Midtown's design crowd is getting its 14th-floor hangout back. Another Story, a new restaurant and café from Scandinavian restaurateurs Ulrika Bengtsson and Sabina Lindmark, is slated to open late this spring on the 14th floor of the D&D Building at 979 Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
The pair have signed a multi-year lease for roughly 6,500 square feet, bringing life back to a space that has sat vacant since 2020. The suite will hold a full-service dining room and a café, restoring food-and-beverage buzz to a floor better known in recent years for high-end showrooms.
According to Crain's New York Business, about 4,500 square feet of the lease is dedicated to the restaurant, with the remaining space reserved for catering and private events. Crain's also cites CoStar market data showing asking rents in the D&D Building hovering around $64 to $78 per square foot.
Where It Will Sit
The Decoration & Design (D&D) Building at 979 Third Avenue is a long-running design hub whose showroom directory features names such as Quadrille, Holland & Sherry, Gracie and Claremont Furnishing Fabrics, underscoring its trade-focused identity. The D&D spans on the order of roughly 550,000–570,000 square feet, a scale noted in coverage of landlord Charles Cohen's portfolio by Commercial Observer.
Who Is Behind It
Bengtsson and Lindmark already have a following for Nordic-leaning, neighborhood-minded hospitality. They operate Björk Cafe & Bistro at Scandinavia House, where Scandinavia House lists them as the café's operators.
Speaking to Crain's New York Business, the duo described Another Story as “designed to complement the building's energy as a modern café for gathering and thoughtful food and beverage.” The plan is to cater to both daytime design-industry regulars and evening private events.
Landlord Under Pressure
The lease drops at a hectic moment for D&D owner Charles Cohen, who has been offloading Midtown properties and dealing with lenders as he works to raise cash. Recent sales and foreclosure activity, including the January sale of 3 East 54th Street to Vornado as Cohen negotiates with creditors, has been detailed by Bisnow.
For the building itself, Another Story's arrival means designers and showroom staff will once again have a dedicated spot to grab coffee, meet clients and host after-hours gatherings on the 14th floor. Bengtsson and Lindmark are aiming for a late-spring opening, setting up a new hospitality anchor as Midtown's design and office foot traffic continues to normalize.
