New York is an eclectic space with particular neighbourhoods seen as key destinations for culture, fashion or high end customers.

Localisation is a permanent trend for retail, with exclusive products or location-specific designs offered to appeal to the community.

Sustainability is also a theme this month as stores offer a variety of renewable products, or displays talking about the sustainable products and services they offer.

Finally, events continue to be held, aimed at exploring key issues further (such as sustainability) or helping customers with how to use particular products (including food waste products).

Here are the best new retail stores we found this month in New York.

Image credit – CardVault By Tom Brady

CardVault, SoHo

CardVault, the sports memorabilia brand co-owned by Tom Brady, launched a new store this month, its first in New York.

The store has been designed to appeal to the card collecting market and is a hub for sports and memorabilia enthusiasts. This includes a mural celebrating New York cards with athletes from New York on the walls.

Customers will be able to find a specially chosen selection of cards from popular brands Fanatics Authentic, Panini and Topps in a variety of styles, including packets, boxes and individual. For specialist collectors, there is a vault containing a range of certified memorabilia and other autographed items beyond cards, such as clothing and equipment used in games.

Exclusive items are also available for visitors, including New York hats and clothing. In order to appeal to the community, customers can relax in a lounge for collectors.

Image credit – IKEA

IKEA pop-up, Union Square

Throughout October, Swedish furniture brand IKEA ran a unique pop-up as part of its campaign the Year of Cooking and Eating.

The brand is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Swedish meatballs and has also partnered with Vanguard Renewables to help ensure that any wasted food from its restaurants is recycled.

The pop-up offered a range of activities, including workshops and tastings. Customers could create magnesium mocktails, butter boards, and learn how to pickle. Other recipe activities included mixing spices, infusing olive oil and creating blends of teas. The famous meatballs were also available as part of a happy hour and a scavenger hunt to keep children entertained.

Some new product ranges were also available for visitors to browse or purchase, including a new specialist range of storage solutions to reduce food waste.

Image credit – Carhartt

Carhartt, Manhattan

Workwear brand Carhartt has opened its latest store in Flatiron.

The location has been specifically selected to appeal to the local market, which contains a large segment of tradespeople, such as construction workers and electricians.

The store design will be similar to other stores, but includes aspects of the original architecture, such as columns. It also has graphics and other elements of New York-inspired design.

As a larger store space, it will be able to carry a broader range of products. The lines will mostly cater to men, but women are a growing segment of Carhartt’s market. This location will offer a larger selection of womenswear with new collections expected to launch, including a denim range.

While Carhartt has some popularity as fashion items, the brand wants to remain authentic to its workwear roots, with its products tested for durability.

Los Angeles Apparel, SoHo

A new fashion boutique has launched from Los Angeles Apparel, its first standalone store located in one of New York’s most popular fashion areas.

The brand hopes to appeal to the local fashion community as well as passing tourists looking for sustainable fashion at affordable prices. The new store maintains the architecture of the existing building, combining it with a modern minimalist style. Los Angeles Apparel also showcases its sustainable manufacturing with a number of displays for visitors to learn more.

Customers can expect to find the brand’s range of high quality basics, which are made in the USA, in a variety of styles. This includes the well-reviewed crewneck t-shirt, which comes in 58 different colours.

Image credit – Sézane

Sézane Appartement, Brooklyn

A new arrival to Williamsburg comes courtesy of a pop-up store from French fashion brand Sézane, open until June 2026.

The new Sézane Appartement brings a little Parisian charm to New York, with a spacious and light store, with wood fixtures and fittings.

One of the highlights of the space is its large wall of knitwear in a variety of colours. Customers will also be able to find a range of curated staples for womenswear as well as the new AW collection. Additionally, there are collections for homeware (Les Composantes), men (Octobre Editions) and children (Petit Sézane).

At the opening weekend, the store offered a range of French pastries and drinks for customers. Additionally, there was a cart outside with a chef making crêpes with traditional toppings.

Back Market, SoHo

The first physical store for refurbished electronics brand Back Market arrived in SoHo this month, for a pilot until 21 December.

The brand is betting on a growing interest in refurbished tech, particularly from younger markets like Gen Z. They hope that by being able to see and examine the refurbished products, customers will be more willing to try them.

The store includes a number of interactive elements, including one that tests customers to identify the differences between new and refurbished tech. There are also a variety of displays to help customers explore more about refurbished items, such as price tags that help to provide more information about how tech is refurbished.

A number of repair and other services are available to visitors to help people appreciate their existing products. These services include the Innovation Lab, where visitors can view a demo of testing, and also have their own products examined by the team. The Tech Spa focuses on cleaning, including in-store services or products for customers to purchase for their own use.

Finally, the brand plans to hold a number of events to explore sustainability and fast tech, including workshops and community panels.