Dorel Melloul, 26
Senior director at KSR
Dorel Melloul has logged some serious hours for one his age. He went to work for brokerage KSR when he was 18, and so now has eight years under his belt already.
The married father of two didn’t waste time. He interned in high school for a couple of summers with Rosewood Realty Group, spending a year abroad, and then hit the pavement with KSR where one of his accounts is SL Green Realty’s Midtown East portfolio.
“I do like working with retail brands, so I don’t think I would ever work in another field in real estate,” Melloul said. “I love working with retailers and spaces, seeing the synergies between tenants. That’s something that I am very interested in.”
In February, Melloul represented owner Bldg in a deal at 424 Madison Avenue that would establish Bagizza, an eatery that blends bagels and pizza. He also repped SL Green and Star a Kidz Playhouse for 4,722 square feet at 220 East 42nd Street, and negotiated a 4,500-square-foot lease for Moka & Company at 246 Franklin Street in Greenpoint.
One of Melloul’s favorite deals was for Italian fashion brand Kiton in 2021 at 692 Madison Avenue, where it signed for 3,400 square feet.
“I was touring brands through the space in an N95 mask during the heart of COVID,” Melloul said. “Fast forward a little bit, Kiton came and saw the opportunity to get in early. That block now trades for about $1,000 per square foot, with rare availability, and has undergone a true retail renaissance.”
Some larger lease signings Melloul has worked on include Iyad Hamsho’s lease for 5,000 square feet at 133 Mulberry Street for a restaurant concept known as Osteria Barocca back in February 2023, as well as the more recent deal for Slate Property Group at 610 Columbus Avenue, where he helped secure tenants such as Pilates studio SLT and medical practice Tribeca Pediatrics.
