“Shop til you drop” is a thing still, right?! I jest; I shop with almost as much vigor and passion as I did in my 20s. Resale, thrift, vintage, sample sales, pop-ups, sidewalk sales, private sales. I’ve shopped Paris’ Les Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt, a fab flea market; the bare-windowed, twice-a-year Saldi’s (or sales) in Milan; invite-only private showroom sample sales in Los Angeles, Barcelona and Florence. 

You’ll be able to use Kimberly Cihlar’s shopping tips if you join NextTribe for an Insider Tour of Downtown NYC in June. To find out more about the trip, you’re invited to our info session on Thursday, Feb. 15th. RSVP here.

But my heartbeat quickens with the retail hunt in my own hometown, a city of browsing and buying that boasts the best of the best. There’s nothing like shopping in New York City and finding treasures (at a great price, no less), so let me share the best place to shop, honed by years as a New Yorker and fashion editor and writer. I’ll assume you know you can peruse the aisles at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom Rack, and the big department stores; what I’ll focus on is a local’s “best of” list of secret sources.

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Best Shopping in New York

New York City has it all. Designer boutiques in the Meatpacking District. Resale and consignment on the Lower East Side. Flea markets in Chelsea. Pop-ups in Tribeca. You can find the best shopping from Harlem to the Bronx, Chinatown to Midtown. Whether you pick through Canal Street’s sidewalk sales of “designer” bags (knock-offs or the real deal, you decide) or level-up at a ritzy champagne-serving designer salon on one of Manhattan’s most famous shopping avenues (think Madison, 5th, Lexington), gear up to discover a shopper’s grail in any neighborhood in New York City. 

NYC is a walking city, and nearly anywhere you explore exposes you to the cool aesthetic, upbeat energy and sophisticated heart of New York’s shopping soul. Just keep your eyes open and your wallet accessible. I’ll never forget the phrase uttered by a girlfriend’s mother after a post-holiday four-for-one shoe sale on West Broadway — “Uh-oh, shopping!” — reinforcing the mesmerizing mindset of it all. 

A four-for-one shoe sale had my friend’s mother saying, “Uh-oh, shopping!”

Opportunity is everywhere. Say you’re brunching with friends and walking to meet them in Soho, and suddenly you spy a line snaking down Spring Street. Yup, it’s all the cool kids awaiting entry to some hot new designer’s pop-up sample sale. Well, I for one, would stop, drop, and shop – reservations and waiting friends be damned. Because you never know when the perfect Comme des Garçons skirt-trousers will pop up at a pop-up at a quarter of regular price, fitting both your funky style and your finances. Hell, you might be walking to the corner deli for coffee and see a super great sidewalk stoop sale hawking Lululemon yoga pants as well as Ulla Johnson blouses for a (very) few affordable dollars. Yes, both have happened to me. So let’s get shopping and share a great place (or a dozen)!

Best Boutique Shopping: Downtown NYC

As you probably know, Downtown in NYC is the epitome of cool, whether you are looking for a great vintage leather jacket or an avant-garde jumpsuit. Downtown, or Lower Manhattan, is typically defined as south of 14th Street (home to Union Square). Let’s take a closer look.

Best Shopping in SoHo and NoHo

First, a little vocab lesson: SoHo stands for South of Houston Street and NoHo for North of Houston Street. Both are cool neighborhoods flanking Houston Street, a major east-west artery through downtown.

These neighborhoods have a different vibe: SoHo is packed with gorgeous cast-iron buildings which are worth a visit on their own. These typically have enormous plate-glass windows inviting you in (or perfect for an afternoon of window shopping). You’ll find a host of high-style designer brands there (Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Bottega Veneta, to name a few). You’ll also find edgy mainstays like IF SOHO and cute, curated looks at Kirna Zabete.

In NoHo, which blurs into NoLita (North of Little Italy), some of the streets are narrower, but full of great little boutiques, often on the ground-floor of small apartment buildings (along with all kinds of fun eateries and cafes).

I swear by the small shops in this dense area, specifically around Elizabeth, Lafayette, and Prince Streets. Favorites of mine are: 

• Reformation, which has built an empire around luxury vintage and sustainable fashion. Amazing dresses and more. 
• Scotch & Soda for cool, modern, casual, and fun – this Amsterdam-based retailer is known for their playful and bright patterns. 
• D.S.& Durga for limited-edition fragrance from a husband and wife team. Their scents have names like Peanut – go sniff and explore.
• John Fluevog for their crazy footwear. For decades, this shop has been known for their funky, chunky, and chic shoes, often in unexpected colors like coral and mint.

Downtown NYC’s Best Vintage Shopping and Sample Sales

For my money and trendiness, downtown shopping is a forever thing. If you’ve been part of the cool NextTribe Insider New York trip, you already know what I mean. If you haven’t, sign up now; it’s a travel trip that can’t be beat. 

As a connoisseur of thrift shops, vintage stores, and resale boutiques, I love perusing What Goes Around Comes Around in Soho for their vintage Chanel and Louis Vuitton; they carry the best resale handbags, although I wouldn’t say they’re always the best buy for my pocketbook. 

The new kid on the block, 2nd Street USA, a fashion laboratory of sorts, curates an unrivaled high-end designer selection, also not always bargain priced. They seem to be in every neighborhood, though, targeting the “fashion with a capital F” shopper, and a careful search at one location did expose a just-under $20, new-with-tags DISSH strapless dress I regret not snagging. 

You’re also likely to see long lines in Soho and on lower 5th Avenue – those are sample sales curated by 260 Sample Sale.

Also, keep your eyes open downtown for pop-up sample sales. Recently, scouting new NYC insider  shopping spots, NextTribe co-founder Jeannie Ralston and I stumbled onto one of the best designer sample sale pop-ups in Soho. Meaning, I couldn’t just walk on by those perfect Ulla Johnson x Diemme silver combat boots, priced $175 from the original $650. 

A permanent sample sale shop further down Prince Street featured the steal of the century—$150 for Walter Baker leather cream-colored lambskin joggers, knocked down from nearly $700.

You’re also likely to see long lines in Soho and on lower 5th Avenue – those are sample sales curated by 260 Sample Sale. Grab a cold brew and enjoy people-watching as you wait to get inside and shop the racks. Don’t be surprised if you emerge with huge shopping bags – luxury brands like Marc Jacobs, James Perse, Alexander Wang, Rebecca Taylor, plus beauty products and accessory brands have been featured in the past. 

Shopping the Brand-Name Stores in NYC: Lower Broadway and Flatiron

Others may crave visiting the New York City outposts of their favorite chains. For the big-box bang of stores like H&M, Forever 21, Adidas, The North Face, Bloomingdale’s, and Uniqlo, head to Lower Broadway. This is the section of the famous avenue that winds down from Astor Place (NYU territory, in the middle of Greenwich Village, or the Village as locals call it) down through NoHo and Soho. 

Some prefer the chains found on the somewhat calmer strip of 5th Avenue in the Flatiron District, running from 14th to 23rd streets. You’ll find stalwarts like Banana Republic, Club Monaco, J. Crew, and Zara.

Does it go without saying that these neighborhoods aren’t just troves of great clothing but also filled with cafes, bars, and restaurants? Whether you’re craving a delicious bowl of pasta, a cup of matcha, or the perfect Negroni, these neighborhoods will definitely deliver.

Posh Shopping in NYC: Hudson Yards and Madison Avenue 

For the more luxurious shoppers’ life, there are two neighborhoods I recommend.

• Check out the posh boutiques of Hudson Yards (Chanel! Dior! Cartier! Coach!). These stellar boutiques ensure that this westside mall won’t be a 10th Avenue freeze-out. And yes, you read that right: Hudson Yards is as close to a mall as you’ll find in Manhattan. It’s all very luxe, with great dining options on every level and the famous High Line right outside. 
• For those of you who want an Upper East Side experience, you won’t be disappointed. The decked-out Upper Madison Avenue shops of designers Celine, Alexander McQueen, Hermès, Tom Ford draw on a different, though still extravagantly-priced, style crowd. Don’t miss Ralph Lauren’s flagship stores at 72nd Street and Madison Avenue either. They are housed in magnificent old mansions straight out of “The Gilded Age.”

Best Places to Shop on a Budget in NYC

Treat yourself to a spree across 14th Street (previously known for Odd Lots and other  discount outlets). Start on the east side in the East Village. Hit ReShop and Thrift NYC; some of these shops flaunt their less expensive wares on $5 (even $1!) racks outside their doors in good weather, a true smorgasbord of affordable street style. 

Brooklyn offers a true smorgasbord of affordable street style.

Next, head west to the nearby Beacon’s Closet (a Moschino silk top for $24? I’m in!), Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange and L Train. If you still have some money to burn, check the sales racks of designer fare further west in the Meatpacking District. You’ll find designer clothes by Gucci, Alice + Olivia and others, alongside shops in the Chelsea Market (hello, Anthropologie!). 

Best Places to Shop in Brooklyn

Here’s another of the best shopping areas in NYC: Brooklyn. Are you willing to hop on the subway for a couple of stops? You can do it! The L train on 14th Street will transport you to Brooklyn, where you’ll find the obvious cool hipster shops. You’ll also encounter vintage and thrift store superstars Beacon’s Closet, Crossroads, Monk Vintage, Buffalo and L Train Vintage are allowed more real estate, meaning a greater selection. A friend and I make an annual pilgrimage there every December to net the best of the best. Our recent prizes at these vintage clothing stores were a Marc Jacobs rainbow appliqué sweater for $35 and like-new Puma kicks for under $100. (If I weren’t vegan, I would have snagged the cream-colored leather Balenciaga joggers priced under $100.)

It’s enough to make you say, “Uh-oh, shopping be damned!”

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