Retail Road Trip: Top 10 New Stores, New York City

NOVEMBER 17, 2015 | BY MARIANNE WILSON

The influx of new retail into New York City, from brands both familiar and ones new to our shores, continued unabated in 2015. Everyone has their favorites. Here are mine:

Flying Tiger

The Danish brand’s first-ever U.S. store is Scandinavian modern and guaranteed to make you smile. The 5,000-sq.-ft. shop is chock-full of quirky products — about half of the goods are designed in house — for the home, office, and everything in between. The merchandise ranges from silly and whimsical (mugs adorned with mustaches) to functional (socks, dishes) to tasty (cookies), but nearly everything is affordable. Ninety percent of Flying Tiger’s products are less than $10! (920 Broadway)

Kenneth Cole

The lines between online and physical retailing are blurred at the company’s downtown outpost. The store offers a very curated selection of product, with the brand’s complete offering available for viewing on touchscreens located throughout the space. The fitting-room mirrors are high tech and allow customers to “virtually” try on merchandise in different colors. And just like the Internet, the new Kenneth Cole is open 24 hours a day. And just like the Internet, the new store is accessible for round-the-clock shopping, at least for the brand's premium (high-spending) customers, who are given a special number to call or text if they should feel like stopping in outside of normal operating hours. The store promises it will open within three hours of receiving the request — even if it’s in the middle of the night. In another feature, same-day delivery within 24 hours in New York City is also available. (328 Bowery)

Le District

This 30,000-sq.-ft. French marketplace is often compared to Eataly, but it has a more modern, industrial look and less hectic vibe. The space is actually made up of four “districts:” restaurant, café, garden and market. There are lots of choices for dining, drinking, noshing and buying food items. Le District is in Brookfield Place, which has been remade as a luxury fashion destination and is worth a trip in and of itself. (225 Liberty Street)

Madura

Need to stock up for a pillow fight? Check out French home décor and lifestyle retailer Madura’s townhouse-styled, three-story, 3,000-sq.-ft. U.S. flagship. Some 300 of the brand’s signature decorative pillows are showcased in 20-ft. floor to ceiling displays. Shoppers can also browse through pillow covers at an interactive station. The store also features an extensive selection of curtains and decorative hardware, along with bed linens, bath towels and gift items. (909 Broadway)

M.A.C. Makeup Studio

What Drybar did for the blowout, M.A.C. is hoping to do for makeup application. The beauty giant puts the spotlight on its services at its first-ever makeup studio. The 950-sq.-ft. space has an ultra-modern vibe, with smoked mirrors, abstract graphics and long low sofas. Six makeover chairs have attached iPads that display a long list of available services. Customers can book applications and lessons by appointment. (825 Lexington Avenue)

Microsoft

High-definition video walls, a 30-ft.-high Microsoft monitor and digital signage stream video, images and information throughout the tech giant’s largest store yet. Customers can play Xbox One on video walls while surrounded in directional sound. The five-story high, 22,369-sq.-ft. space also has two theatres for classes and events. (677 Fifth Avenue)

Northern Grade

A mix of indie fashions, artwork and home goods, Northern Grade has moved from pop-up locations to its first permanent store. The 3,200-sq.-ft. shop carries apparel, accessories and other goods from about 40 brands and artisans. It’s located in the South Street Seaport area, which is finally getting back its retail groove. (203 Front Street)

Patagonia

Activism, yoga classes and free repairs are all on the menu at Patagonia’s new Soho location. The 14,000-sq.-ft. store features a “Worn Wear” station where staffers repair Patagonia products, and a community space for meetings. In line with the brand’s strong sustainability ethos, reclaimed materials are used throughout. The cash-wrap was created from reclaimed marble steps and pavers from the old sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art. (72 Greene Street)

Repetto

Best know for its pricey ballerina flats and dance wear, the French brand’s first freestanding U.S. location includes a dancing area and an atelier where shoes can be customized in some 250 colors. The ballet-inspired shop features the brand’s complete offerings, including fragrances, its first line of heels, and fancy skirts — and store associates who are professional dancers.” (400 W. Broadway — opens in late November)

True Religion

The brand’s first global flagship is also its biggest and most digitally savvy space yet, from storefront windows that display a continuous stream of video content to in-store digital kiosks. The 3,000-sq.-ft. store reflects the vibrancy and edginess of the city, with oversized mural by a famed local street artist.  (863 Broadway)


COMING ATTRACTIONS

Gentle Monster

The pricey Korean eyewear brand will change the interior of its 800-sq.-ft. store every three months, kicking off with a design that is half showroom and half art gallery. In Korea, it changes the stores every 25 days, with each new collection. (Its flagship, in Busan, is shown above. (79 Grand Street — coming soon)