credit: Canva
For the past few years, Hudson Yards has been Chelsea’s buzziest shopping destination. There luxury brands including Cartier, Dunhill, Louis Vuitton, and Sonia Rykiel rub shoulders with crowd-pleasers such as Zara, P!Q, and Muji. But while you could easily while away a day there, Chelsea also has numerous other shops you don’t want to miss.
credit: Hudson Yards
Chelsea Market
Many people think of Chelsea Market as a food hall, and food—to eat on premises and to take home—certainly makes up much of its offering. Amy’s Bread, Berlin Currywurst, Takumi Taco (serving Japanese-inspired Mexican dishes), and Tings (for Jamaican jerk chicken) are among the must-stop eateries, and Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, the Lobster Place, Manhattan Fruit Market, and Saxelby Cheesemongers are a few of the shops selling top-quality fare for creating your own culinary delights. But Chelsea Market is also home to shops selling nonedible items. These include Artists & Fleas, a market-within-a-market selling artisanal apparel, jewelry, and accessories; Neighborhood Goods, offering an eclectic curation of clothing, skincare, and gifts; and Pearl River Mart, a much-loved source of Asian wares.
Chelsea Market interior. credit: TI1492/Wikimedia
192 Books
This could serve as the model for independent bookstores. Bright and airy yet chock-a-block with books, it sells everything from best-selling fiction to hard-to-find biographies to picture books for even the most finicky young readers. The shop hosts readings and book signings too, and its staff are more than happy to suggest your next great read.
192 Books. credit: 192 Books
Maison 140
Step inside this charming shop and you’ll almost believe you’re in an out-of-the-way Parisian boutique run by a globe-trotting eccentric with an unerring eye for the chicest home accents and gifts. Whimsical bas-relief tiles, sumptuously scented Seda Candles, professional-quality Laguiole knives, and pillows clad in Hermès fabrics are just a few of the treasures you might find among the densely arranged displays.
Muléh
This boutique is for the woman who doesn’t compromise her style in any aspect of her life. Timeless impeccably crafted apparel from brands relatively unknown on this side of the Atlantic, such as Collection Privée, Gallégo-Desportes, and Tela, makes up the lion’s share of the merchandise mix, but Muléh also sells lighting and furniture from Kenneth Cobonpue that uses natural materials such as rattan in innovative ways and organic soaps and lotions from Munio, among other unexpected finds.
Muléh exterior. credit: Muléh Instagram
Read on to discover more about Chelsea.