Each neighborhood has its crowd.
As brands look to invest in second, third, or even fourth, retail spaces in the cities where their best-performing stores are located, they’re having to get creative when it comes to choosing a location. It’s a careful formula, and one that relies on knowing your customer well.
Manhattan’s Madison Avenue and Meatpacking District may have been no-brainers for Hermès, but when the maison opened a temporary store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 2022, some eyebrows were raised. Unlike the Upper East Side or SoHo, the neighborhood wasn’t traditionally home to luxury fashion brands. It soon proved the right bet: this month, the brand is opening a permanent space in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
Downtown favorite Still Here, meanwhile, didn’t expect a Madison Avenue boutique to be in the cards for them. Its customer was the downtown cool girl — surely, she wasn’t hanging out on the Upper East Side?
Then, sitting at Eli Zabar’s E.A.T, debating whether or not to take an unexpected lease opening across the road, founders Maurice and Sonia Mosseri saw a young woman step out of a cab, a Still Here tote over her shoulder. They’ve now been uptown since 2023 (and opened two more stores since, in Williamsburg and the West Village).
These less obvious successes are a sign that, when brands pinpoint their customers’ movements early on, the benefits are big. Enter ‘Neighborhood Watch’, Vogue Business’s new series offering brands intel about who’s shopping where. Based on insights from brands and retailers with locations across town, coupled with many hours spent wandering the streets of each area, meet the archetypal customers in fashion’s most important cities’ busiest and buzziest shopping neighborhoods.
In the spirit of New York kicking off the Spring/Summer 2027 fashion week shows — and luxury’s current obsession with the United States — we’re starting with one of the cities we know best: NYC.
Lower East Side: The Artfully ‘Messy’ Girl
A vintage aficionado, she’s already hit vintage stores Seven Wonders, where she scored a perfectly distressed leather jacket (for $400, she couldn’t decide if it was a bargain or a rip-off) and P.Principle, where she picked up a pair of beat-up Prada heels. After heading down to Dimes Square for a Little Canal coffee (black) and Dimes Deli breakfast burrito, she’ll head back up Orchard to browse Bode and Colbo for her boyfriend (she likes the latter’s new Sperry collab) and shop around Kallmeyer for herself; she needs some new clothes for work — and for afterwork drinks.
Her favorite gallery, Hannah Traore, reopened yesterday post-summer, so she pops in while waiting to meet her friends at bar Le Dive.
Shopper profile
Age: 21-35
Job: Works in a creative field — probably freelance — while supplementing their salary working at one of the neighborhood’s many coffee shops, bars, or organic grocers (or DJ’ing)
Annual income: $80,000
Estimated annual discretionary spend: $7,000
Favorite stores: All of the LES’s vintage boutiques (and some not-so-secret Chinatown faves), Bode, Eckhaus Latta
What they’re buying: Anything that makes their outfit different, and old designer because it a) looks cooler, b) is cheaper.
Brands say…
“If the UES has the gallerist, the LES has the artist — along with tastemakers, entrepreneurs, and creatives of all kinds. But what’s special about Orchard Street is that it really runs the gamut. We might be selling someone their first suit for their first office job in one fitting room, while in the next, we’re helping a client find a look for their first New York Times feature — a true story.”
— Kallmeyer’s regional retail manager
“Our downtown customer is very into maximalism and embracing that part of themselves.” — Susan Alexandra, founder and designer of Susan Alexandra jewelry
“The LES customer is more drawn to independent designers, vintage, restaurants, galleries, and nightlife; shopping there is more about discovery and relies much more on someone making the decision to specifically go to the neighborhood.”
— Gaëlle Drevet, founder of The Frankie Shop
Recent openings: Kartik Research, Nonfiction, Tone Deaf Studios (opening soon)
Upper East Side: The Fastidious Mother and Private School Daughter
They’ve been to the new TWP, picked up some Westman Atelier at Violet Grey, and now mom is late for her appointment at Sophie Bille Brahe (appointment-only, on Madison) before heading to another appointment, this one at Attersee on 64th Street (fourth floor). She’ll drop her daughter at LoveShackFancy — though they’d rather go to Dôen, she’s not 12 anymore, after all — then hail a cab down 10 blocks.
They stopped for froyo at Butterfield, a tradition they’ve had since they began strolling Madison together (before its drop-off and subsequent revival). Her daughter is curious about buzzy froyo spot Mimi’s, but she’s not about to head downtown now that Gerard Darel and Dôen are on Madison.
She probably won’t wait in line when Mimi’s opens on 72nd on September 10, either.
Shopper profile
Age: 35-80
Job: Gallerist (owner); editor who has now gone freelance and writes glossy cover stories on the regular; finance (MD or equivalent/higher)
Annual income: $450,000+
Estimated annual discretionary spend: $150,000+, plus joint income
Favorite stores: Chanel, Khaite, Toteme, Kirna Zabête, Cartier; plus faves they share with the kids: Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, Dôen
What they’re buying: An outfit for tomorrow night’s event; a new piece of statement jewelry; a “little something” for her daughter on a Saturday afternoon (it’s a $300 pair of jeans)
Brands say…
“The UES customer has a bit more of an on-the-go mentality — often searching for the perfect thing to wear that night or the next day.”
— Kallmeyer’s regional retail manager
“Our Madison customer tends to include more longtime New Yorkers and UES residents who come in knowing what they are looking for. During the week, the Madison customer tends to skew a bit more mature, while weekends bring in a younger shopper as well.”
— Margaret Kleveland, CEO and co-founder of Dôen
“The Upper East Side has a strong sense of community, with a loyal local customer who shops the neighborhood regularly. She is polished, sophisticated, and highly discerning, and expects a very elevated level of service.”
— Staud representative
Recent openings: TWP, Dôen, Kallmeyer
West Village: The West Village Girls
They all pay $3,500-plus rent to live in a pre-war apartment with one bathroom, multiple roommates, and nowhere near enough storage for their frequent shopping trips — but they’re manifesting one day moving into a nearby brownstone. When they meet in line at Aoko Matcha, they laugh: they’re all in Aritzia crop tops and Agolde jeans.
At least their designer bags are different (even if their Cartier Love bracelets aren’t). After brunch at The Commerce Inn, they bop up and down Bleecker Street, dipping in and out of Anine Bing, Set Active and La Ligne.
Later, they’ll plop down outside at Dante for an aperol spritz.
Shopper profile
Age: 23-40
Job: PR or marketing; Big Four finance
Annual income: $85,000, plus the odd cash injection from generous parents, or $150,000
Estimated annual discretionary spend: $15,000, or $50,000
Favorite stores: Dôen, Alo (or Vuori), J.Crew, Freja, Dorsey
What they’re buying: Matching activewear, baggy jeans (they’re not sure about the return-to-skinny trend), going out tops
Brands say…
“She’s a style-conscious neighborhood resident, typically in her mid-20s to early-40s who works within creative or professional sectors and keenly follows contemporary trends and digital media.”
— Lauren Myers, Anine Bing VP of retail
“At Bleecker, we see a more expressive customer, gravitating toward dresses in prints like plaid, paisley, or foulard. She approaches dressing in a bolder, full-look way, often building an outfit around a dress or a top and adding a jacket, separate, or another print to finish the look.”
— Margaret Kleveland, CEO and co-founder of Dôen
Recent openings: Still Here, Posse, Mess
Williamsburg: The Creative Yuppie
Since moving to Williamsburg in 2022 — before Chanel Beauty and Hermès set up shop in the neighborhood, he’ll go to lengths to remind you — he’s been determined to go back over the bridge to Manhattan as rarely as possible. This is made easier by the abundance of stores that have cropped up locally post-move — he doesn’t even need to trek over to SoHo to buy Famesick at McNally Jackson (and another tote to sling over his shoulder atop his thrifted tee).
He frequents the neighborhood’s many vintage stores, but was secretly thrilled when Uniqlo opened in March. He’s meeting friends at Skinny Dennis later, but he’s already planning the pivot to Sauced for an orange wine.
Shopper profile
Age: 26-38
Job: Design and architecture; ‘creative direction’
Annual income: $130,000
Estimated annual discretionary spend: $45,000
Favorite stores: Cou Cou, Paloma Wool, Stella Dallas (vintage)
What they’re buying: Vintage denim, practical basics, statement pieces to amp up an outfit
Brands say…
“The typical Brooklyn client is a modern creative professional in their mid-20s to late-30s, or a local resident who has an attentively curated personal aesthetic. They’re value-aware and intentionally curate their wardrobe, often engaging in multiple visits or seasonal promotions prior to purchasing.”
— Lauren Myers, Anine Bing’s VP of retail
Recent openings: Uniqlo, Still Here, Hermès (opening soon)
SoHo: The Swipe-Happy Shoppers
They’re visiting New York from Houston, and they’re in the city to shop. Where better to do so than the streets of SoHo?
Dressed to get their steps in, their his-and-hers Golden Goose sneakers laced up, his designer backpack strapped on, credit card at the ready. She’s dragged him in and out of Chanel, Dior, Chloé — you name it.
He stopped off at Fanelli Cafe for a beer and some people watching, while she hit the stores of all the brands she’s seen on Instagram and they don’t have at home: Paloma Wool, With Jéan, Jaded. Lure Fish Bar — conveniently located below Prada — looks like a fitting lunch stop… but they did really want to try Balthazar.
Shopper profile
Age: 22-50
Job: Anything that pays enough to afford a $500+ per night stay in a Downtown Manhattan hotel
Annual income: $180,000
Estimated annual discretionary spend: $70,000, plus joint income
Favorite stores: All of them
What they’re buying: Designer shoes and handbags; head-to-toe outfits (that they’ll probably wear to dinner that night)
What brands say…
“The customer who comes to our SoHo store today is powerful commercially — the neighborhood attracts New Yorkers, domestic visitors, and international tourists who come to shop. There is a strong sense of intention, with a large existing pool of customers already in shopping mode.”
— Gaëlle Drevet, founder of The Frankie Shop
“Client acquisition is largely prompted by travel, celebrations, and indulgence in one-of-a-kind NYC moments, commanding higher single-transaction values rather than sustained local patronage. This trend-attuned clientele seeks striking statement investments.”
— Lauren Myers, Anine Bing’s VP of retail
“SoHo is a true destination for both international and domestic visitors, so the customer is often shopping as part of a larger New York experience. The SoHo customer is difficult to define because the neighborhood attracts such a broad mix. What they have in common is a desire to experience everything it has to offer: the shops, cafés, architecture, and people.”
— Staud representative
Recent openings: Victoria Beckham, 7 For All Mankind, Abercrombie & Fitch
Meatpacking and Chelsea: The Arty Lady
After a morning spent strolling through Chelsea’s galleries (she’s on the hunt for a new painting for their loft), and a quick bite at Pastis where she reads The New Yorker over her new Celine Disc sunglasses, she’s ready to hit the shops. After browsing Marni and Diane von Furstenberg, and picking up some Geranium Leaf soap at Aesop, she strolls past Acne’s yet-to-open Gansevoort Street store (she heard it’s launching next week).
She just wishes there was an Issey Miyake store in the area; she’s in need of some new Pleats Please.
Shopper profile
Age: 40-70
Job: Art dealer; restaurateur
Annual income: $300,000+
Estimated annual discretionary spend: $85,000
Favorite stores: Issey Miyake, Prada, Dries Van Noten, Comme des Garçons, Sacai
What they’re buying: A matching set, big sunglasses, chic but comfortable sneakers (probably Dries)
What brands say…
“We see everyone from longtime clients who have worn DVF for decades to younger customers discovering the brand, as well as visitors from around the world who seek out the flagship as part of their New York experience. DVF’s deep roots in Meatpacking have fostered a particularly strong sense of connection and loyalty among our local customers, many of whom have longstanding relationships with the brand and our team.”
— Franchine Kusher, Diane von Furstenberg Meatpacking flagship’s general manager
“The Meatpacking client is an internationally connected brand loyalist alongside affluent local residents. Already acquainted with the label through global outposts, these patrons typically visit during evening and weekend excursions, demonstrating a distinct affinity for bold, graphic-driven silhouettes and signature iconography with an avant-garde edge.”
— Lauren Myers, Anine Bing’s VP of retail
Recent openings: Golden Goose, Baccarat, Acne Studios (opening soon)