Shopping in New York City
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Toys ‘R’ Us
Sure, you have one of these at home, but this super-size Toys ‘R’ Us is its greatest bastion, with three thematic floors including a huge video-game area downstairs, an alley of stuffed animals and a 60ft-tall indoor Ferris wheel. Just avoid it like the plague before Christmas, when all hell tends to break loose here.
reviewed
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Verve
The perfect spot for women who like to match their shoes to their bag – Verve carries both. Purses and shoes of all stripes and sizes are temptingly displayed in adorable couplings along the shelf-covered walls. Offerings from shoe wizards like Bettye Muller and Pura Lopez can be found, and watch out for Verve's sales in January.
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MoMA Store
This sleek and stylish space carries a huge collection of handsomely designed objects for the home, office and wardrobe. You’ll find modernist alarm clocks, wildly shaped vases, designer kitchenware and surreal lamps, plus brainy games, hand puppets, fanciful scarves, coffee-table books and lots of other great gift ideas.
reviewed
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Mud, Sweat & Tears
Also a popular pottery school, this small storefront sells the top work of students and local pros, with a great selection of both functional and display-worthy items from both glazed red clay and fine white ceramic. It’s a down-to-earth, pleasantly intimate spot to pick up a gift (just get it wrapped well for the trip).
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Powerhouse Books
An important part of Dumbo’s cultural scene, Powerhouse Books hosts changing art exhibitions, book-launch parties and weird and creative events in its 5000-sq-ft space. You’ll also find intriguing books on urban art, photography and pop culture – all imprints of their namesake publishing house.
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Ralph Lauren
You'll feel like you've walked into a country estate when you enter this shop, housed in the former Rhinelander Mansion (an 1898 French Renaissance Revival wonder). Women and men can deck themselves out in casual wear – jeans, white tops, etc – and more formal wear, with gossamer gowns for the ladies and sleek suits for men.
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Topshop
The genius of Topshop is that the clothes always find that sweet spot between trendy and wearable. Everything's up-to-the-minute but still flattering and practical for the average person. Three floors for women, one for men, and all at fairly reasonable prices. Sales can get hectic: be prepared to dig for bargains.
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Pieces Of
Owned by the husband-and-wife duo who opened the first Pieces in Brooklyn, this new outpost has the same eclectic, handpicked collection of clothing and accessories from local and national designers. Find funky, sexy halter dresses, flouncy blouses and Pucci-like tunics, plus a range of hip accessories and unique outerwear.
reviewed
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Kirna Zabête
This dual-level boutique has a small but well-curated selection of clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories with striking pieces by Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and Givenchy among other designers. Downstairs, the eye candy continues with children’s fashion, doggie wear and even gumballs, games and other curiosities.
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Wearable Art
Decked out with beautiful vintage tables and sporting a mellow vibe, this boutique is filled with designer-made clothing and memorabilia that celebrates the 'hood. Check out the tees and tote bags silkscreened with the profile of a woman with a 'fro, plus earth-tone messenger bags, caps, mugs and aprons that say 'Harlem'.
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Murder Ink/Ivy's Books
The city's first shop devoted to crime and mystery fiction has been stocking everything of the genre, plus stacks of out-of-print titles, since 1972. Its space-partner, Ivy's Books, carries a broad selection of new and used books, with tasteful journals, greeting cards and kids' books in the mix. Gus the dog works here.
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Shakespeare & Co
This popular New York bookstore is one of the city’s great indie options – with other locations, including the Upper East Side. You’ll find a wide array of contemporary fiction and nonfiction, art books and tomes about NYC, plus a small but unique collection of periodicals.
reviewed
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Loehmann's
A starting point for local hipsters looking for designer labels on the cheap (though some may not admit it), Loehmann's is a five-story department store that, it is said, inspired a wee-young Calvin Klein to make clothes. The original store of the successful chain is in the Bronx; see the website for other locations.
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Shanghai Tang
Asian powerhouse Shanghai Tang is shaking up staid Madison Ave with its bold, patterned and visually arresting designs. Meant to appeal to youthful buyers, this store is as vivid as the clothes, and just as entertaining. Pick up a silk mandarin jacket, beautifully fitted blouses, daring dresses and much more here.
reviewed
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Rag & Bone
Born in 2002, Rag & Bone has become one of the hot new labels over the years, earning praise for fashionable, versatile basics designed to last. The SoHo store, opened in 2009, is their latest outpost with fine denim, tailored blazers, cashmere coats and pencil skirts amid the artful and minimalist interior.
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Young Designers Market
This large colorful market takes over the gym of Old St Patrick’s on weekends. As per the name, young and indie designers rule the roost, selling handmade jewelry, unique and witty T-shirts and one-of-a-kind stationery, plus dresses, hoodies and lots of other affordable items you won’t find elsewhere.
reviewed
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Opening Ceremony
Just off the beaten SoHo path, Opening Ceremony is a favorite among fashion insiders for its unique collection of indie labels. Owners Carol Lim and Humberto Leon showcase a changing roster of labels from across the globe – though the look is always avant-garde, even if the prices are decidedly uptown.
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Time for Children
This small store sells adorable clothes for babies and toddlers, colorful books and plush toys, block sets, handmade cards and other treasures for the under-10 gang. Bonus: feel good about your purchase. Time donates 100% of its profits to the Children’s Aid Society of New York.
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Erica Tanov
This handsome, high-ceilinged boutique features Tanov’s delicate feminine designs, such as hand-printed cotton tops, flirty dresses and delicate lingerie. In addition to Tanov’s women’s wear, you’ll also find artistically crafted jewelry by other designers, handbags and kids’ wear.
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Elizabeth Street Gallery
On Elizabeth St, you can pause to admire the fenced-in garden of the curious Elizabeth Street Gallery, part of a fireplace, fountain and garden-ornament shop for the well-off homeowner. The biggest attraction in these parts, though, is the simple beauty of the small tangle of streets.
reviewed
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Complete Traveller Antiquarian Bookstore
Stocking two rooms full with travel guides and maps from days past, the Complete Traveller arranges its stock by destination. It’s the perfect browsing ground for travel bugs: old Baedeker guides, the complete WPA series of US state guides, maps and a few works of fiction and children’s literature as well.
reviewed
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Jamaica Coliseum Mall
Jamaica’s main draw is hip-hop shopping along the 165th St pedestrian mall, just north of Jamaica Ave, where side-by-side shops hawk Phat Farm, airbrushed sweatshirts of Tupac, Bailey straw hats, pastel neo-jazz suits and African dresses. A good catch-all is Jamaica Coliseum Mall.
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Apple Store
One of four Apple stores in NYC, the familiar glass-and-chrome store lets visitors play games or check email on the MacBooks on the 1st floor, or sweep up the curving staircase to the iPods and ‘genius bar’ on floors two and three. Like the Apple Store SoHo, it has young, attractive and totally geeky staff. They’ll either answer all your questions or leave you alone to sample all those shiny new gadgets.
reviewed
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Omo Norma Kamali
You won't want to leave the glistening, white-walled, four-story temple that is Norma Kamali's flagship shop. Her one-of-a kind dresses, coats and swimwear hang off dangling mannequins. When you see something you like, a clerk will find it in your size. It's not for bargain hunters, but fashion seekers.
reviewed
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Prada
Don't come just for the shoes: check out the space. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas has transformed the old Guggenheim into a fantasy land full of elegant hardwood floors and small dressing spaces. Don't be afraid to try something on – those translucent changing-room doors do fog up when you step inside.
reviewed