Jewelry and accessories designer, Kara Ross, will open a petite flagship at 655 Madison Ave.
The designer, who is married to Related Companies’ Chairman Stephen Ross, will open her 600-square-foot boutique this fall on the East 60th Street side of the office tower.
Ross, who designed her first ring at age 13 with a tourmaline she brought back from a family trip to Africa, now creates exclusive gifts for President Obama and the First Lady to give out to special visitors and White House employees.
Laura Pomerantz of Pomerantz Real Estate represented Ross in the transaction. Pomerantz previously negotiated a flagship lease in the same building for DKNY. Other flagship retail stores in the property include Schutz, owned by fashion designer Alexandrea Biermann; and Jones New York’s first U.S. location for the Brian Atwood division.
Colliers International Tri-State Vice Chairman Andrew H. Roos and its President Michael T. Cohen represented the building ownership, which had an asking rent of $800 per square foot.
“Any one of a number of landlords would have been delighted to have her,” said Roos of Ross. “This complimented everything else in the building and on the block.”
The short block between Madison and Park also hosts the Philippe Chow restaurant and is the site of an future Zeckendorf residential development.
