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The Big Apple is one of the best shopping destinations in the world, rivaled perhaps only by London, Paris, and Tokyo. Its compact size, convenient subway system, and plentiful cabs (or Uber or Lyft rides) make it easy to navigate with plenty of bags in tow. But what it really comes down to is the staggering number and variety of stores. If you can't find it in New York, it probably doesn't exist.
If you like elegant flagships and money is no object, head to Midtown, where you'll find international megabrands like Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, and Gucci, as well as famed department stores Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys. Nearby Madison Avenue has couture from Carolina Herrera and Vera Wang, and 5th Avenue is lined with famous jewelry stores such as Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston. This is also the neighborhood to indulge in bespoke goods, such as handmade shoes from John Lobb. If you like designer pieces but can't afford them, don't despair—there are plenty of upscale consignment shops around the city where you can find last season's Chanel suit or a vintage YSL jacket.
The small, independent shops that once lined SoHo have largely been displaced by the likes of J.Crew and UNIQLO, but if you want to hit the chains, this is a great place to do it, because the neighborhood also provides high-quality people-watching and superb lunches. Poke around on the side streets and in nearby NoLIta for outposts of smaller local and foreign designers and, if you're craving some of old SoHo's artistic spirit, don't discount the street vendors' stalls, which sell handmade jewelry and simple cotton dresses.
The East Village and Lower East Side are hotbeds of creativity and quirky coolness, with little boutiques selling everything from retro furniture to industrial-inspired jewelry. They're tucked among bars and old tenement buildings. The Meatpacking District is another great shopping destination to find chic designer stores like Diane von Furstenberg and rag & bone along with independently owned boutiques. And if you jaunt over to Brooklyn, you'll discover that some of the city's hippest designers are hanging out at boutiques just across the East River.
It's the quintessential New York story—a jewelry designer who got his start selling his first line, made from Depression-era glass, on a corner in SoHo. His designs count A-list celebs and fashion editors among fans. Expect colorful, fun statement jewelry made out of metal, Lucite, pearls, and vintage glass.
Grade-school kids still love American Girl dolls, whose lines range from historical characters to contemporary characters, each with accompanying clothes and accessories. Bring your doll to this New York flagship in Rockefeller Plaza for a doll hairdressing salon, doll hospital, café, Dress Like Your Doll shop, design-your-own-doll station, and more.
You need a ticket to the museum to physically enter the multiple gift shops at this ginormous museum, most of them themed to the exhibit they adjoin and packed with books, totes, T-shirts, toys, and other memorabilia. For example, the Dino Store features T. rex socks and stuffed animals; the Cosmic Shop features telescopes and NASA memorabilia; the gems and minerals shop offers agate-topped wine stoppers and lapis lazuli jewelry. The new Gilder Center gift shop includes cute costume butterfly wings, conservation-themed clothing and hats, as well as bee-theme clothing, jewelry, and other gifts. Not visiting the museum? Shop online!
More like an apartment than a shop, this wonderfully quirky space with its Victorian rock-chick vibe is chock-full of Sui's bohemian and rocker-influenced designs and colorful beauty products. There's a small selection of accessories and purses, too.
The perfectly giftable, Brooklyn-made products at this variety store include Apotheke candles and diffusers, Claudia Pearson’s hand-drawn tea towels, and PiccoliNY's rubber baby teethers in the form of iconic New York foods. Brooklyn-theme tchotchkes, funny socks, books, stationery, games, and toys round out the selection.
New York's flagship Apple Store features a 32-foot-high glass cube that appears to float over its subterranean entrance, with access by elevator or a winding staircase leading to a subterranean tech world. The Apple-obsessed will be happy to know that this location is open 24/7, holidays included. Display walls and tables are lined with iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and AirPods, and pretty much any device that the company manufactures or sells. There are often special programs here, so check the website. Make an appointment (well in advance) at the Genius Bar if you need tech help. There also are several more Apple Stores across New York City, including in Grand Central Terminal's Main Concourse and a SoHo location in a converted Beaux-Arts post office building.
Family owned since 1925, Argosy is a charmingly old-fashioned place to browse for bargain, out-of-print, and priceless books. The antiquarian bookshop keeps a scholarly stock of rare books and autographs. It's also a great place to find good-value maps and prints for gifts.
The success of this Canadian fashion brand and retailer is reflected in having two NYC flagship stores, one in SoHo, and this two-story, 12,000-square-foot emporium beside Rockefeller Center. Expect to find Aritzia's own collections of denim, active, trendy, and everyday apparel, plus a curated selection of women's clothing, shoes, and accessories from new and familiar labels.
In keeping with the Armani aesthetic, the minimalist furniture and housewares here have a subdued color scheme (gold, gray, cream, and black). Big-ticket items include luxuriously upholstered sofas and sleek coffee tables. At this limited-edition gallery space, the desk accessories and throw pillows are equally understated.
It would be remiss to be in Belmont and not head to the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, which epitomizes the Italian American experience in one covered bazaar. Spearheaded by former Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia—namesake of the airport—this centrally located retail space offers food, both as ingredients—fresh produce and raw butchered meats—and in a prepared form, notably as an classic Italian sandwich worthy to wait in line for. There's seating to eat in the middle of the market, next to a bar slinging craft beers, plus a cigar shop next to the souvenir shop with T-shirts urging people to "Fuggedaboutit."
The luxury retailer's claim to fame is jewelry; its own eponymous diamond cut has A-shape facets, but the British brand caters to all tastes. Everything including leather goods such as wallets and handbags, fine china coffee and tea sets, rare books, game sets, table and barware, and scarves is available. Service is impeccable.
Sure you can shop online for sex toys for maximum anonymity, but if you want to see and touch the goodies IRL before you purchase, this is the place to go. The staff is friendly and helpful, but not in a way that’ll make you uncomfortable, and there are plenty of lubes and dress-up clothes as well.
Over five decades after Pierre Balmain opened his first New York boutique on Madison Avenue, the French luxury fashion house under creative director Olivier Rousteing brought the brand's signature French flair back to New York with a massive store-cum-gallery space that opened brazenly and optimistically at the height of the pandemic. The black, New York cool, gold-accented, and gleaming exterior is reflective of the brand's iconic, expertly crafted ready-to-wear fashion, bags, and accessories.
Although there are plenty of Banana Republic stores around the city, come to this 5th Avenue flagship for the biggest selection of the brand's classic clothing for men and women. Don't miss the Heritage collection or the big clearance racks.
The signature look here is the British company's waxed-cotton and quilted jackets, available for men, women, and children. The tweeds, moleskin jackets, lamb's-wool sweaters, and tattersall shirts also invariably call up images of country rambles. Fittingly, the dog-friendly store also sells canine accessories, such as collars, bed, coats (of course), and more.
Known simply as BAPE to devotees, this exclusive label has a cult following in its native Tokyo. The focus is a small selection of camouflage gear and bright, fun, limited-edition T-shirts for men, women, and children; the limited-edition sneakers in funky colors are scene-stealers.
You need not have the desire (or the funds) to drop thousands of dollars on a rare book, but it's still fun to browse in this decades-old book shop, gawking at the clothbound tomes from decades and centuries past where you can get your hands (or, at least, your eyes) on a first edition Henry David Thoreau, a signed copy of Charles Darwin's The Origins of Species, or a 400-year-old copy of Cervantes's Don Quixote.
Exquisite handcrafted furniture, fixtures, and ceramics, made in master-craftsman Tyler Hays's Philadelphia studio, are showcased in this airy, skylit space. The heirloom-quality pieces blend minimalist, organic lines, often with warm-wood or leather finishes. Even if your budget is limited, BDDW is worth a visit for inspiration.
A simple space, the Manhattan outpost of this long-standing Brooklyn-based icon has a wide selection of gently used modern and vintage clothes. Comb through the racks, and you might find pieces from Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, or AllSaints, as well as stylish items from under-the-radar labels.
This is not your ordinary bead store. The semiprecious stones and baubles are sourced from around the world—say, silver from Bali or ancient glass beads from China. There's also a wide range of worldly trinkets like Thai Buddha figurines, Mexican Madonna candles, and Indian Ganesha-printed hangings.
With a mission to promote sustainability, community, and delicious, local honey products, BeeFavored is an urban beekeeping business with products made from honey that is harvested on a rooftop in the heart of Harlem. Artisanal honey blends, jams, syrups, barbecue sauces, spices, herbs, teas, candles, and pet products are crafted with organic ingredients and make excellent and unique New York souvenirs.
The ultimate shopping destination, this luxury department store is one of the city's iconic stops for designer clothes and impeccable service. This location focuses specifically women, children, and housewares, and is known for its extravagant holiday window displays, on view from late November through early January. The shoe department is stellar, and the range of products in the beauty department is unparalleled. Refuel with a bite at the seventh-floor BG Restaurant, which has Central Park views, or a quick bite at the beauty-level Palette. Cross 5th Avenue to shop at Goodman's Men's Store, with fine selections of menswear and accessories, as well as the posh, second-floor Goodman's Bar.
After operating pop-up shops in various Manhattan locales, Beverly Nguyen found a permanent base for her hip home decor shop in Chinatown in autumn 2023. The shop stocks a mishmash of things that Ms. Nguyen has discovered and decided would be a good fit for the shop. And she's right: everything from small-batch artisanal olive oil that she herself makes from a small olive grove in central California to bed linens designed by her Vietnamese-born parents to aesthetically pleasing pepper grinders and wooden spoons are tempting to take home.
A small, colorful shop in a 19th-century building, specializing in housewares, gifts, and kitchen supplies for your next fabulous dinner party, Big Night is chock-full of interesting finds—from fancy flatware to funky drinking vessels to colorful cutting boards to candles in the shape of green asparagus. There is also a second location in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
