Best Shopping Spots In SoHo (NYC)

There's a saying that goes you haven't been shopping in New York if you haven't been shopping in SoHo and there's a good reason for that. This Lower Manhattan neighborhood is one of the most vibrant commercial areas in New York, and if retail therapy dreams were made a reality, they'd probably look just like SoHo.

The 26 blocks in the Cast Iron Historic District that make up SoHo are crammed with every type of store you can think of. Department stores you can spend a day in, designer boutiques you can spend a month's salary in, art galleries where you can spend your entire credit card balance, and artisan jewelry stores where you can, okay, you get the picture. And with all this choice, you’ll want to carry shopping bags, not suitcases, so head to a SoHo luggage storage before you hit the stores.

Unless you're a dedicated window shopper with a firm hand on your purse strings, the one thing you're going to do when you go shopping in SoHo is spend. That's all part of the fun, though, so get ready for the shopping experience of a lifetime.

Where To Shop In SoHo, New York

Broadway

If you jump off the subway at Canal Street station, you'll be just a few paces away from Broadway, and that's one of the best shopping streets in SoHo. Take a leisurely stroll along Broadway, and you'll find stores like:

• Prada New York Broadway

• Madewell

• Uniqlo

• Aritzia

• Banana Republic

• Urban Outfitters

• Lululemon

• Flying Solo

• Levis Store

• H&M

• TK Maxx

There's also a Bloomingdale's department store though you might want to leave going there to last as once you get in, it's hard to get out. If you're shopping on a budget, check out What Goes Around Comes Around, which stocks some classy vintage stuff, or for something different, Free People, which stocks Bohemian-inspired female fashion wear.

Prince Street

Once you've wandered the length of Broadway, don't think you've seen all the shops there are to see in SoHo. You haven't. Prince Street runs off the northern end of Broadway and is crammed with boutiques from one end to the other.

When you're shopping on Prince Street, you could be forgiven for forgetting you're actually in New York or even in the US if it weren't for the accents of the people around you. Prince Street has a real Mediterranean appeal to it, so if you like to take a rest from shopping sitting on a cafe's sidewalk terrace, you'll love shopping here.

If you need serious sustenance to get you through the rest of your shopping spree, try a slice of Sicilian-style pizza from the Prince Street Pizza or pick up an Italian delicacy to eat on the go from the Vesuvio Bakery. You'll be glad you did.

Spring Street

If you were more drawn by the prices in Target on Broadway than you were by the high-end price tags in the boutiques on Prince Street, take a diversion to Spring Street. The stores on Spring Street are a lot more affordable than many other shopping spots in SoHo so forget about indulging in a guilty pleasure.

Anyone with a sweet tooth will have trouble passing by the Spring Iconic Sweet Shop. You can justify grabbing a bag of candy there by saying the sugar rush will help keep your energy levels up for the rest of the day. That's one excuse, anyway.

Shops worth popping into on Spring Street are endless, but you might want to take a peek in:

• MoMA Design Store

• Burberry

• Original Flagship Store NYC

• Splendid

• Valentino – just for a look

• Westerlind

If by the time you've seen all Spring Street has to offer and you're truly flagging, drop by the Spring Street Wine Shop for a sneaky wine-tasting session. No one says you have to buy any, though you'll probably be tempted to.

Broome Street

Once you've been shopping in SoHo for a while, you may start to feel as if you're walking around in circles, and if you've been darting down side streets, you probably have been. Escape the labyrinth by heading for Broome Street, where you'll find even more stores.

On Broome Street, you'll find stores that fall into the medium price range for fashion and footwear, as well as plenty of stores stocking vintage clothing going cheap. If you're looking for things to jazz up your apartment or give as gifts, then drop by Top Hat, and you'll find them.

If the window of designer sneakers at the Golden Goose store catches your eye and you feel inclined to purchase yourself a new pair to dazzle your friends with, consider this. Any item you buy in New York that costs over $110 is going to cost you more, as there's an additional tax of 4% to pay when an item costs more than that.

Purchase items for less than $110, and you'll keep that extra 8.875% that the city and government want in your pocket where it belongs. That means you can buy lots more. It really does pay to be cheap when shopping in SoHo.

Conclusion

Shopping in the SoHo neighborhood of New York is probably one of the best shopping experiences you can have anywhere in the world. The stores are amazing, and the atmosphere is even better.

Yes, you may have to fight your way through the crowds thronging the sidewalks on occasion, but that’s the price you pay for shopping in one of the best commercial areas in New York. You’re not the only one who wants to shop there, half of the city does, or at least it’ll seem that way.

You can describe shopping in SoHo how you like, lively, bustling, busy, hectic, crowded, chaotic, but the one word that sums it up best is unique. Enjoy it.