Famous Stores in New York City
Looking for the best places to shop in NYC? You're in the right place! Check out these popular tourist shopping destinations and iconic NYC department stores:
- Bloomingdale's: First opened in 1927, Bloomingdale's is easily one of the most famous stores in NYC. Occupying a full city block on Manhattan's Upper East Side, this massive NYC department store offers a huge inventory of designer fashions, including clothes and accessories by Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, and D & G. Don't miss great deals on sunglasses, handbags, and jewelry!
- Macy's: The largest store in the world from 1924 until 2009, Macy's spans a full city block and boasts 11 floors of merchandise. From mattresses and furniture to table linens and cosmetics, Macy's NYC has everything you could ever hope to find in a department store. If you can, visit this store during the holiday season, when you and your kids will have the chance to meet Santa.
Stores in New York City by Category
 The entrance to the 34th Street Balcony Level of Macy's in New York |
The Top Destinations for Shopping in New York City
SoHo
By far one of the best shopping neighborhoods in New York City, SoHo has a unique vibe that no other part of Manhattan can compare to. The neighborhood specializes in big name stores like J. Crew, Bloomingdale’s Pottery Barn, H&M, Prada (etc). You can find all these stores and more from Broadway to Sixth Avenue, so many visitors end up here whether they set out to shop or not. After or before a few hours of shopping you can enjoy some of the top NYC attractions, a Broadway show or a delicious meal. This is the go-to neighborhood when you’re looking the check out all of this season’s trends.
Nolita
This neighborhood gives SoHo a good run for its money, competing for the best shopping neighborhood in NYC. You don't want to come here if you're traveling to NYC on a budget, but that doesn't stop many people who spend time buying big here. Many of the boutiques carry clothes from all over the world. When you come here, expect high fashion, high prices and all the best accessories to pair.
Lower Manhattan & The Financial District
You'll recognize most of the stores you find here, but these are generally much larger and the food court is way better than the one you would see at your local mall. Even though the shops are all familiar, the neighborhood also contains some of New York’s finest history and amazing harbor views to enjoy while you shop.
Union Square/Flatiron District
This is the hottest hangout in Manhattan that combines shopping with some of the best restaurants and cafes. You’ll find everything here from Barnes & Noble to the farmers market, with all of the people you’d expect at each place, and everyone in between. Union Square is the perfect place to spend the afternoon. Grab lunch, shop around, people watch and end the night at a nice bar or fancy club.
Lower East Side Manhattan
The deals aren’t as great as they used to be in this neighborhood that the savvy shoppers flock to, but it's still possible to find all the latest bags, shoes, travel essentials and more at a great price on the Lower East Side. More and more trendy boutiques are arriving to the scene, specializing in the latest fashions that appeal to travellers in their 20s, as well as unique knick knacks you never imagined would exist (but won’t go home without if you like that kind of thing.)
Greenwich Village
When you aren’t setting out for clothes, head to Greenwich to spend the day shopping for all the other fine things this city has to offer. Throughout the specialty stores in this neighborhood, you’ll find crafts, bookstores, record stores and gourmet markets. Check out all the boutique food shops on Bleecker Street, or continue past Christopher Street (the gay hub of Greenwich) where you’ll find all the other boutique fashion stores.
Chinatown
This is a place that people live for or avoid at all cost. You can easily negotiate a great price for your knockoff handbags and t-shirts, but don’t expect anything real in this neighborhood. This is a great place to come for souvenirs to take home with you (if you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on the snow globes and t-shirts in Times Square) and gifts for other people, or just strolling around and people watch.
