Long-Vacant UES Storefront Gets New Maximalist Design House

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — After sitting vacant for years, a townhouse storefront on East 69th Street has found new life as the first U.S. flagship for Italian fashion brand La DoubleJ, which opened this week between Madison and Fifth avenues.

The opening comes after more than six years of vacancy at the site, Matt Bauer, the executive director of the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District, told Patch.

The store, which spans the limestone townhouse, joins a few other locations in Milan, Capri, Palm Beach, and Dallas. The space is selling its maximalist womenswear, as well as dishware, textiles and other home goods.

La DoubleJ, according to its website, is "the inspiring authority on feel-good fashion, energy elevation, and the ebullient Italian way of life through heart-based design and community."

The dolce vita vibes continue inside the store, which the brand is calling its 'Lighthouse,' according to its Instagram.

"Set inside an Upper East Side townhouse, The Lighthouse brings together ready-to-wear, homeware, sound and spirituality in one immersive, high-vibration universe," the brand says of the new location.

Before the long vacancy, the townhouse was home to Fivestory, another ready-to-wear clothing store. Fivestory left the space during the pandemic, Bauer said.

The opening comes amid an uptick of openings on Madison Avenue and its nearby side streets, signaling a renaissance of the neighborhood, Bauer said.

La DoubleJ is located at 18 East 69th St.

Know of a business opening or closing in Manhattan? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.