For two years, Tiffany & Co.‘s flagship store at 727 Fifth Avenue at the corner of 57th Street will be under renovation. Tiffany’s has been located there since 1940, serving as an anchor to the luxury retail corridor that developed along Fifth Avenue and as a cultural cornerstone. Who can forget Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, eating a pastry and sipping coffee in front of the display window at Tiffany’s?
On Sunday night, under modern day cloak and dagger, ten floors of merchandise and priceless jewelry were moved around the corner to its new temporary location in the former Niketown store on 57th Street. Almost everything has made it over to the new location, dubbed The Tiffany Flagship Next Door. That’s over 114,000 pieces of Tiffany goods, including a $2.475 million dollar engagement ring. One casualty: The Blue Box Cafe, which opened to much fanfare in the fall of 2017.
Photo by Rodolfo Martinez
For the move, tents and barriers (in the signature Tiffany blue of course) were erected and the merchandise was moved in locked, rolling cases (also with the Tiffany blue). Thirty security guards were hired and NYPD police officers were also on hand outside. Everything went without a hitch, with the move taking place over the course of 18 hours when the store would have been closed anyway, and everything was ready for opening by 10:30 AM Monday, when a press preview was also held. Press had been notified that the new store was opening on Monday but not when the move was taking place. According to The New York Times, about 300 security cameras were on in both buildings and the streets in front. The live feed was being monitored by security in both stores as well as in Tiffany’s distribution center in Parsippany, NJ.
Photo by Rodolfo Martinez
The old Niketown, at 6 E. 57th Street, has a brick facade and a striking arched window that reaches up to the top floor of the building. It was only built in 1996, but it has an old-school feel, with a faux PS 6453 public school sign on top (part of a high-school theme that was part of Nike’s design). Nike vacated the building at the end of 2017 for a new flagship at 650 Fifth Avenue. Tiffany & Co. actually used the space in December, for the Tiffany & Co.’s Men Holiday Pop-Up shop. The building is owned by the Trump Organization.
Photo by Rodolfo Martinez
The interior entrance of The Tiffany Flagship Next Door features an impressive atrium, in which the company has placed a more than 5-story tall Empire State Building (in the Tiffany blue) with a park bench in front. The elevators have been also turned blue. High jewelry is on the main floor, as it was in the original building. The Tiffany’s Men’s Collection is on the second floor, love and engagement on the third floor, and home and accessories on the the fourth floor. There is one VIP salon for service, like in the original flagship. “We have created something truly unique and visually dynamic with this space,” said Reed Krakoff, chief artistic officer, Tiffany & Co.
Photo by Rodolfo Martinez
For another Tiffany experience, join an upcoming tour of the Tiffany Glass Archives, rarely opened to the public:
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Header photos by Rodolfo Martin
