New Openings and Renovations Emphasise NYC’s Thriving Retail Scene

Empire Outlets, New York City’s first outlet shopping destination, launched on May 15, 2019, in St. George, Staten Island. Just steps from the Staten Island Ferry, it will be home to 100 retail and dining experiences. Empire Outlets is one of many examples of New York City’s thriving retail scene. From new boutiques to reimagined icons, the City boasts stores and destinations for every kind of shopper.

New and Revitalised Neighbourhoods:

New York City’s hottest neighbourhoods are embracing shopping as an experience, with stores becoming a destination for attractions, critically acclaimed dining and performances.

• Empire Outlets will serve as a welcome to Staten Island as soon as visitors exit the free year-round ferry. With shops such as the Nike Factory Store, Nordstrom Rack and Guess Factory; the outlets’ picture-perfect views of Lower Manhattan; and MRKTPL, an artisanal food hall, there’s plenty to explore. Select stores open on May 15, 2019, with additional openings slated throughout the year. Combine a shopping excursion with a Yankees game and visit to Snug Harbor for an ideal Staten Island summer day.

• The future of fashion is emerging at Hudson Yards, New York City’s newest neighbourhood and the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States. In March 2019, over 100 luxury, flagship and specialty stores opened at Hudson Yards, including New York’s first Neiman Marcus. Hudson Yards’ second floor, the Floor of Discovery, houses a unique collection of first locations from digitally native brands and experiential shopping offerings from modern brands. Beyond retail, visitors can climb the Vessel, a 15-story copper spiral staircase, and visit The Shed, the first arts centre designed to commission, produce and present all types of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture.

• The historic cobblestones of the Seaport District have been transformed into 450,000 square feet of dynamic fashion, culinary and entertainment experiences, including Pier 17. Notable recent store openings in the Seaport District include the first and only US location of Carla Sozzani’s pioneering experiential concept store and restaurant 10 Corso Como and a showcase for Sarah Jessica Parker’s shoe line, SJP Collection.

Individualised and Insta-Worthy:

These brick-and-mortar stores are thriving thanks to customisable experiences and Instagram-able moments.

• Discover the world of Kit Kemp, the British design icon, co-owner and creative director of Firmdale Hotels, in The Loft on the seventh floor of Bergdorf Goodman through August 12, 2019. The vibrant colors of her exclusive collections of furniture, fabrics and home accessories displayed within three living spaces make for perfect pictures.

• The Nike NYC Flagship opened in Midtown East in fall 2018. “Sneakerheads” (enthusiasts) can enjoy the NikePlus members-only fifth-floor destination, home to customized apparel and Nike Expert Sessions, among other exclusive offerings
• Nike x Nordstrom launched their first NxN shop specifically for men at the Nordstrom Men’s Store in April 2019. The shop features sneakers from some of the most talked about brands in fashion.

• Nordstrom Men’s Store opened in Columbus Circle in April 2018 and includes the Clubhouse Bar and a coffee shop, custom denim designs, personal stylists, shoe shining, grooming and more. The even larger women’s store, the Nordstrom NYC Flagship, will open across the street in October 2019.

• Macy’s launched STORY, a narrative-driven retail concept shop with Macy’s Herald Square as the flagship, on April 10, 2019, with the inaugural theme of “Color.” STORY invites customers to experience color through a rainbow of products, events and activations designed to stand out on social media.

• Brooklyn’s trendy marketplaces are home to rotating concepts and permanent stores with something for everyone. Recent openings at Industry Cityinclude Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, ABC Home & Carpet Outlet and the vintage shop Arcade by A Current Affair. Empire Stores, which opened in Dumbo in 2017, features changing pop-ups and will soon be home to Time Out Market New York.

• The first Bronx Night Market, a festival of Bronx-based merchants, local cuisine and craft breweries and distilleries, will debut at Fordham Plaza on June 30, 2019. The market, which is a collaboration between Edible Bronx, BLOX and the Fordham BID, will run through October on the last Saturday of every month.

Luxury Like No Other:

From re-conceptualised retail icons on Fifth Avenue to the latest high-end experiences, take luxury shopping to the next level at NYC classics and newcomers alike.

• The Saks Fifth Avenue flagship in Manhattan is undergoing a $250 million redevelopment. In May 2018, they unveiled Beauty 2.0, an entirely reimagined 32,000-square-foot beauty floor boasting immersive new concepts that engage the senses: makeup, skincare, fragrance and wellness. The store also opened a restaurant, Paris celebrity hot spot L’Avenue, in January 2019, taking up two stories and overlooking St. Patrick’s Cathedral and 30 Rock.

• Other icons of New York City’s glamorous Fifth Avenue shopping scene, the Tiffany & Co Flagship and the Harry Winston Flagship, are also undergoing renovations focused on creating dynamic new experiences for customers.

• A premiere luxury district, Madison Avenue continues to impress with new openings such as Ralph & Russo, the British fashion brand known for making a dress worn by Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex; Reformation, a sustainable women’s fashion brand; the flagship of Italian shoe designer Sergio Rossi; and Australian fashion brand Zimmermann.
• The Meatpacking District has two new luxury arrivals with Hermès (April 2019) and RH New York (September 2018). Hermès’ third and final NYC store invites guests to linger, with the introduction of a small, informal café, rooftop space for events and activations, and bar stools and tables throughout the jewellery section. With six levels and over 90,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, RH New York has a rooftop restaurant and wine terrace, a barista bar, a design atelier and an art installation of hand-blown crystal lights.
• The new TWA Hotel, opening May 15, is bringing luxury, including fashion, back to the JFK Airport in Queens. Shinola, known for its handcrafted luxury watches, will debut a new outpost in the landmark 1962 former Trans World Airlines terminal. The store will feature a custom watch bar, premium leather handbags, wallets and journals, speakers and turntables. A monogramming station will emboss initials and names on journals and leather goods.

Bespoke Bookstores:

From historic bookstores such as The Strand to feminist bookstore/coffee shop Café con Libros, there are shops for every type of book-lover in every borough. Upcoming bookstores and expansions are bringing new stories to neighbourhoods across the City.

• Originally founded in 1820, the Center for Fiction opened its new home in Brooklyn on February 19, 2019. The new 18,000-square-foot space in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District includes a bookstore, café, reading rooms and terrace, 160-seat auditorium and a writers’ studio.

• Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of Hamilton, and three of his collaborators purchased The Drama Book Shop, a 100-year-old Theatre District store that sold scripts, sheet music and theatre-related books, in January 2019. Recently at risk for closing, now the bookstore will be revitalised and reopen in a new location later in the year.
• The Bronx’s first and only independent bookstore, The Lit. Bar, opened on April 27, 2019. The bookstore is also a wine bar, combining “social drinking and introverted reading.” Originally created as a pop-up shop at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, The Lit. Bar has been years in the making.
• The beloved McNally Jackson bookstore is opening two new locations: one at City Point Brooklyn and one overlooking the water at Pier 17 in the Seaport District. The bookstore also opened an arts-focused outpost in the lobby of The Shed earlier this year at Hudson Yards.