Upper West Side – Shopping

It might be easier to list the retailers without a presence in the Upper West Side than to cite all those that are here. The Shops at Columbus Circle Mall alone is home to Coach, Diptyque, Lululemon, Moleskine, Stuart Weitzman, and Ted Baker, to name a few. Allbirds, Apple, Design Within Reach, Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, and Variazioni are among the other national and international retailers represented here. The UWS also includes two Trader Joe’s locations, a Whole Foods Market, and of course, Zabar’s. Below are a few shops unique to the Upper West Side, which help make the neighborhood unique in turn.

 

Runaway Poppy

 This shop began as a purveyor of artisanal pottery, and fanciful plates, vases, and bowls still make up an appreciable portion of its wares. But Runaway Poppy now offers plenty more as well: original artworks, beyond-mod furniture, statement-making jewelry, and toys you’d be proud to display on your coffee table. Because most items are handcrafted and limited edition, inventory turns over frequently, so you’ll want to stop by again and again.

 

Pachute

You won’t find the more ubiquitous designers and brands at this womenswear boutique. Instead, you’ll discover a thoughtful curation of simply stylish, or stylishly simple, clothing. These include tunics crafted from hand-loomed cotton by Invitation to a Voyage, sustainably made knitwear from Mabo, wide-legged pants in lavish floral prints from Germany’s Odeeh, and cotton-linen jumpsuits from Belgium’s Bellerose. While you’re here, check out the equally eclectic jewelry, shoes, and accessories to complete your ensemble.

 

Harry’s Shoes

 Footwear fashions come and go, but Harry’s Shoes is forever, or close to it. The store has been selling shoes for men, women, and children since 1931, making it a true UWS—heck, a true New York City—institution. (Today, the kids’ store is just a few doors down from the adults’ shop.) Birkenstock sandals, Gola trainers, Bruno Magli loafers, Thierry Rabotin pumps, Frye boots, Stride Rite Mary Janes… you name it, chances are you’ll find it here.

 

Frank Stella

A generation or so younger than Harry’s Shoes, Frank Stella has been outfitting men since 1976. In addition to its own line of suits, trousers, shirts, and outerwear, it sells equally high-quality knitwear, jeans, and accessories from the likes of Leyva, Mason’s, and Relwen. From trim corduroy jeans to Pima cotton dress shirts in a variety of fits to year-round sports coats that will look handsome for years to come, this shop will transform any male into a sharp-dressed man.

 

Astro West

 It’s appropriate that this shop is steps away from the American Museum of Natural History: Like the museum, it’s filled with meteorites, fossils, fine minerals, and other natural objects of beauty. Along with eye-catching jewelry designed to show off precious stones and figurines carved of malachite, quartz, and jade, the store sells display-worthy geodes, stalactites, dinosaur teeth, fossils, mineral chunks, and faceted gemstones. You might not need a four-inch-high stack of pyrite cubes reminiscent of a Picasso sculpture or a crystal-studded iron-and-nickel meteorite, but after visiting Astro West you’re likely to want one.