13 Best Places to Shop in Upper West Side, New York City

Yes, you can find dance shoes here for a tango competition, pointe shoes for an aspiring ballerina, or tap shoes for your secret wannabe life as Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers. But this shop for men, women, and children in the shadow of Lincoln Center is also a great resource for super-comfy sneakers and walking shoes that provide TLC to your tootsies whether you are in rehearsal or just walking to or from errands or sightseeing, and at half the cost of the tip-of-the-tongue brand names. You can pick up leotards, tees, and other necessities for dancing or the gym as well.

This could be called “the perfect fit shop,” since old-fashioned personal attention and experience ensure just that, for bras, bathing suits, lingerie, shapewear, loungewear, and sleepwear. Now operated by the fourth generation of the founder (the original store opened in 1888), it stocks basic and luxury lingerie brands. There’s also a selection of mastectomy undergarments. Staff members are trained in the art of professional bra fitting.

When it comes to authentic New York food, it's hard to beat this local-favorite specialty food emporium. Best known for its smoked fish counter, not limited to lox (smoked salmon), sliced to order, Zabar's also features one of the largest selections of domestic and imported cheeses and salamis in town, bakery items including cheesecake, ground-to-order coffees, and prepared foods like soups and stuffed cabbage the way Grandma made them. And that's only the ground floor. Upstairs are housewares, from espresso makers to fondue pots to serving dishes. Head next door, to the Zabar's Cafe, to score a cup of gourmet coffee and a bagel and lox with cream cheese.

You need a ticket to the museum to physically enter the multiple gift shops at this ginormous museum, most of them themed to the exhibit they adjoin and packed with books, totes, T-shirts, toys, and other memorabilia. For example, the Dino Store features T. rex socks and stuffed animals; the Cosmic Shop features telescopes and NASA memorabilia; the gems and minerals shop offers agate-topped wine stoppers and lapis lazuli jewelry. The new Gilder Center gift shop includes cute costume butterfly wings, conservation-themed clothing and hats, as well as bee-theme clothing, jewelry, and other gifts. Not visiting the museum? Shop online!

With a mission to promote sustainability, community, and delicious, local honey products, BeeFavored is an urban beekeeping business with products made from honey that is harvested on a rooftop in the heart of Harlem. Artisanal honey blends, jams, syrups, barbecue sauces, spices, herbs, teas, candles, and pet products are crafted with organic ingredients and make excellent and unique New York souvenirs. 

Originally launched by a group of parents as a yard sale to raise funds for their children’s schools around 1979, this curated weekly market (held every Sunday, year-round) is now NYC's largest and oldest flea market and features the works of local artisans and independent vintage dealers. Dozens of vendors offer everything from 1950s rhinestone jewelry, vintage clothing, and posters to current items by local and international artisans. There are some food vendors, too, since browsing for bargains can make you hungry. If you need encouragement to shop, you might appreciate that 100% of the market's profits still benefit four public schools.

Whether you're looking for the perfect daytime dress, a pair of J Brand jeans, or a puffer coat that doesn't make you look like the Michelin man, Intermix sells a well-curated assortment of emerging and established designers. Expect to see designs from DVF, rag & bone, and Missoni. There is another location on the Upper East Side.

This well-edited museum gift shop stocks high-quality crafts like beautiful handmade tableware, unusual jewelry, and rugs, and unique items connected to temporary or ongoing exhibits. It's a great place to stock up on gifts.

With an assortment of New York--specific merchandise inspired by New-York Historical Society's vast collections and landmark exhibitions as well as themes of American history, this museum gift shop offers exceptional gifts and souvenirs. You'll find all the expected beautiful museum-store fare as well as unique finds like a Keith Haring chess set, a New York City Map blanket inspired by a vintage 1916 map of the city, and ceramic Pets and the City mugs inspired by Brooklyn-based Julia Rothman's recent exhibition of the same name.

This cozy boutique, whose name means “simple” in Hebrew, specializes in simple and beautiful clothing along with understated jewelry, bags, and candles. You'll find limited editions and small selections of excellently made pieces and New York brands including NYMåNE, BG, and Auntie Oti. 

Sister shop to one of New York City's most iconic bookshops, founded in 1983 on the Upper East Side, this new Upper West Side outpost offers a generous 3,000 square feet to find your favorite books, a café, cool merchandise, and even a printing machine to print books (including your own work) on demand. There is another location farther uptown at 105th and Broadway.

Curving around Columbus Circle and across the street from the southern entrance to Central Park, this light-filled mall in Deutsche Bank Center features more than 50 retail shops and boutiques, including Coach, Aveda, Cole Haan, Camp, Eileen Fisher, J. Crew, Jo Malone London, Williams Sonoma, Lululemon, and more. It also contains a Whole Foods Market and several eateries.

Wonderfully crammed to the rafters, this store offers both new and used books, including a rare book collection. Squeeze in among the stacks of art books and fiction titles, or pop outside for the $1 bargains. A short walk away, at  233 West 72nd Street, the sister record shop has an equally impressive collection of vinyl and CDs.