{
  "source": "Fashion Week Venues",
  "title": "Versatile Event and Performance Venue in Midtown East",
  "description": "This intimate and flexible event and performance venue in Midtown East is available for full buyout by the hour. The space features two connected rooms: a main showroom equipped with a built-in stage and a separate bar/lounge area. It is suitable for various occasions, including private events, live performances, rehearsals, corporate gatherings, screenings, and creative productions.\n\nThe main showroom includes a raised stage with professional sound and lighting, multiple microphones, and an available baby grand piano. The layout can be adjusted for seated events, standing receptions, or cleared configurations, with the option to rearrange tables and chairs as needed.\n\nThe bar and lounge area boasts a fully operational bar, bar seating, tables, banquette seating, and warm ambient lighting, making it perfect for cocktail hours, networking, or breakout sessions. Additional amenities include Wi-Fi, TVs with HDMI input, adjustable lighting, elevator and stair access, and convenient street-level load-in.\n\nOutside food and BYOB are allowed without restrictions. Optional staffing, such as bartenders, hosts, and security personnel, is also available, ensuring the space is adaptable for both creative and professional events.",
  "editorialTake": "Book this Midtown East venue for a single-evening launch party or press reception with a short staged moment, because the built-in raised stage, professional sound rig and fully operational bar mean the two highest cost lines of any fashion week evening are already installed and paid for. What makes this address work for that use case is the two-room split across 112 sqm: the main showroom holds a seated or standing audience in front of the stage while the adjoining bar and lounge, with banquette seating and warm adjustable lighting, absorbs the crowd the moment the presentation ends, so you never suffer the dead twenty minutes that kills momentum at a one-room New York venue. It suits established mid-market and contemporary labels in tailoring, denim, fragrance, eyewear or music-adjacent streetwear, five or more years in and with a real editor list, rather than minimalist luxury maisons who need daylight, white walls and street frontage, none of which a basement room with a supper club character will ever give them without an expensive fight. In our experience the February and September NYFW evening slots here go six to eight weeks out and the Tuesday to Thursday windows disappear first, so enquire early, note that lease is strictly one day with no multi-day hold, and use the unrestricted BYOB and outside catering allowance properly by pricing beverage independently through our budget calculator before you commit to a guest count near the 120 ceiling.",
  "idealBrandProfile": "This venue fits established mid-market and contemporary brands with 15 to 100 people internally, five or more years of trading, and a PR or events line already sitting inside the marketing budget. The single-day booking window is the deciding factor: minimum and maximum lease are both one day, so this is a calendar event rather than a temporary retail space you occupy for a season. At 112 sqm across two connected rooms with a 120 person occupancy, it suits a brand hosting one high-intent evening for editors, buyers, or VIP clients rather than a brand chasing walk-in volume. Where we see mismatches is when a two or three person label with no press list books a full buyout at this tier and fills 30 seats, or when a global house needs 300 plus guests and a runway sightline that a basement room with a fixed stage cannot deliver. Brands wanting a two week trading footprint should compare longer-lease spaces in New York instead. Aesthetic Fit Warm, low-lit, performance-led identities work here: tailoring, denim, fragrance, eyewear, jewellery, footwear, and music-adjacent streetwear all read well against a raised stage, banquette seating, a working bar, and adjustable ambient lighting. The room already has a supper club character, so brands with a nightlife, craft, or heritage story get to lean into the interior rather than fight it. Product categories that photograph well under directional and warm light do best, and the two-room split lets you separate a presentation moment from a social one. What does not work is the clinical gallery aesthetic. Minimalist luxury brands that need white walls, daylight, and tall ceilings will spend heavily to neutralise a basement bar and still lose the effect. Equally, brands relying on street frontage and window display should look elsewhere: there is no shopfront visibility at this floor level. Best Use Cases First choice is a launch party or cocktail reception, because the fully operational bar, bar seating, banquette lounge, and unrestricted BYOB and outside catering policy remove the two costs that usually inflate an evening event. Second is a collection preview or press day with a seated presentation, using the built-in stage, professional sound, and multiple microphones for a short talk before guests move to the lounge. Third is a live performance or brand-hosted showcase, with the baby grand piano and lighting rig already in place. Fourth is a screening or film premiere, supported by TVs with HDMI input and blackout-friendly basement conditions. Fifth is a creative workshop or panel, using the breakout capability of the second room. Sixth is a content studio day, since street-level load-in and elevator access make a controlled shoot feasible. Optional bartenders, hosts, and security can be layered in through our activation service. Budget Signal This sits at the upper end of the Midtown East single-day event market, priced closer to a hotel ballroom buyout than to a raw short-term commercial space. The value case is honest: you are paying for infrastructure that is already installed, not floor area. Compared with a bare Midtown retail unit at a similar rate, you avoid building a bar, hiring sound and lighting, sourcing furniture, and paying catering markups, and BYOB alone shifts the economics of a 120 guest reception. Against a hotel event space you gain a venue with character and no food and beverage minimum. Against co-working venues and shared pop-up formats you gain full exclusivity, two-minute access to Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street, and a licensed bar. Brands at this stage typically find the total delivered cost lands below the hotel route once production is counted, which is worth modelling in our budget calculator before enquiring.",
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Is this space available for pop-up shops?",
      "answer": "It can be, but only as a one-day pop-up shop rather than a multi-week trading unit, because both the minimum and maximum lease at this Midtown East address are a single day. The 112 sqm layout does include fitting rooms, garment racks, counters and a stock room, so a selling event is genuinely workable once product lands. What holds it back as conventional temporary retail is the basement floor level: there is no street window and no passing footfall to convert, so every guest needs to be someone you invited. Brands we place here run invite-led sample sales and VIP shopping evenings rather than open-door retail, and if you need two weeks of trading we would point you toward longer-lease spaces in New York"
    },
    {
      "question": "What does Fashion Week Venues handle on my behalf for this booking?",
      "answer": "We handle the full path from first enquiry to load-out, so your team only makes decisions rather than phone calls. At this address specifically that means negotiating the hourly buyout window and any pre-access time for setup, confirming the licence to occupy with the venue, briefing the in-house sound and lighting operator, coordinating street-level load-in timing, and booking optional bartenders, hosts and security. We also manage furniture reconfiguration between seated, standing and cleared layouts, guest list management, and BYOB or outside catering delivery scheduling. Every venue on our roster is vetted before it reaches you, there is no charge until confirmed, and we reply within 24h to briefs. You can see the full scope in all services"
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the day rate and what does it include?",
      "answer": "The published day rate is USD 12,000 for a full buyout of both connected rooms, which is roughly EUR 10,448 at current conversion. That figure covers exclusive use of the main showroom with its raised stage, professional sound and lighting, multiple microphones and the baby grand piano, plus the separate bar and lounge area with bar seating, tables and banquette seating. Wi-Fi, air conditioning and heating, adjustable lighting, TVs with HDMI input, elevator and stair access and existing furniture are all part of the space rather than add-ons. Staffing, catering and any custom fit-out sit outside the rate, and we price those brief-based once you tell us guest numbers and format. Because this venue is quoted hourly as well as daily, a shorter evening window can come in below the full day rate on request."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can I rent it for less than a full day?",
      "answer": "Yes, this venue is offered as a full buyout by the hour, so an evening cocktail reception or a four-hour press day does not have to carry a full 24-hour rate. In our experience handling bookings at addresses like this, brands book a block that includes two to three hours of setup before doors and one hour of strike afterwards, and we negotiate that access into the same window rather than paying twice. What you cannot do is hold the space across consecutive days, since the lease term is capped at one day. If your activation needs an install day plus an event day, tell us at enquiry stage and we will look at neighbouring venues with multi-day availability."
    },
    {
      "question": "How many guests can the space hold?",
      "answer": "Occupancy is 120 guests across the two connected rooms at 112 sqm, which is 1,200 sqft in total. That number assumes a standing reception flowing between the showroom and the bar and lounge area rather than a fully seated banquet, which lands closer to 60 to 80 depending on table configuration. Seated theatre-style in front of the built-in stage sits in between, and tables and chairs can be rearranged or cleared entirely for a performance or shoot. Brands running collection previews in this footprint typically find 70 to 90 confirmed guests is the sweet spot, because it fills the room without blocking sightlines to the stage. Use our ROI estimator"
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the stage and AV setup?",
      "answer": "The main showroom has a raised built-in stage with professional sound and lighting already installed, multiple microphones, and a baby grand piano available on request. Lighting is adjustable, which matters for a brand presentation where you want directional light on product and warm ambient light on guests. TVs with HDMI input handle lookbook loops, campaign film or screening content without you bringing a projector and screen. Because this is a working performance venue rather than a blank room, most brands we place here spend nothing on sound or lighting hire, which is a meaningful line item removed from a New York event budget. If you need specialist rigging or a custom set, that runs through our production and build"
    },
    {
      "question": "Can I bring my own food and drink?",
      "answer": "Yes, outside food and BYOB are allowed here without restrictions, which is unusual for a Midtown East venue with a fully operational bar. That means no food and beverage minimum, no forced in-house caterer, and no markup on wine or spirits you supply yourself. For a 120 person cocktail reception this single policy usually shifts the economics more than the day rate does, and it is the main reason brands choose this venue over a hotel event room nearby. The bar itself is fully working with bar seating, so you only need to add bartenders. We book those alongside hosts and security through our retail staffing"
    },
    {
      "question": "How does load-in work for a basement venue?",
      "answer": "Load-in is at street level with both elevator and stair access down to the space, so you are not carrying rails and crates down a single narrow staircase. That combination is what makes this venue viable for a sample sale or a content studio day, where garment rails, lighting cases and product cartons all need to move quickly. Parking is available in the building, which helps if your production van needs a holding slot on East 51st Street rather than double-parking on a Midtown block. In our experience with basement venues in this part of Manhattan, we schedule freight arrivals outside the 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm congestion windows and confirm the elevator is reserved for your slot. Elevator access also means the space is reachable for guests who cannot use stairs."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is it suitable for a showroom or wholesale appointments?",
      "answer": "Yes, for a concentrated one-day buyer preview rather than a full market-week showroom rental. The fitting rooms, garment racks, counters and stock room give you the working infrastructure a fashion showroom needs, and the bar and lounge area doubles as a waiting and hospitality zone between wholesale appointments. The two-room split works well when one team runs the rail in the showroom while another hosts arriving buyers next door. What this venue cannot do is host a three-week market residency, because the lease is capped at a single day. Brands running compressed buyer days in this format often pair the appointment schedule with an evening reception in the same booking to make the day rate work harder."
    },
    {
      "question": "Do I need a permit to run an event here?",
      "answer": "For a private invite-only event inside the venue you are covered by the venue's own certificate of occupancy and licensing, and your agreement with us is a short-term licence to occupy rather than a lease. Where a permit does come into play is if you plan exterior signage, sidewalk presence, amplified sound audible outside, or selling product to the public, which shifts you into New York City temporary retail and sales tax territory. Because the space is a basement bar with no street frontage, exterior branding options are limited and we confirm what the landlord will allow on a per-booking basis. We check all of this before you sign, and our permit guide"
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the neighbourhood and transit like?",
      "answer": "You are in the heart of Midtown East on East 51st Street, two minutes' walk from the Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street subway station and three minutes from 51st Street, with 59th Street and Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street both under ten minutes on foot. The 3rd Avenue and East 51st Street bus stop is 142 metres away, carrying the QM express routes for guests coming from Queens. The immediate area is corporate Midtown, next door to the Lipstick Building and a short walk from the Fifth Avenue flagship corridor and the United Nations district. That profile suits evening events aimed at editors, agency clients and buyers who are already working in the area, and it makes late arrivals easy. It is not a footfall location, so treat this as a destination venue you drive guests to rather than a shop they discover."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can I use it for a photo or film shoot?",
      "answer": "Yes, creative productions are an accepted use and the space is set up for them. Basement conditions give you full blackout control, the installed lighting rig is adjustable, and the layout can be cleared entirely so you are shooting into an empty room rather than working around fixed furniture. The bar and lounge area with its banquette seating and warm ambient lighting reads as a supper club set without any dressing, which saves a build day. Street-level load-in and elevator access mean grip and lighting carts move without a fight, and there is a stock room for cases. We can add furniture on top of what is installed through our furniture rental"
    },
    {
      "question": "How far in advance should I book, and what happens during fashion week?",
      "answer": "Book four to six weeks ahead for a standard evening, and eight to twelve weeks if your date falls inside New York Fashion Week in February or September. Single-day buyout venues with an installed bar and stage are the first category to sell out during those windows, and holding a February Thursday in late January is rarely possible. Rates in fashion week and the December corporate season sit above the standard USD 12,000 day rate, and we quote those on request rather than publishing them. If your date is fixed, send it to us early and we will hold provisional availability while the brief firms up. Our activation timeline"
    },
    {
      "question": "How do I enquire and what happens next?",
      "answer": "Send us your date, format, guest count and rough budget through the enquiry form on this listing and we reply within 24h. From there we confirm live availability with the venue, price the hourly or full-day buyout against your brief, and come back with a costed proposal covering staffing, catering logistics and any production. If you want to proceed we issue the licence to occupy and take a deposit, and there is no charge until confirmed. We then run a site walkthrough with your production lead so load-in timings, layout and AV are agreed before the day. Most brands go from first enquiry to signed agreement on this venue inside a week."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the day rate?",
      "answer": "$12,000 / day. Weekly and press-preview rates are quoted on request."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is staging, branding and fit-out permitted?",
      "answer": "Yes. Fashion Week Venues runs the full production build — signage, fixtures, lighting, sound, catering and staffing — subject to venue rules. Include your fit-out brief in the inquiry."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is included?",
      "answer": "Included on-site: Internet, Air Conditioning, Security System, Stock Room, Counters, Fitting Rooms, Garment Rack, Lighting."
    },
    {
      "question": "How far in advance should we book?",
      "answer": "Fashion week windows book 6–10 weeks out. Off-season activations can be secured in 2–3 weeks."
    }
  ],
  "editorialFaqCount": 14,
  "city": "New York",
  "country": "US",
  "lat": 40.75725193,
  "lon": -73.96915462,
  "areaSqm": 112,
  "areaSqft": 1200,
  "priceLabel": "$12,000 / day",
  "priceEur": 10448,
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  "amenities": [
    "Internet",
    "Air Conditioning",
    "Security System",
    "Stock Room",
    "Counters",
    "Fitting Rooms",
    "Garment Rack",
    "Lighting",
    "Furniture",
    "Sound & Video Equipment",
    "Electricity",
    "Heating",
    "Parking",
    "Elevator",
    "Kitchen",
    "Reception",
    "Lounge",
    "CCTV",
    "Stage"
  ],
  "useCases": [
    "private event",
    "corporate event",
    "networking event",
    "cocktail reception",
    "live performance",
    "creative workshop",
    "screening",
    "rehearsal",
    "product launch"
  ],
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