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Miami's Curio Is Making Brick-And-Mortar Retail Exciting Again
Miami Beach, Florida, aerial view, Faena House luxury condominium complex with Collins Avenue Forum, Indian Creek Portugal Tower. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
In the heart of Miami Beach's Faena District—where fashion and art blur into commerce —Curio has emerged as a powerful case study in adaptive brick-and-mortar experience. Launched in December 2019 by fashion veterans Danielle Licata and Jeff Lasota, the multi-brand concept store is rewriting the rules of experiential shopping against the odds.
Curio Co-Founders Jeff Lasota and Danielle Licata
'We never wanted to build just a boutique," Licata, once president of Coterie, one of the largest fashion trade shows in the U.S., explained. "The idea from day one was to build something that would be like a cultural hub—where you'd be able to discover fashion, meet new designers, and be inspired simultaneously."
Curio at Faena Bazaar, Miami Beach
Store began as a pop-up outside Miami Swim Week. 'It was going to be temporary,' Licata said. 'But we did wonderful business and realized there was demand for something more curated and interactive.' That pop-up led to a year-long lease at the Faena Bazaar to create a multi-brand store. Then the pandemic hit.
The duo's timing could have been disastrous. They shuttered Curio's physical doors in March 2020, but then quickly adapted. 'We decided to take the store on the road during COVID,' she said. 'We went to New Jersey, New York—wherever we saw that our customers were coming from to Miami.' That move was not only tactical—it ultimately seeded customer loyalty in direct, key markets that continue to benefit them today.
Curio's success is also impossible to detangle from Miami's overall cultural renaissance. The arts sector contributes over $2.1 billion annually to the local economy and supports over 31,000 jobs. Art Basel alone brings in 90,000 global visitors each year, with the majority being a very fashion-friendly crowd.
By the time the duo reopened a brick-and-mortar store six months later, Miami had become one of the pandemic's hottest relocation destinations, drawing with it even more wealth, commerce, and fashion tastemakers from around the world. Curio rode that wave with surgical precision.
The store's success is also impossible to detangle from Miami's overall cultural renaissance. The arts sector contributes over $2.1 billion annually to the local economy and supports over 31,000 jobs. Art Basel alone brings in 90,000 global visitors each year, with the majority being a very fashion-friendly crowd.
People look at artwork during the 22nd edition of Art Basel at the Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida, on December 6, 2024. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)
Curio taps into this energy with deliberate strategy. "You're going from having the biggest tennis tournament one week, then an art fair the next week, and then suddenly there's a music festival," Licata said. "We go out of our way to be part of it all."
At its core, Curio retail experience, similar to most multi-brand stores, is about discovery. That means not only curating heritage brands like Marni and Zimmerman, but also one-of-a-kind, emerging designers. It's this balance between the familiar and the surprising that drives visitors and sales. 'Established brands get people in, but emerging brands push them to the checkout,' Licata notes. And it's not just women's wear that is selling well, 'our male customers are buying more—and wisely so,' said Licata. 'Once we get them in a fitting room, they're shopping. They want to feel put together.'
Rich the Kid at Curio
This incubator spirit is central to Curio's business model. Licata and Lasota don't just stock names—they also mentor and develop designers, often helping international labels make their U.S. debuts, helping them adapt to the American tastes. Between them, they have a 360-degree view of the fashion world: Lasota held leadership roles at Stella McCartney, Belstaff, Yeezy, VFiles, and Johanna Ortiz, while Licata is credited with reinvigorating Coterie and still works closely with brands and influencers around the world.
Curio also eschews the usual trend-chasing. 'We believe in trends, but we don't believe in changing the identity of the person,' Licata said. 'Barbiecore, for instance, can be interpreted across styles—from the minimal girl to the sexy girl to the bohemian in a hot-pink kaftan.' This lens helps customers shop more intentionally and hold onto pieces longer—a type of thoughtful shopping that Curio champions. 'We only have one sale a year—and it's for charity,' Licata added. 'Otherwise, we treat a piece with respect.' The store also partners with designers to upcycle deadstock materials into unique new garments, creating fresh inventory while reducing waste.
Beyond the product, what sets Curio apart is its immersive brick-and-mortar experience. The space itself—inside the artistically driven Faena Bazaar—functions like a curated gallery, blending shopping with visual storytelling.
Beyond the product, what sets Curio apart is its immersive brick-and-mortar experience. The space itself—inside the artistically driven Faena Bazaar—functions like a curated gallery, blending shopping with visual storytelling. Collaborations with Miami Music Week's Breakaway Festival or exhibitions tied to artists like David LaChapelle and John Galliano further blur the lines between fashion and art. Case in point, Curio recently elevated Breakaway's festival merchandise from standard tees to fashion-forward embroidered cabana shirts. 'They went fashion, and we went younger,' Licata explained. 'That sort of synergy is why we are still culturally relevant.'
As global travel has resumed, Curio continues to benefit—thanks in part to Miami's status as a leisure mecca. 'People may not spend as freely at home,' Licata said, 'but when they're on vacation, they want experiences.'
Fashion influencers at Curio
Despite the challenges of building and running a luxury retail business during turbulent times, Licata's passion hasn't dimmed. 'It's not as glamorous as people think. After 20 appointments in Paris, we look like we got hit by a truck,' she laughed. 'But when someone finds something meaningful for a special moment—a wedding, a first date—that's the real reward.'
In an age of the click-through-retail, Curio is a rare brick-and-mortar gem that can still surprise and delight. And for a parting advice for those seeking to repeat Curio's success Licata suggests to 'stay curious and stay plugged in.' 'Discover the overlap between who you are and what your clients and community wants. That's where the business magic happens.'
