One of the few New York neighborhoods to have both an indoor mall and an outdoor flea market, the Upper West Side has become the site of numerous national retailers and even a few big-box stores such as Target. There are still homegrown boutiques to frequent, however, specializing in everything from bedding (Down & Quilt Shop), which also repairs heirloom quilts) to artisanal gifts (Magpie) to everything you need for little ones (Albee Baby).
Cole Haan, Diptyque, J. Crew, Jo Malone, Stuart Weitzman, Ted Baker, and Williams Sonoma are among the well-known brands with stores in this glossy mall, which is an ideal spot to get your shopping fix when the weather is less than delightful. Lesser-known shops that are worth getting to know include Camp, which offers gifts for kids and fun-loving adults as well as crafts sessions for families, and local womenswear boutique Montmartre. In addition to shops, the mall features several restaurants, including omakase sushi destination Masa and its more accessible sister eatery, Bar Masa.
Yes, Zabar’s is a quintessential New York deli. But it’s a lot more as well. Along with lox sliced to your liking, fresh-baked rugelach, exclusive coffee blends, and famed black-and-white cookies, you’ll find deluxe offerings including caviar, fresh pasta, artisanal cheeses, ready-made meals, farm-fresh produce, and kitchenware and tableware from the likes of Krups, Le Creuset, and Wüstof. We dare you to leave empty-handed.
Jewelry designer Jennifer Rutheny already had two shops in Westchester County when she opened her third here on the Upper West Side in October 2021. Flora and fauna inspire many of her delicately rendered wares: pendants of bearded dragons, earrings featuring bats with outstretched wings, rings flaunting forget-me-nots with a sparkling ruby center. You can also find a limited selection of jewelry for your home in the form of one-of-a-kind gem-studded vases and wall sculptures of birds and sea creatures posed among pieces of driftwood.
Formerly named La Di Da Dee and located in Williamsburg, Sunloom decamped to the Upper West Side in autumn 2021. Its refreshingly affordable apparel and accessories for women encompass reversible coats and high-waisted jeans, flouncy dresses and fedoras. These flattering styles will have you looking on-trend without ever approaching the dreaded “fashion victim” status.
The city’s oldest flea market, Grand Bazaar NYC hosts sellers of everything from antique furniture and handcrafted apparel to artisanal jewelry from the Himalayas and cakes from local bakers—and much, much more—just about every Sunday. In warm weather there can be upward of 200 vendors on hand. You are apt to find ideal gifts as well as items you might not have realized you needed but now simply cannot live without. And the proceeds benefit the parent associations of four public schools.
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