Ana Luisa’s third New York City store is evidence of the brand’s commitment to brick-and-mortar retail and of the power of experiential shopping for today’s jewelry customer.
The store at 1219 Third Ave., on the Upper East Side, opened Thursday. Ana Luisa, originally an e-tailer, opened a boutique in Boca Raton, Fla., in the spring, and last year added locations in Indianapolis and Manhattan’s West Village. Its first brick-and-mortar location was also in New York, in SoHo.
The SoHo store has been open since late 2023. Ana Luisa was founded in 2018 by Adam Bohbot and David Benayoun, Bohbot had a background in e-commerce and marketing; Benayoun brought experience in luxury jewelry.
“We want the store to feel elevated but never intimidating,” says Bohbot, who spearheaded the Upper East Side store’s design. “Jewelry is incredibly personal and tactile, so the space is designed to encourage discovery—whether you’re stopping in for a new everyday piece, creating something at our custom jewelry bar, or simply taking the time to try on and explore.”
The custom jewelry bar—where shoppers can create personalized charm bracelets, anklets, and necklaces, including “permanent” welded styles—is a centerpiece of the new boutique. Ana Luisa has incorporated a custom/permanent jewelry bar into every store starting with the West Village, its second location (the SoHo store has an adjacent custom jewelry studio).
That interactive experience distinguishes Ana Luisa from many other jewelry retailers, Bohbot says. The company offers another type of interactive experience in SoHo, where clients can listen on vintage telephones to recorded messages about how to style Ana Luisa jewelry.
Streamlined interior design and in-store styling advice also separate Ana Luisa within the market, says Bohbot. Like Ana Luisa’s other locations, the new Upper East Side boutique has a brick-red and white color scheme, one of the branding choices the company made when it moved into physical retail.
“The custom jewelry bar is a favorite and has quickly become a core part of the Ana Luisa experience,” Bohbot tells JCK. “We also love the open product displays, which invite customers to engage with the jewelry, try it on, layer, and discover pieces naturally rather than shopping from behind a traditional jewelry counter.”
Top: Ana Luisa started as an e-commerce brand in 2018 and has opened five stores since late 2023, including its third New York City location just this week. (Photos courtesy of Ana Luisa)
