Kiehl’s is locking in a long stay on Bedford Avenue, signing a 10-year lease for a 1,350-square-foot storefront at 193 Bedford Ave in Williamsburg. The bi-level space, which totals about 850 square feet on the ground floor and 500 square feet below, will take over the former Dr. Martens spot and is slated to open in fall 2026.
Lease details
Lee & Associates NYC negotiated the deal on behalf of landlord Deegan Management, with Jordan Cohen, Brett Brownstein and Garry Steinberg leading talks, according to the New York Real Estate Journal. CBRE’s Joe Hudson and Duane Davis represented Kiehl’s in the transaction, and the space carried an asking rent of $395 per square foot.
The layout, with 850 square feet at street level and a 500-square-foot lower level, gives Kiehl’s a visible retail floor along Bedford plus back-of-house space for local operations as the brand builds out the store.
Why Bedford Avenue?
Brokers are treating the deal as another marker in Bedford Avenue’s ongoing shift from almost exclusively indie boutiques to a tightly curated mix of national and prestige retailers. “This deal speaks to how much Williamsburg has evolved,” Cohen said, per the New York Real Estate Journal, pointing to recent arrivals that have lifted the corridor’s profile with larger brands.
Rents and the retail landscape
The Real Estate Board of New York’s latest Brooklyn Retail Report notes that prime stretches such as Bedford Avenue are seeing rising tenant demand and tightening supply, which is making well-located storefronts tougher to nail down and more expensive to lease. That combination, along with Williamsburg’s dense residential base and steady tourist traffic, helps explain why national brands keep targeting frontage between Grand Street and North 12th Street, according to REBNY’s findings.
What Kiehl’s brings
Kiehl’s traces its roots to a Manhattan apothecary founded in 1851, according to the brand’s own history. The company is now part of the L’Oréal family and has expanded its retail footprint internationally, per Wikipedia, and the new Williamsburg shop will broaden its presence in the New York market.
What to watch
Renovation work at 193 Bedford and job postings tied to the new location are likely to surface in the coming months as the space is prepped for retail operations ahead of the planned fall 2026 opening. For neighborhood shoppers, Kiehl’s entry underscores Bedford Avenue’s continued pull for national beauty and apparel brands, along with the ongoing tension between that glossy retail lineup and the area’s independent-shop identity.
