New York City presents you with numerous shopping opportunities. In fact, you could think of the city as a huge outdoor shopping mall. Everywhere you turn, there is something new to discover, explore and splurge on. The volume of luxe designer flagships, cool indie boutiques, old school department stores, and big box retailers are as dizzying for the locals just as they are for the visitors.
This list of New York City’s most essential stores includes luxury giants, avant-garde stores and the favorite independent stores that stock some of the coolest international labels alongside pieces made in NYC. Whether you’re visiting for the weekend or two weeks, save some money for splurging at the places on this list. The best thing is that all these locations are easily accessible using services like hop on-hop off in NYC.
Fivestory
If the fashion world loves an item or is about to, you will most likely find it stocked at Fivestory. Run by a young entrepreneur, Claire Distenfeld, this two and a half story townhouse store is the place to be for accessories and apparel from emerging designers. You will find pieces from up and coming designers like Monse, Rosetta Getty, Ellery and Maiyet.
Fortunately, not everything is crazy expensive. You’ll find contemporary pieces and accessories going for under $200.
In Support Of
Opened in 2014, this new retail concept store was founded by Tanya Sheikh and Ivan Gilkes. In Support Of is a retail store that does more than feature products from independent designers; it also supports local charitable causes. The store has collaborated with the NYC organization Community of Unity that provides at-risk youth with in-school assistance and support to help them achieve full potential.
Located in the Meatpacking district, the boutique celebrates under-the-radar and eco-friendly designers like Tosia, Nikki Chasin and Apiece Apart. The difficult to Google name boutique dedicates part of the proceeds to different charities each year.
Barneys
Barneys reopened one of its historic original locations in Chelsea, generating lots of buzz back in 2016. This location is always a pleasure to visit and lays emphasis on digital connection – an app sends shoppers push notifications based on items they are interested in. Once you are done admiring the shoes, beauty products, accessories, and designer clothes – including some pieces that are only exclusive to this store – recharge with a snack and drink at Fred’s, the in-house eatery.
Strand Bookstore
Find all stripes of New Yorkers browsing the racks at Strand, a used and new bookstore located close to Union Square. This New York icon has everything from beautiful cookbooks to brand-new fiction to rare antiques and art tomes. If you are a book nerd, you may easily spend an entire afternoon in here, but if you are in a rush, one of the staff members is always at hand to help you.
Kirna Zabete
Two best friends launched the store in 1999. Kirna Zabete stocks some of your favorite labels as well as brands that will likely blow up – it was one of the first to carry Thakoon and Rick Owens. The bold stripes and neon signs welcome you to a place that takes high fashion shopping from serious to fun.
Opening Ceremony
Even though it was opened more than a decade ago, the Opening Ceremony at Howard Street still looks as fresh as it did during its launch. This storefront is the home of several famous labels like Maison Margiela and Kenzo, as well as many other under-the-radar labels. You will also find collaborations with everyone from Teva to Minnetonka and Chloe Sevigny.