Japanese Plushy Concept to Open in Former Mansion at 313 Fifth Avenue

Japanese stuffed animals and figurines will be taking over a converted Fifth Avenue mansion after an outlet dedicated to plushie-based experiences signed a 15,400-square-foot lease.

Gatcha is setting up its first Manhattan location in the retail portion of the Elijah Equities-owned 313 Fifth Avenue, after introducing the vending machine-centric concept in Flushing, Queens, and parts of New Jersey, according to a CBRE report on retail leasing in the second quarter of 2025.

Elijah Equities did not provide the length of Gatcha’s lease or the asking rent in the building, but the average asking rent was $338 per square foot for retail space along Fifth Avenue between 14th and 23rd streets, the nearest retail corridor tracked by CBRE. 

Elijah and Gatcha did not respond to requests for comment. It is unclear who brokered the deal.

The building at East 32nd Street may not hint to its past at first glance, but it was built in 1853 by Gilded Age steel baron Uriel Atwood Murdock, where it contributed to the area’s grandeur at a time when New York’s elites were flocking  to the corridor, according to Daytonian in Manhattan.

It was converted to offices in 1901, after Murdock’s death. His family leased it out to a law firm before renting it to high-end piano manufacturer Mason & Hamlin until 1929, when the building was sold. 

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.