Louis Vuitton plans new location on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach
Louis Vuitton has a new home on Palm Beach’s iconic Worth Avenue.
The French luxury fashion house headquartered in Paris will occupy a two-story space at 222 Worth Ave., which previously was home to Escada.
More: After 40 years in Palm Beach, Louis Vuitton will close Worth Avenue store on island
The retailer went before the Town Council as the Development Review Committee on Wednesday to request a special exception for a permitted use of greater than 4,000 square feet in the Worth Avenue commercial zoning district.
The building is 7,625 square feet. Of that, plans submitted to the town show a little more than 5,000 square feet would be used for sales.
Council members voted unanimously to approve the request.
Louis Vuitton previously had a store in The Esplanade at 150 Worth Ave. In April 2022, an Esplanade representative said the store would close. That later changed, with Louis Vuitton extending its lease within the next month. It eventually closed, leaving the brand — which had more than 5,600 stores worldwide as of 2022 — without a stand-alone presence in Palm Beach.
Louis Vuitton first opened a store more than 40 years ago at 251 Worth Ave. before moving to The Esplanade in 2000.
Other nearby luxury retailers in that block of Worth Avenue include Gucci, Tiffany & Co., Bottega Veneta and Valentino, as well as longtime local businesses like Kassatly’s, which last year celebrated 100 years on Worth.
Plans for the store submitted to the town as part of the application for the special exception note the historical importance of 222 Worth Ave., the top floor of which was once home to noted portrait and still-life artist Channing Hare. County records show the building is owned by Worth Pondfield, which paid $6.3 million for the property in 1998.
The plans also lay out the brand’s vision for the store, which on the first floor includes display cases, try-on rooms and seating areas.
The second floor includes a V.I.C. — very important customer — room with two chairs, tables and a couch. There would be an adjoining try-on area and a restroom. Most of the second floor is dedicated to back-of-house space.
The two floors are connected by a staircase and an elevator, the plans show.
The next step for Louis Vuitton will be before the town’s Architectural Commission during the Jan. 24 meeting, where commission members will review the store’s requests to change the exterior facade, including awnings and new signs.
The building’s facade previously had one appearance of the store’s name, Escada. The updated plans show the name “Louis Vuitton” appearing twice, once on the east side and once on the west, with the trademark “LV” symbol between them.
Louis Vuitton’s letter of intent to the town requesting approval for the facade changes also says that all of the windows will be updated with impact glass and window frames.
After the Architectural Commission reviews the project, it will go back to the Town Council.
Louis Vuitton is part of LVMH Group, or Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Louis Vuitton plans new location on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach
