Founder & CEO - Bluestone Lane
Nicholas “Nick” James Stone is a native of Melbourne Australia who moved to New York City in 2010. He is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Bluestone Lane, an Australian-influenced lifestyle and hospitality brand based in New York, NY.
Nick envisioned Bluestone Lane whilst attending Business School in New York, with the idea of providing a premium coffee/cafe experience that is readily found in his former hometown of Melbourne Australia (but not readily available in New York). Since opening its first location in July 2013, Bluestone Lane has become the fastest-growing premium coffee and café brand in New York City, having opened 27 locations and a flagship coffee roastery and production facility within its first 4.5 years of operations (including listing in RBI’s 25 Fastest Growing Fast Casuals and Best 20 Brands under 20 Units).
Nick joined Bluestone Lane as its full-time Chief Executive Officer in June 2016, having spent 10 years as a Corporate Finance Director with ANZ Banking Group Limited and UBS Investment Bank, advising and financing some of the world’s largest multinational corporations in the United States, Europe and in Asia Pacific.
Prior to banking, Nick was a professional Australian Rules Football (AFL) player for 6 seasons, having been selected in the 1999 AFL National Draft from Wesley College, Australia (High School). Nick played for the Collingwood Football Club, Hawthorn Football Club and St Kilda Football Club.
Bluestone Lane it set to have more than 40 locations by the end of 2018, across 6 United States core-markets, including New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Washington DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Bluestone Lane has more than 350 staff.
Nick is married to fellow Australian, International Model and Biomedical Scientist, Alexandra Stone (nee Knight). Together in 2016 they founded allergen-free bakery and nutrition company, Husk Bakeshop. They live in Santa Monica, California.