Lizzie Tisch believes in brick-and-mortar and New York City. After a successful run with a holiday pop-up shop on Madison Avenue and 69th Street, Tisch decided to return to that location this spring.
“It got such a positive response, we decided to reopen the first week of February through June,” said Tisch, whose 1,400-square-foot colorful store is called LTD by Lizzie Tisch. She said people have been telling her “this is the happiest store on Madison Avenue.”
She originally made the decision to open a holiday pop-up when she was walking up and down Madison Avenue in the fall and got depressed on her daily strolls. Vendors were asking her to do something for holiday and she leased the space from mid-November to mid-December. She had yellow warning tape in the windows saying, “Rebuild + Revive + Restore + Recover.” A graffiti artist named Brian Kaspr tagged the shop interior with all the brand names as well as “Don’t Wreck the Holidays” mural.
For this go-round, Tisch said she’s been doing well with jewelry, which she would have expected more around the holidays. “People want to dress up when they’re on Zoom calls from the neck up and bedazzle their faces,” she said.
In the ready-to-wear category, the Greg Lauren line is selling very well. “People love his things, they’re casual and cool,” Tisch said. Some of the items are jeans mixed with sweatpants materials and oversize jackets that look like they’re made of blankets and cargo pants with interesting patterns. Another strong seller are Reloved vintage sweaters, where they redo the lining and buttons and give it a fresh take.
Tisch also brought in an outerwear line called Marfa Stance, founded by designer Georgia Dant, which she saw in a magazine in the fall and liked. She described it as a fresh take on the Barbour jacket, where each jacket is reversible so it’s like having two coats. You can add a hood and a collar and it’s customizable. She is carrying the signature reversible quilts, reversible shearling coats and reversible trenchcoats. The jackets are great for outdoor dining in the city, she said, and range from $1,100 to $3,000 for a shearling and leather one.
Tisch said she’s also having brisk sales with Carolyn Rowan’s fingerless gloves and House of Fluff’s T-shirts with hearts of faux fur. Derek Blasberg also made a T-shirt for City Meals on Wheels, where half the proceeds go to charity. She’s also been expanding the home category since customers are looking “to fluff up their places.”
Chad Wentzel’s crystals wrapped in papier objets have been selling well. She’s also had strong response to pottery that has irreverent humor. “We can’t keep them in stock,” Tisch said. Over the holidays, “F**k 2020” sold out completely, she said.
“Vendors are excited to have an opportunity to have another place to sell or their first place in New York,” she said.
The boutique, which took over from a Cartier store, is open Monday through Saturday.
For the last four years, Tisch has been focused on doing three-day trunk shows at the Loews Regency Hotel and events in the Hamptons.
With the brick-and-mortar store, Tisch said, “We’re trying to be nimble and fresh and really want to be a neighborhood destination where people are coming in every week and want to see something new and fresh.” Tisch said she has no immediate plans to open more stores but is considering a store in Palm Beach next year. “New York is home and we’re going to focus here,” she said.