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The Week in Shopping: New York State of Mind

A flâneur’s guide to Madison Avenue’s luxury retail fiefdoms, Broadway’s stretch of tween outfitters, SoHo’s arcadian boutiques, and Printemps’ shoe-and-beauty perfection in FiDi.

and just like that Kristin Davis and Sarah Jessica Parker
Vacancy rates on Madison Avenue have plummeted in recent years, with availability currently below 10 percent—although commercial brokers are working with brands to pursue off-market deals. The flip side is that there are plenty of stores for your perusal. Photo: James Devaney/GC Images
Sarah Shapiro
June 6, 2025

A stroll down Madison Avenue, from 86th Street, is like descending through the strata of retail and pop culture history, from the private school uniforms of Gossip Girl and Carrie Bradshaw’s Upper East Side apartment all the way down to the limestone grandeur that was Barneys. Of course, the real story of Madison Avenue—like all New York stories—starts and ends with real estate. Jonathan Schley, the vice chairman of retail at Newmark, told me that the biggest challenge facing luxury brands hoping to establish a presence on the avenue “isn’t rent or demand,” it’s finding a high-quality space.