Before moving to a temporary space on Madison Avenue a few years back, Cellini had been a fixture inside the iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel since 1977.
And now, after a protracted search for the perfect freestanding space, the luxury watch and jewelry boutique has moved into permanent digs: a stand-alone store at 430 Park Ave. at 56th Street, just a few blocks up from the iconic hotel in midtown Manhattan.
The new store features a 2,300-square-foot sales floor and 700 square feet of upstairs office space.
The retailer has been hunting for a forever home since the Waldorf Astoria was sold to the Anbang Insurance Group of China in 2014. That year, the retailer relocated into a small Madison Avenue space out of necessity, and its founder and president, Leon Adams, began searching for a permanent outpost in the neighborhood.
Adams told JCK that the spot’s proximity to the company’s two former store made it attractive: “It [meant] our current customers didn’t need to go far to find us,” he said. “Plus, there are no boutiques around us that we do business with. Another important reason is that Phillips auction house is right next door.”
He added, “The new space gives our clients a more comfortable and inviting experience overall. And it also gives us opportunities for more in-store interaction like exhibitions and other events.”
Adams told Forbes that the rent for the Park Avenue space was “significantly less than on Madison or Fifth,” adding, “We felt it was much more advantageous for us to build out the shop with lower rent and create exactly the environment we want. This corridor is really opening up, and there is tremendous traffic here that is untapped. Additionally, the location is within the vicinity of our existing clientele base, so it is convenient for them.”
The renovation cost in excess of $3.5 million, he divulged.
Inside the new Cellini store in midtown Manhattan
The store’s exterior at Park Avenue and 56th Street
The new store employs a sophisticated gray-and-gold color palette
The brand celebrated the launch of its sleek new flagship—an airy, salon-like space with lots of glass and a gold-and-gray palette—with a private reception May 15 hosted by Adams.
The store’s jewelry selection include Cellini’s signature designs and styles from top-tier brands including Carrera y Carrera, Wellendorff, Pippo Perez, Sutra, Fabergé, and Victor Velyan.
The shop’s extensive collection of timepieces includes rare and hard-to-find models from MB&F, Greubel Forsey, Urban Jürgensen, Laurent Ferrier, H. Moser & Cie, and Urwerk, among others. The boutique is also home to the U.S. debut of the Bovet Récital 22 Grand Récital watch, which Hodinkee writer Jack Forster last week called “one of the most complex watches we’ve seen thus far this year.”
Top: The watch section inside the new Cellini store on Park Avenue (all images courtesy of Cellini)
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