The Urban Outfitters that has been on the corner of 72nd street and Broadway for 15 years will be replaced by a Bloomingdale’s off-price outlet this summer. The company announced the news on Thursday.
“With 25,000 square feet on three levels, Bloomingdale’s Outlet on Broadway will offer a range of off-price apparel and accessories, including women’s ready-to-wear, men’s, children’s, women’s shoes, fashion accessories, jewelry, handbags and intimate apparel – all delivering a compelling combination of fashion, quality and value.”
“We look forward to serving this thriving and diverse neighborhood where so many shoppers are already well acquainted with the unique offering of Bloomingdale’s,” said Bloomingdale’s CEO Tony Spring.
It’s interesting that in an area that’s getting more upscale, Macy’s (which owns Bloomingdale’s) would open an off-price store. The company is probably trying to compete with the H&M’s of the world, offering clothes that will draw a younger crowd.
Bloomingdale’s signed a 15-year lease for the space, the Commercial Observer reported.
We reported a few weeks ago that the Urban Outfitters space was on the market, and its lease is up in July.
Actually this makes sense. They are near the old Loehmans, and near the new Barneys. Before paying full price at Barney’s, why not stop in here? Upper West Siders’ are cheap, this is a great idea. I wonder if in the lease they will have to finally get rid of the sidewalk shed?
Yeah, UO was always demographically weird for the neighborhood, though I guess the UWS does have a lot of teens with disposable income. This will plug the gap left by Loehmann’s and will also pull in Century 21 shoppers. Smart on their part, and Bloomie’s is a New York original, so fine by me.
So excited about The Bloomies Outlet opening there. It was an HMV before Urban outfitters.
72nd Street platform is already packed, an accident waiting to happen. Cannot imagine more people coming to this once relatively quiet intersection which has been transformed into major “destination” shopping – Trader Joe’s and now Bloomingdale’s.
Yep, it was just another sleepy corner at the intersection of three major roadways with an express subway stop. Gosh, I hope they don’t get rid of all those quaint booksellers working out of milk crates; blue tarps and folding beach chairs. They really add to the quaint charm of that Walden-like neighborhood.
Bring back the Bagel Nosh.
Hear, hear!
Those milk crate book sellers are the only thing worth visiting in that area any more. If it weren’t for them, I’d forget I was still on the Upper West Side. Great vinyl, rare out of print gems, wonderful merchants and organic culture.
Those booksellers are not very nice people and the one closest to the corner is downright abusive. I have seen him yell at crying children in strollers and teenagers just walking by. Blooomies will be wonderful there. Barney’s up the block is ridiculous price wise. It has never been a ‘quiet block’ since I’ve been around ..1985.
Some of the booksellers are nice people —
Vietnam vets who are trying to make a living
in a terrible economy.
Kirk (in front of Chase) is a gem.
Some of us have been trying to get rid of the booksellers (if that’s what they’re really selling)for years, who have been a blight on Broadway and there seems no cure. I’m only afraid that with increased foot traffic from Bloomies, their business will only prosper.
Are you accusing them of selling drugs?
Ridiculous and slanderous.
The booksellers have permits as do the
fruit vendors, and purse, hat & mittens guys.
The man who sells dresses in front of
North Face is very nice.
Have you ever talked to any of them?
The true blight on Broadway is the
bland corporate takeover of every
available space. Multiple Starbucks with their
awful scorched coffee, a Duane Reade on every
block, banks and cell phone stores dominate the scene.
The astronomical rents have driven out
all of the mom and pop establishments
including restaurants.
Give me the street vendors any day — winter mittens for $5 instead of $20 at Marshall’s, summer dresses, books, and fruit that is actually ripe and ready to eat (unlike Fairway and Trader Joe’s).
Um, I’ve actually watched the “booksellers” outside Chase sell drugs. Witnessed it. They also smoke pot on the street. I’m sure you probably think that’s super cool and rustic, but it is still illegal. They attract scum and trash. Glad you think they are worth defending, though.
This is a very silly comment. I have to assume it was meant to be funny…
I’m surprised they didn’t want the space previously occupied by Loehmanns.
This is a much better space then former Platos Retreat, I mean Loehmanns. its a corner , NOT a basement.
I think its great. Bloomies is our own, even if its a chain 🙂
and I too am glad its not going to be a bank.
Me too. The Loehmann’s old space is better suited for a dept. store type setup, with great escalators already in place (Urban O. only had stairs). I think it’ll be fun to have an off-price Bloomie’s there.
This is FANTASTIC. It’s about time we bring fabulous Bloomies to UWS. I’ve been mourning the loss of Loehmann’s so this announcement is welcome news indeed.
Fairway should’ve moved two blocks down instead!
Oh, if only Bloomingdales had opened at 96th and Broadway in the early 70s as planed when the Riverside and Riviera were taken down.
Hey, I live at on that corner! That said, I agree with you – those theaters were magnificent.
Too bad. I was hoping for a bank. There seems to be a shortage in that area:-)
Trading one soulless corporate monster for an even older one. The more things change the more they they stay the same. To Bloomingdales’ credit, I don’t think they’ve ever promoted eating disorders to sell shirts
Macy’s doesn’t own Bloomingdales, they are both part of and owned by Federated Dept Stores. This will not be a cheap discount store and not an H & M store. It is for the Bloomingdales customer with discontinued and sale merchandise more like Nordstroms Rack and Saks off fifth stores.
Federated Dept Stores changed its name to Macy*s quite a while ago.
Thanks! I was hoping for that.
Another outlet store with cheaper versions of name brand
merchandise which is manufactured especially for outlets.
They should do better than Barney’s which hasn’t had a
crowded store since the day they opened on B’way and 75th.
Will somebody please open Candy store with a FOUNTAIN!
Yes the other option was for the owners to divide the space for the candy store selling eggs creams, and also tailor, shoe repair, fishmonger and pickle man.
Deal fell apart when they couldn’t get the buggie whip seller to come on board.
“Fishmonger” lol! But in the spirit of egalitarianism, you should have also mentioned “fishwife” – the female counterpart, according to Wikipedia. (Yeah, I had to look it up.)
webot, I think you’re onto something…how about a
Mom & Pop co-op…a vertical mall with all the services
that we need.
https://thenewyorkercovers.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/mom-pop-mega-superstore/
Paul RL…Thanks for the New Yorker covers, especially the
MOM & POP mall.
I’m curious as to why “tailor” and “shoe repair” are considered outdated paleolithic retail outlets.
I love my shoe repair guy… on Bway, between 99 and 100 (Andrade). I dread when their lease comes up. I don’t know of any stand-alone tailor shops, but tailoring is done at Synphony dry cleaners (and others) and it is a big part of their business.
Eddie Ugras has a tailor shop on the 3rd floor at 125 West 72nd Street (above the stationery and toy store)–prices are reasonable and he does good work.
Nooooooooo. I lived on 72 st, hoped that Bloomingdales would come and…moved out of town last year! Enjoy it, everyone else.
THIS IS GREAT NEW. So glad we are getting something besides another bank, drugstore. nail parlor. This neighborhood was getting too yuppie read as BORING.
Of course Bloomingdales is coming to this location and right on a street that used to be named Bloomingdale Road. In case you missed the memo there is a dress code on the UWS. North Face is out this winter. You must wear Canadian Goose. Uggs are approved as well as Hunter boots and those knit caps with the ball on it, fur ball for the girls and your favorite team for the boys. Faux fur topped boots tried to make the cut but didn’t.
“those knit caps with the ball on it, fur ball for the girls and your favorite team for the boys.”
Doesn’t this perpetuate oppressive bourgeois hetero-sexist [sic], cis-gender [sic] norms?
Dear Independent,
This is the UWS that we are talking about. You can’t get more bourgeois than this. You want edge, go elsewhere. What we got here is aging bro bankers and lawyer families with kids, along with those seniors with their clamshell cellphones. It is the suburbs baby.
Although Urban Outfitters has interesting books
and other goods, they are known to rip off
the designs of artists who present artwork to them.
The artists are told that Urban Outfitters
passes on their designs. Later the artists
see their designs on T-shirts in the stores.
The artists are not paid.
This is just like You’ve Got Mail. Nora Ephron called it long ago.
So we better get a consolation prize that’s equal to marrying Tom Hanks!
I seem to be the only one who is having a hard time getting excited about this. I don’t mind the loss of Urban (they have another location on the UWS) but a Bloomingdale’s outlet? I suspect it will join the Barney’s store a few blocks north as a “store I walk past but never go inside because I can’t afford anything,” or it’ll be like Filene’s et al. and will struggle to stay afloat. Since it will inevitably be a chain, I’d rather see something like an H&M or Uniqlo. While pricy, even J. Crew would be preferable since they don’t have a location on the UWS.
There is a J. Crew and H&M at Time Warner/Columbus Circle
Filene’s Basement may be struggling but in basements throughout the Upper West Side, countless felines are no doubt thriving.
Great. Just what the UWS needs, another junk store. They keep putting them in and they keep going out of business.
Madison Avenue here we come!
I suppose it’s too much to hope for a Forty Carrots in the basement?
“Forty Carrots”?
How many rabbits?
I don’t mind the booksellers who are working, it’s all the homeless people lining every block I object to. If you did not give these people money conventional wisdom hopes that it would lead them to other resources which might actually benefit them. Better to give a hot cup of coffee or soup than money.
Bonnie Rice wrote (March 7, 2015 at 10:00 pm),
Another idea is to give something like a granola bar that is nutritious, shelf-stable and compact. and, unlike soup, etc., can be carried in one’s pocket or bag at all times.
Perhaps but all too often I fear this would not be the case. That said, I certainly share your qualms about indulging panhandlers.
Has anyone printed-up something like a card containing on which would be printed the names and contact info for various resources that serve the homeless and destitute? Such cards could be carried by concerned people to present to needy people when they are encountered.
Personally, I’ve stopped giving them anything because I got tired of offering food and getting snarls or snaps of, “I don’t want that”. I think some of the resources available are helpful to some, but believe many of these people are more complicated than that. But I’m sure not motivated to offer part of my own lunch (stuff that’s individually-wrapped, portable, etc) to someone who not only doesn’t want it but seems irritated by it. I’ll find other ways to try to give.
I am sorry to see UO leave the 72nd and Broadway corner of the UWS. I frequently shop there and am an older person from the neighborhood. The clothes are very trendy and attracts not only younger people but older stylish women as myself. I will miss this store also because just about all the young salespeople are very nice and helpful. I do hope the Bloomingdales outlet will measure up, if that is at all possible. I tearfully say goodbye
It’s a good thing. The UO clothes were so cheap and
undesirable.
I hope Bloomies offers better quality and style. We need that now that Loehmans is gone.