Fashion Retailer Moda Operandi Takes 30K SF for Queens Distribution Center

Online luxury fashion retailer Moda Operandi is taking industrial space in Queens for a new distribution center.

Moda, which provides customers with women’s clothing, shoes and accessories directly from designers, has signed a five-year lease for 30,000 square feet on part of the third floor of The Davis Companies’ 58-30 Grand Avenue, also known as the Pearl Building, in Maspeth, according to tenant broker JLL.

The fashion company will use its space at the three-story warehouse as a distribution center. Moda also has corporate offices at 34 34th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and 195 Broadway in the Financial District.

“Since our launch, Moda Operandi has continuously evaluated how luxury fashion reaches the most discerning of consumers, and our sustained growth is a testament to that vision,” Dermott Sullivan, chief financial officer and chief operating officer at Moda, said in a statement.

“Our new location at the Pearl Building marks a significant step forward in strengthening our distribution capabilities, enabling us to deliver exceptional fashion with greater efficiency and speed to the New York region and beyond,” Sullivan added.

The asking rent was unclear, but a report from Matthews Real Estate Investment Services found industrial rents in Queens averaged $21.92 per square foot in 2024.

JLL’s Owen Hane brokered the deal for the tenant, while Cushman & Wakefield’s Rico Murtha, Helen Paul, Joe Hentze Jr. and Sonny Singh represented the landlord.

“Moda Operandi’s growth and scale led them to the decision to take their distribution needs in-house,” Hane said in a statement sent to Commercial Observer. “The Pearl Building offered an ideal location with close proximity to all major transportation outlets and access to Manhattan and a large portion of its customer base.”

A spokesperson for C&W did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The New York Business Journal first reported the news.

Moda will move into the 157,000-square-foot building at the corner of Grand Avenue and Rust Street later this month, NYBJ reported. The fashion company will replace footwear wholesaler PW Shoes and Much Better Perfume in the space.

The deal comes after The Davis Companies completed a multimillion-dollar capital improvement program at the building, including updated loading facilities with new dock doors, as well as a facade restoration and lobby upgrades, the landlord said.

“The demand for well-located, high-functioning industrial space in New York City remains strong, and properties like the Pearl Building are ideally positioned to meet that need,” David Allen, senior vice president of asset management at Davis, said in a statement. “With the recent upgrades to the building and ideal access to the city and surrounding areas, the space offers an ideal solution for dynamic companies like Moda Operandi.”

Other tenants of the Pearl Building include bike company Fly E-Bike and medical supply distributor Stronghold East.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.