Lara Hélène Bridal Atelier 13 East 69th Street New York, NY 10021 (212) 452-3273 “Do you have a preferred beverage or choice of music for your visit?” Lara Meiland asks a prospective client, a bride with an upcoming wedding in Greece, over the phone. Lara Meiland and her sister, Lisa, recently opened Lara Hélène Bridal Atelier on 69th and Madison. Lara Hélène is a luxury bridal house that produces and sells custom made and made-to-measure bridal gowns, veils, tiaras, jewelry and other bridal accessories for the bride who’s “looking for something special” and doesn’t want to walk down the aisle in what her friends are wearing. A destination spot for the international set, Lara Hélène carries exclusive merchandise and offers a highly personalized, luxurious customer experience from hour and a half individual appointments to a spacious dressing room overlooking a lovely garden. “Everyone here gets star treatment,” Meiland says. “We customize every sample, changing the lace and fabrics until the bride gets exactly what she wants.” Renny and Reed 505 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022 (212) 288-7000 Renny and Reed’s distinctive delivery vans are as much a fixture on the Upper East Side as their retail flower shop on Park Avenue. Founded in 1972 by Renny Reynolds and rejuvenated in 2003 by the addition of Reed McIlvaine, Renny’s nephew and godson, Renny and Reed has long been a staple of the Park and Fifth Avenue set. What sets this retail flower shop, event design firm and nursery owner apart, aside from its gorgeous, unique, “just outside the norm,” floral offerings, is its customer service. “(Customer service) is one of the most important things in this business,” Reed McIlvaine says. “With beautiful flowers, the product really speaks for itself.” With a mix of local business accounts from Harry Winston, the Metropolitan Club and the Four Seasons Hotel on 57th Street to the “who’s who” impressive roster of private clients and the up and coming younger set, Renny and Reed showcase their renewed sense of energy and style all over the Upper East Side. “There are always new designers with their names in the paper,” Reed says. “We have to be creative and challenge ourselves to come up with the next big idea. It’s important not to get stuck on a particular look.” Pomegranate 201 East 74th Street New York, NY 10021 (212) 288-4409 “What a gorgeous store!” exclaims a woman who wanders into Pomegranate. Her delight is typical. This hidden treasure off Third Avenue sells unique presents for every occasion with a specialty focus on personalized items from cosmetic cases and coasters to preppy stationary and journals. Owner, New York native and former Martha Stewart employee, Kristin Brackenridge brought Pomegranate to the Upper East Side from upstate New York in April 2002, much to the relief of those looking for a last minute housewarming gift. “I try to find things you can’t find everywhere and I try to keep the prices moderate,” Brackenridge says as she carefully wraps another present. “I only buy what I’d want in my own house.” With most of her business coming from young moms, newlyweds and “classic New Yorkers,” Brackenridge modestly attributes her success to lack of competition. “There just aren’t a lot of boutiques that sell hostess presents on the Upper East Side,” she says. Even if there were, her regulars wouldn’t think of going anywhere else. Hirschl & Adler 21 East 70th Street New York, NY 10021 (212) 535-8810 Hirschl & Adler, a full service art gallery on the Upper East Side for over fifty years, does everything from buying and selling figurative and decorative arts to framing, restoration and appraisals. “I like to call us the Barneys of the art world,” says Elizabeth Feld, family business owner, commenting on Hirschl & Adler’s impressive range. “We offer everything from shoes to lingerie.” With American and European art by the Old Masters to modern paintings and prints with a focus on the representational, and with prices starting at $800 and sky rocketing to $15 million, Hirschl & Adler offers “something for everybody.” “Unlike other galleries, we’re not scary,” Feld says, from the second floor of the gallery’s rotating exhibition space as a tour group passes by. “We welcome the public. We’re approachable and friendly. Impulse buys are what define people up here, so we’re happy to talk to anyone. No job is too small.” Salon AKS 689 Fifth Avenue, 10th floor New York, NY 10022 (212) 888-0707 694 Madison Avenue, 2nd floor (closed for renovation) New York, NY 10022 Susanna Romano, one of the three co-founders of Salon AKS, a full service Upper East side salon offering everything from haircuts and highlights to manicures and pedicures, is thrilled about their new gorgeous, spacious, completely wireless, second location in midtown. “Some clients said they wouldn’t come here because they don’t go below 57th street,” Romano says from the new salon, pausing to warmly greet a client by name. “But once they get here, they realize 54th street isn’t so far away.” Salon AKS’s well-trained, hard-working, loyal, mission-driven team could draw clients anywhere. “Our clients are New Yorkers on the go, on their way to parties, to business meetings,” Romano says. “They want to get in and out but not be rushed, and they want everything done perfectly, so we have to hold ourselves to the highest standard.” Romano takes new hires into other Upper East side stores like Gucci to help them get to know the customer. “A woman who spends $10,000 on a purse wants her hair done to a specific standard,” she says. “With 300 people coming through the door every day, we always have to be on our toes.” |
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