With 50,000 visitors a day, Bloomingdale’s is at the top of the busiest stores.
Browse trendy boutiques in the NoLiTa neighborhood (North of Little Italy). Here, for example, is Use Your Head: Shop for a Cause (262 Mott St.), a thrift store with a very high quality selection. All proceeds from the shop go to a charitable institution. The clothing donations come from top designers such as Marc Jacobs, Cynthia Rowley and Rachel Roy.
Also Bond No. 9 can be found in this neighborhood. The company has developed a perfume collection with 39 fragrances inspired by the different New York boroughs. One of the more recent creations is ‘Brooklyn’ with a blend of grapefruit, cardamom, cypress, cedar and leather. The largest of the four New York branches is located at 9 Bond Street.
According to topschoolsoflaw, Bargain hunters are in the right place in Lower Manhattan . Chinatown ‘s Canal Street has stalls where you can haggle with vendors.
For heavily discounted designer clothes, shoes and handbags, Century 21 (22 Cortlandt Street) – one of the city’s best kept shopping secrets – is the place to be.
Inspiration for the ultimate shopping trip – with tips on new stores and shopping tips grouped by topic – can be found on the official NYC & Company website.
The big department stores in New York City
Macy’s in Herald Square, the largest department store in the world, hosts the Thanksgiving Day parade every year. Half a million items are offered here on ten floors, starting with branded clothing for men and women, through jewelery to cosmetics and gifts. The highlight – and particularly interesting for gourmet cooks – are kitchen utensils from the Cellar brand. Due to the size of the department store, a dedicated Visitor’s Center has been set up. Multilingual staff provide information about the range of goods, obtain theater tickets and make restaurant reservations.
On Saturday afternoons, New Yorkers prefer to go to Bloomingdale’s , affectionately known as “Bloomie’s”. The motto then is: see and be seen. The East Side store is known for its premium selection of handbags. On the second floor there is fashion from young designers and on the fourth floor there is a well-stocked shoe department. An international service counter is also available to customers at Bloomie’s on the 1st floor. The conversion tables for American and European clothing and shoe sizes are also available there. You can also withdraw and change money at the service counter. Personal shoppers are available to customers for individual advice.
During the Christmas season, hundreds of people line up in front of Lord & Taylor to admire the window displays. The respected department store – incidentally the oldest specialist retailer in the USA – offers classic women’s and men’s clothing, primarily by designers from the USA. During the sales, clothing, shoes and handbags are reduced by one essential.
The Saks Fifth Avenue department store opened in 1924 across from Rockefeller Center. At that time, what is now Midtown was still called Uptown and was a residential area. In the meantime, 62 branches have been set up, where you can buy the finest designer collections for men’s and women’s clothing, sportswear as well as shoes, accessories, cosmetics, perfumes and jewellery.
Diamond Row, 47th Street
Directly below Rockefeller Center, to the south, is Diamond Row. Glittering jewels and diamonds dominate daily business here. Workshops and dealers are lined up side by side. Big jewelry stores like Fortunoff, Tiffany’s and Wempe are just around the corner on 5th Avenue.
Fifth Avenue
For many visitors, Fifth Avenue, from 50th to 59th Streets, is a New York City must-do when it comes to shopping. It’s a mix of expensive boutiques, well-known department stores and attractions such as Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The most popular stores are Fortunoff, Piaget and Wempe Jewelers. Children’s dreams come true at FAO Schwarz, and the Disney Store offers classic Mickey Mouse and other cartoon hero souvenirs. The NBA Store and NikeTown stock modern sportswear and footwear. Finally, ladies can unwind from their shopping and be pampered at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon & Spa.
Madison Avenue
Manhattan’s so-called Gold Coast stretches from 59th to 96th Streets and from the East River to Fifth Avenue. The designer shops live up to the nickname. Fashion respected around the world can be found at Nicole Miller and Burberry. West meets Far East at Shanghai Tang: the colorful boutique offers uniquely modern clothing for the whole family, as well as gifts and decorative items for the home.
NEW YORK has meanwhile developed into the center for decorative crystal jewelery and jewel work. Shops in the Crystal District are concentrated within five blocks of Madison Avenue between 58th and 63rd Streets: Baccarat, Daum, Lalique, Steuben and Swarovski.
SoHo
Art, Fashion, Antiques and Trends! About 250 art galleries, four museums, almost 200 restaurants and 100 shops are located within a square kilometer of SoHo. Jewelry in the form of wearable art is at Robert Lee Morris; genuine Levi’s, shoes and sportswear at great prices at Canal Jean Company; Wines and other New York State delicacies at Vintage New York; School and office supplies featuring Clifford the Big Red Dog and Harry Potter in an interactive multimedia environment at The Scholastic Store.
Times Square
Times Square has been transformed into a new hub of attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops. Kids will love the large Toys R Us Times Square with Ferris wheel, a life-size two-story Barbie dollhouse and the kid-friendly cafe.
Greenwich Village
In Greenwich Village you will find unusual jewelery and accessories, but above all small specialty shops. From leather goods to unusual furnishings to high heels, you can get everything here. Many products are handcrafted as unique pieces. Around Bleeker Street there are some music shops where you can find rare records and CDs. Hudson Street is home to Creative Visions Books. Here you can get books and videos on the subject of homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality.
Lower East Side
In the Historic Orchard Street area – with Orchard, Grand and Delancey Streets and the surrounding area – the first emigrants from Eastern Europe found their new home. Today there are more than 400 shops and restaurants. You can shop for clothes, lingerie, handbags and shoes, which can be reduced by up to 25%. The streets here are very busy on Sundays, as many shops are closed on Saturdays for the Jewish holiday.
Lower Manhattan
Significant discounts ranging from 25% to 75% on top designer fashions await shoppers at Century 21. The South Street Seaport is a thriving neighborhood with stunning views of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge. Again, there are more than 100 shops, cafes and restaurants.
Harlem – one of the main centers of African American culture – is currently experiencing a new boom. Numerous houses and shops have already been restored, entire streets have been placed under monument protection. Harlem USA, a large shopping and entertainment complex, is located at the intersection of 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. The Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market takes place outdoors and specializes in African clothing, instruments and crafts.
Brooklyn
womenswear at discount prices can be found at Aaron’s. Since 1941, Kleinfeld has offered the largest selection of exclusive bridal wear and evening dresses by European and American designers.
Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
Great deals are also available an hour north of New York at the Outlet Shopping Center. Public transport goes there.
