For people who don’t do a lot of shopping or don’t do a lot of reading up of the shopping pages or shopping reviews, there is something of a shock when one comes upon anomalies in the shopping patterns of the world. While there are many different “sections” or “districts” in Manhattan; the diamond district, the flower district, the garment district; there are some semi-sections or small areas of town with an approbation towards particular types of goods or services or cultures that can impress even longtime residents with the absolute centricity of the location of the businesses.
It is less than 2/10 of a mile between 6th avenue and 5th avenue on w 8th street in Manhattan. Downtown near NYU, Washington Square Park, and with MacDougal Street coming up in the middle, you’re entrenched in so much history and so many different historical, cultural, and political events; what has taken its place seems a little trite. This area of town was where people like Jackson Pollack and Bob Dylan used to hang out; an area where people as influential as Eleanor Roosevelt and Uta Hagen took up residence at one time or another.
Unfortunately today, in the go-go commercialism that has wracked our consciousness and taken us all hostage, there is a new player in this section of town.
Shoes.
Yes, if you’re willing to go out as far as Astor Place on 8th Street (Across 5th Avenue & Broadway) which will only extend the distance a small amount, you’re talking about in excess of 22 shoe retailers on this one little road. 22!
So if you’re looking for shoes or you can’t seem to find exactly what you’re looking for in the mall or other stores that exist in your sphere, why not check out what’s on West 8th Street? My fiancée certainly did (to the tune of $250 shoes for our impending wedding)
Saga Shoes (364 6th Ave) and Urban Footwear (351 6th Ave) are your introduction to this madness coming down 6th Avenue from the West; but you really need to turn the corner and walk along the North side of the street to experience the full gravitas of what is going on at W 8th St.
Jubilee New York (57 w 8th St) Studio 55 (55 w 8th St) Erica Lossi (53 W 8th St) Make 10 (49 W 8th St) Mind Boggler (43 W 8th St) Eventi (35 W 8th St) Village Show Repair (29 W 8th St) Petit Peton (27 W 8th St) Stylish Shoe (19 W 8th St)*another* Saga Shoes (17 W 8th St) Peacock (11 W 8th St) Shoe Closet (9 W 8th St) Rugged Sole (7 W 8th St) and Kinway Shoes (5 W 8th St) all run along this one little section of one street.
That’s thirteen stores on one side of one street that’s less than 1/5th of a mile long. Cross over to the other side of the street and there are still a pair of stores that are available for your consideration: Mondini (48 W 8th St) and Toosh New York Inc. (58 W 8th St)
There are also a few other locations that are one street up (Aerosole 63 E 8th St) Arche Shoes (10 Astor Place) Rubber Sole (740 Broadway) East Village Shoe Repair (1 St. Marks Place) as well as the previously listed sites on 6th Ave.
So come by plane, come by boat, come by car, come by train, or hoof it on down to 8th Street to find all the shoes you could possibly want before they run each other out of business!
