If you have ever dreamed of shopping in a place where you felt like royalty, then FiveStory is the place for you to go. Located in the Upper East Side on 69th street, in New York, this two and a half story boutique will make your fantasies come true.
New York native Claire Distenfeld, 26, is the great mind behind this remarkable town house boutique. It has a beautifully decorated interior, designed by Ryan Korbon. Her idea was to create a completely different shopping experience from the typical department store, something more in the range of, Paris’ Colette, or Milan’s 10 Corso Como.
Claire was enormously involved in the Art world, as her father is Fred Destenfeld who for many years ran Luxury Accessories International, and was an importer of exotic skins. FiveStory is the product of a two-year project Claire and her father took upon, after deciding to leave their previous lives behind. Although you are inclined to believe that the name comes from the amount of floors it has, that is not the case. The name FiveStory was given in reference to the five different collections that are to be sold in the boutique: womenswear, meanswear, childrenswear, accessories and home goods.
As you enter the town house, you find yourself standing on this astonishing staircase. Upstairs is the Designer Brand section, with names such as Holmes & Yang , Roberta Furlanetta, who did all the couture for Christian Lacroix, Vika Gazinskaya, Lyn Devon, Heimstone and many others. The Accessories Room follows, where she has bags of her own design and incredible jewelry pieces from designers such as Anndra Neen , Danni Jo and Mawi, one of my favorites. The half floor is what she calls “The Shoe Garden”, filled with a variety of shoes, including her own custom made Del Toro, that will change every season. Down stairs at the entrance are the Home Goods and Children’s section and towards the back you will find the more Contemporary Women’s Designer Brands on one side and the Men’s Wear section on the other side. She has teamed up with Chris Gibbs, owner of Union which is a store in LA, to help her select the exclusive lines for the men’s clothing and accessories.
The experience of the store is breathtaking. Claire has truly done and amazing job of presentation, decorating, product selection and most important of all, making the customer feel comfortable, in such a delightful shopping experience.
