Jacob the Jeweler Reopens Flagship Boutique
The king of bling is back on “Billionaire’s Row.”
Jacob & Co.’s Jacob Arabo is to reopen a redesigned flagship boutique on the corner of 57th Street between Madison and Park Avenues in New York. The updated boutique comes 10 years after Arabo, immortalized in pop culture as “Jacob the Jeweler” for his ties to the world of sports, music and Hollywood, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on charges of laundering more than $270 million in narcotics proceeds for a Detroit-based drug ring called the Black Mafia Family.
“The mistakes that I made over a decade ago shifted my perspective and taught me important lessons that have allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. I have become much more careful in business and have become a much more humble, and ultimately better, man overall,” Arabo said.
Previously the boutique, Jacob & Co.’s only brick-and-mortar location, had a diamond mine theme, but the new design, which Adabo worked on with Roman Vnoukov of the Design Studio Romani, is inspired by Arabo’s 30 years of collections. The new store took almost a year to design and build.
“Our brand has grown significantly since we first opened the flagship in 2004. At that time, I was designing statement-making pieces, many of which were also performance pieces for a celebrity clientele. Over the past 14 years, we’ve moved our business into focusing more on exceptionally rare high jewelry and complicated watches,” Adabo said. “The new design offers an elevated aesthetic that reflects the trajectory of our brand.”
Entering the boutique, in a former 10,000-square-foot town house, customers walk over a transparent tempered glass walkway, exposing original New York bedrock, that leads right to the sliding door of the VIP lounge, which features furniture imported from Italy.
The retail floor has 4,000 square feet of shopping space split between two floors. The custom-made center showcase mirrors the unique shape of the sapphire dome casing of Arabo’s Astronomia Tourbillon. The geometric pattern featured on the facade and on the ceiling of the boutique mirror that of the dial of Arabo’s Astronomia Meteorite watch. Other details include the use of Zebrano wood for all the showcases throughout the boutique.
“High-end clients, now more than ever, want products that are unique or personalized, an item that tells a story or offers an experience.” Arabo said.
The store will be officially reopened on April 26 with a Champagne and caviar-filled party hosted by Carine Roitfeld. There are plans to open stores in Hong Kong, Paris, Los Angeles, London and Moscow in the future.
Jacob & Co. has expanded to include a watchmaking facility in Geneva, Switzerland, and a boutique in Dubai, as well as stockists in London, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
“While I haven’t designed any new pieces based off of the boutique yet, the renovation process has been truly creative and inspirational.” Arabo said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if our 2019 lines pull element’s from the new store.”
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