Newmark Knight Frank’s Ariel Schuster, Ben Birnbaum and Peter Shimkin brokered a flagship lease for shoe star Manolo Blahnik.
The retailer will open this year at 717 Madison Avenue, a landmarked five-story elevator property built in 1920. Located between 63rd and 64th Street in Lenox Hill, the new location encompasses both office and retail spaces with the ground and lower levels totaling 4,942 s/f of retail space and floors 2-4 totaling 5,005 s/f of office space.
The new flagship will be replacing the brand’s smaller unit, once located at 31 West 54th Street, which only offered women’s shoes.
This is the latest in a series of investments in US talent and infrastructure as Manolo Blahnik prepares to bring its North American business in-house from 1 January 2020.
The double-fronted store will be designed by architect David Thomas of David Thomas Design in collaboration with Manolo Blahnik and Kristina Blahnik, Group CEO. Thomas was instrumental in the design of the Manolo Blahnik standalone boutique in the Palais-Royal in Paris, which opened in June 2019.
