Midtown – Shopping

Midtown Manhattan has long been a destination for shopping. In the early 20th century, that meant the grand department stores, an innovation in their day combining service and selection under one roof. Other neighborhoods like SoHo or Williamsburg have tempted flagship stores away from the center of the city, but now 5th Avenue is back. Retail rents on the famed commercial corridor have skyrocketed, and along with it, new flagship stores have opened from leading global luxury brands.

 

Tiffany’s

The flagship location of Tiffany’s first opened in 1940, was made famous by Audrey Hepburn in 1961’s Breakfast At Tiffany’s, and then closed in 2019 for renovations. The 10-story building underwent a major facelift and expansion, gaining two floors on the roof, including a terrace overlooking Central Park. The renovated store opened last summer to rave reviews. The new location also features Daniel Boulud’s Blue Box Café, offering an all-day menu, tea, and, of course, breakfast.

 

Burberry

The new 5th Avenue flagship store opened in July 2023, sporting a reconsidered aesthetic for the brand’s stores, with more neutral colors and open spaces. The location focuses on immersive shopping experiences and sports sculptures from Casey McCafferty, who works primarily in wood and stone.

 

HOKA

Founded fifteen years ago with a focus on running shoes, the rapidly growing sportswear company opened its new flagship store in June. The hope is for the store to serve as a community space for athletes, and to allow runners to test products. The new flagship is the second in New York City. The HOKA store is just a few blocks away from Nike’s House of Innovation where Nike showcases new technology and offers the Sneakerlab, the brand’s largest in-store selection of shoes available. 

 

Books, Books, Books

New York bookstore chain McNally Jackson has opened a Rockefeller Center location. Growing from a single SoHo shop to a mini-empire with shops in Brooklyn, across Manhattan, and even in the city’s renovated airport terminals, McNally Jackson hosts literary events and curates a selection of the best new books, with the store organized by nationality of the author. Midtown also boasts the city’s only location of Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya, known for a large collection of Manga comics and Japanese stationery. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, another Japanese bookstore chain, Book Off, might have it just a few blocks away. For rare books, check out Bauman Rare Books or Chartwell Booksellers, conveniently located across the street from each other.  

 

Catbird

Twenty years ago, Rony Vardi launched a small boutique in Williamsburg, Brooklyn featuring an evolving mix of curated items. Since then, Leigh Batnick Plessner and Wing Yin Yau have joined as jewelry designers, and Catbird has expanded into custom demi-fine jewelry pieces, including a wedding line, as well as home and gift items. Catbird now has sights on going national, with their newest store opening in Rockefeller Center.

 

Watch Out

Citizen and Swarovski both opened flagship stores on 5th Avenue last December. Swarovski’s store features crystal, home decor, eyeglasses, and watches. Citizen’s 7,000-square-foot location promises an immersive timepiece-buying experience. Earlier this year, Chanel also opened its own 5th Avenue store dedicated to watches and fine jewelry, meaning there’s no time like the present to buy a new wristwatch.