Madison Avenue Touts Dozens Of Openings, From Food To Fashion

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — After a difficult pandemic, Madison Avenue is back in full force as a shopping destination, with dozens of businesses opening or expanding in the coming months, according to a local business group.

Six new stores opened this summer along Madison Avenue, including clothing retailers like Isabel Marant and Kiton and skincare shop Luxura, according to a report by the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District.

More exciting are the 24 new or expanding businesses set to open this fall, according to the B.I.D., which listed nearly all of them:

• 45 R (fashion and accessories), 22 East 65th St.
• Alison Lou (jewelry), 994 Madison Ave.
• Altuzarra (fashion and accessories), 959 Madison Ave.
• Asprey (jewelry, home decor, accessories), 680 Madison Ave.
• Baobab Collection (home decor), 1015 Madison Ave.
• Dr. Sturm (skincare), 1006 Madison Ave.
• Graff Diamonds (jewelry), 712 Madison Ave.
• Hermés (fashion and accessories), 706 Madison Ave.
• Ippolita (jewelry), 721 Madison Ave.
• Irene Neuwirth (jewelry), 937 Madison Ave.
• John Elliott (fashion and accessories), 853 Madison Ave.
• Kaspia (caviar restaurant), 992 Madison Ave. (The Mark Hotel)
• L’Objet (home decor), 950 Madison Ave.
• LGDR (art gallery), 19 East 64th St.
• Panerai (watches), 711 Madison Ave.
• Reinstein Ross (jewelry), 21 East 67th St.
• Stefano Ricci (men’s fashion), 41 East 57th St.
• Versace (fashion and accessories), 747 Madison Ave.
• White Cube (art gallery), 1002 Madison Ave.
• Zadig & Voltaire (fashion and accessories), 845 Madison Ave.

Kaspia in particular may be among the most anticipated openings — based in Paris since 1927, the restaurant is "famed for its decadent caviar spreads," according to Food & Wine.

Its new location at The Mark Hotel, announced in April, is just one part of a global expansion, with plans for new restaurants in London and Los Angeles, the magazine reported.

Another six businesses are set to open on Madison in 2023, including the new Corinthia Hotel and Casa Tua restaurant at 20 East 76th St., the Giorgio Armani flagship development at 760 Madison Ave., a coffee bar by Serafina at 1022 Madison Ave., and the ultra-elite private members' club by Robin Birley at 850 Madison Ave., — which sparked controversy at a recent community board meeting.

"Luxury brands know that Madison Avenue is the place where their best clients reside or visit when they are in our city," B.I.D. president Matthew Bauer said in a statement.

The corridor had been hit hard by COVID-19, with a 2021 report finding 55 ground-floor retail vacancies along Madison Avenue between East 57th and 72nd Streets — the most of any major shopping street in the city.

That marked a 25 percent increase from the end of 2020, according to the study, which attributed the trend to "stagnant inventory and a lack of new demand."

But the B.I.D. pushed back even then, noting that more than a dozen businesses had opened on Madison in prior months.

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