Tourists from around the globe are aware that Fifth Avenue is a shopping mecca, but those in the know head to Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side. Alongside glossy designer outposts and global retail chains—Barneys New York and J Crew, Cartier and Apple, Chanel and Tory Burch—you will find a trove of independent shops selling everything from handmade limited-edition ties to fine bedding. Below is just a sampling.
1313 Madison Avenue (at 93rd Street)
Among the myriad other benefits of Upper East Side life is access to a local independent bookstore. Since 1978 the Corner Bookstore has filled its shelves with not only best-sellers but also notable fiction and nonfiction for adults and for kids. The book-loving staff will recommend reads, order books that are out of stock, and even try to track down out-of-print tomes. In addition to hosting readings and signings throughout the year, many of them featuring local writers, the shop throws an annual Christmas Eve open house, complete with champagne, homemade cookies, and a jolly guest of honor who comes in all the way from the North Pole.
1304 Madison Avenue (between 92nd and 93rd Streets)
Iconic Alessi designs are among the goods for sale at S. Feldman Housewares. Image: Sailko/Wikimedia
Sam Feldman founded his eponymous shop in 1929 as a five-and-dime, slowly but surely expanding into a full-fledged housewares emporium. Still family owned and operated, the shop is a cornucopia of cookware and tableware, appliances and gifts from top-notch brands: Alessi, Breville, Le Creuset, Miele, Peugeot (luxury salt and pepper mills rather than autos), Wüsthof… Along with want-to-have items such as handcrafted faux-snakeskin place mats and guitar-shape beechwood salad servers, S. Feldman sells less glamorous essentials that range from moth balls to light bulbs to hangers.
1283 Madison Avenue (between 91st and 92nd Streets)
Model-turned-actress-turned-shop owner Phoebe Cates Kline opened this eclectic boutique in 2005. The assortment, which encompasses women’s clothing, jewelry, home accents, and gifts, is curated for the shopper who shies away from the cookie-cutter but does not want to be eccentric merely for the sake of it. Bowls handwoven of fragrant vetiver were recent best-sellers, sharing floor space with minimalist dresses by Sofie D’Hoore, whimsical necklaces with pendants of porcelain babies clad in sterling-silver skateboarding gear, Rodin skincare, and Lucite boxes hand-carved with floral and butterfly motifs.
1281 Madison Avenue (between 91st and 92nd Streets)
The Madison Avenue branch of Otte, like its sister shops in Tribeca and the West Village, offers a carefully selected assortment of clothing for women who follow fashion but are hardly slaves to it. The minimalist shelves and racks feature apparel from both established and up-and-coming designers, including Cacharel, Citizen of Humanity, Dion Lee, Jane Carr, Max Mara, Moussy, Pringle Scotland, Rachel Comey, Robert Clergerie, Stuart Weitzman, Tomorrowland, and Veronica Beard.
1248 Madison Avenue (between 89th and 90th Streets)
Sergio bow tie collection. Image: store owner/Yelp
Next time you are in need of a gift for the man who has everything, head to Seigo Neckwear, as chances are good that he does not own a limited-edition hand-sewn silk tie from Seigo Neckwear. Each edition is limited to just eight ties, complete with a serial number on the back. Not all of Seigo’s ties are limited edition, but they are all handcrafted in Japan of woven or hand-block-printed silk.
1169 Madison Avenue (between 85th and 86th Streets)
An emporium of footwear for men and women, Chuckies offers just about every designer imaginable, from Balenciaga and Jimmy Choo to Moon Boot and Yeezy. It sells a nearly as wide-ranging assortment of bags as well, some in exclusive colors. Cofounder Ritch Erani has his own fashion-forward line of Italian-made women’s shoes too, Ritch Erani NYFC; the most recent collection featured sleek sandals with clunky transparent heels of varying heights, and there is also an exclusive Chuckies collection made in Italy.
1132 Madison Avenue (between 84th and 85th Streets)
Whether you prefer pure linen or 1,000-thread-count cotton, solid weaves or animal prints, alpaca or merino wool, you will likely find your ideal bedding at this family-owned and –operated shop. Along with only the finest bedding, much of which is exclusive to Schweitzer, the store sells luxe towels, table linens, feather-and-down-filled Aubusson pillows, and soaps. Because one does not want to slip between sumptuous sheeting while wearing a stretched-out T-shirt, the product range includes women’s nightwear and intimate apparel, from silk nighties to cashmere robes. Classic jackets, cardigans, shawls, and capes in materials including cashmere, alpaca, suede, and silk are sold as well, so you can feel pampered throughout the day as well as at night.
952 Madison Avenue (Madison and 75th Street)
Perfect for the cold winters in Manhattan, luxury British cashmere store N.Peal on Madison Avenue is the go-to place for sumptuously soft, high-quality cashmere knitwear. Founded in 1936 in London’s Burlington Arcade, the British brand was a favorite among Golden Age celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardener for its exquisite classic cut sweaters, made from 100% Mongolian cashmere. The modern lofty interior sees shelves of cashmere in almost every colour, with luxurious accessories and gifts like pashminas, scarves, gloves and slippers; ideal for wrapping up in style.
1130 Madison Avenue (at 84th Street)
Founded by a former professor at FIT, Artbag has been repairing fine leather goods since 1932. It also crafts a proprietary range of leather bags. Its Ultimate Handbag, made of buttery water-resistant leather in more than a dozen colors, is simple and timeless in design. Other exclusive items include lightweight shoulder bags woven of Italian nappa leather, patent-leather handbags, and ostrich-skin clutches.
994 Madison Avenue (between 77th and 78th Streets)
Lisa Jackson worked as an interior designer for the likes of Tory Burch, Michael J. Fox, and Vera Wang before translating her love of quiet drama and relaxed refinement to fine jewelry and lush accessories. Rose gold, white gold, and sterling silver are favored metals, often embedded with diamonds. Alpaca sweaters, silk scarves, and leather bags are sprinkled throughout the shop.
969 Madison Avenue (between 75th and 76th Streets)
When it opened in 1950, Zitomer was a pharmacy. It still fills prescriptions—some 700 a day—but its three floors also sell a dizzying, dazzling array of beauty and grooming products, jewelry, lingerie, toys, and gifts. It is all but impossible to exit the store with just one item. Perhaps you entered with the goal of buying a bar of Claus Porto honeysuckle soap, but you just might leave with a Z New York eyeliner, a Helen Kaminski cotton-and-raffia sunhat, Santa Maria Novella cologne, a Mason Pearson hairbrush, Botot natural toothpaste, colorful Suzanna Dai chandelier earrings, a Petit Bateau raincoat for the little one, or a pair of Havaianas as well.
819 Madison Avenue, Fifth Floor (between 68th and 69th Streets)
Interior De Corato Atelier. Image: store owner/Yelp
Women are not the only ones who open their closet, then throw up their hands and declare, “I have nothing to wear.” De Corato Atelier is here to help those men who do so. In a shop that more closely resembles the pied-à-terre of a peripatetic entrepreneur, they can shop from a tightly edited assortment of ready-to-wear apparel from Italian brands such as Cesare Attolini and Fedeli or order bespoke suits, jackets, shirts, pants, knitwear, and ties. The staff can help put together an entire ensemble, or even an entire wardrobe.
766 Madison Avenue (between 65th and 66th Streets)
Wulfenite is just one of the mineral specimens that can be found at Mardani Fine Minerals. Image: Didier Descouens/Wikimedia
Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but a seven-pound chunk of aquamarine arising from shards of muscovite like Aphrodite from the sea or a 13-inch-high stalactite of malachite will also do nicely. Mardani Fine Minerals sells what it calls “natural art,” collectible specimens of precious and semiprecious stones, crystals, and metals as well as proprietary mounts and cases for displaying them to their most spectacular effect.
673 Madison Avenue (at 61st Street)
Aaron Basha began designing jewelry in the 1950s, and his family carries on the tradition. Much of the jewelry, however, is anything but traditional. Charms in the shape of baby shoes are made of gold and adorned with diamonds and colorful enamel; hamsa pendants are studded with diamond baguettes; pavé diamonds limn 18-karat white gold safety pins; rings made with rubies and pink quartz are designed to resemble evil-eye amulets. Whimsy has never been so opulent.