoop sale. The interior designer, who says she’s “dabbled” in the show but has followed Lyons since her time at J. Crew, said she hopes to unearth some rare pieces.

“I’m excited, from a style and design standpoint, to see what she has available that might be interesting,” Croxon said.

It wouldn’t hurt, she added, if she saw Lyon too.

Others – like Belle Bakst, 32 – were there to blog the event for their own social networks. Bakst — who runs a popular TikTok account covering sample sales — said more than a dozen followers told him about the event.

She said she was looking for costume jewelry as well as any other finds she might come across. She said she was worried she wouldn’t be able to stand the heat for as long as it would take her to get into the loft.

“We’ll see if I can do it – I’m only human,” she said.

Tuesday’s calm and orderly scene stood in stark contrast to a different sell-off. In March, New York police forcibly shut down a Versace sample sale in Chelsea after a fight broke out between thousands of people waiting for the chance to get their hands on discounted designer clothes . The sample sale resumed a few hours later, the same day, in front of a much calmer crowd.

Lyons, a Boston native, had a decades-long career at J. Crew and spent the last seven years as president and creative director. She joined the cast of “The Real Housewives of New York” during its 14th season, which debuted last year and featured an all-new cast. The show is currently filming its next season, but Bravo has yet to announce when it will air.

James Foley, a 32-year-old security guard who is part of the show’s production team, said he was warned about the chaos caused by the Versace sample sale. He said he didn’t expect it to be too loud on Tuesday – but that he planned to work the event until dark.

“We’re just here to keep everything calm – but personally I don’t expect things to get out of control,” he said.

Bravo, which broadcasts the reality show, declined to comment. Lyons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This story has been updated with new information.