There’s no such thing as too many Anthropologies so today the brand officially opens its fourth metropolitan Manhattan location. This time it’s Chelsea Market (15th St/9th Ave) that welcomes the flowy. Of course since this is NYC there was a pre-party to kick things off last night. I’d gotten a sneak preview of the store — from the outside anyway — last weekend, as I’d gotten the opening date confused. Last night was my first time inside.
The first thing to note is that this Anthropologie is bright. During the day sunlight streams in from the plethora of windows (the better to display their wares with, my dears) and the ceiling lights are plentiful. Natural light is a luxury in NYC and it serves the store well. Even at night the ambient lighting was fantastic. If Rockefeller Center is shopping theater, Soho is hip urban garden and 5th Ave is warehouse chic then Chelsea Market is the outside brought in. There was a lot of live plant life and a travel theme around the store, with carefully placed postcards within some of the displays.
There is an abundance of home goods at this Anthropologie, more spread out than at Rockefeller Center and better woven into the overall store than the other NYC locations. Patient partners will be satisfied to know there are many seating options, from kitchen stools to comfy chairs to a sofa or two. There are the usual curiosity displays and carefully curated clothing racks. Most pleasing to me was the sizable accessories section where plenty of jewelry was on display. There’s plenty of clothing to browse and it will be interesting to see how Anthropologie stocks the different locations now that there’s another one to consider. There were some new items I’d never seen before as well as some harder-to-find items, like the Torsade Tee ($48), the Fifth Form Shift ($128), and the Snow-Covered Fields Dress ($148) all of which have been dwindling in stock for awhile.
There’s a small sale room downstairs that barely held my interest. The fitting rooms on the other hand are surely worth writing home about! They are HUGE. They have cubbies in them! They have beautiful floors (above)! And they are bright, with white as the main color of the area. Wise choice against the caves my iPhone struggles with in reviews.
Since this party was mostly a celebration for the employees and the artists who’d contributed to the store I kept to myself, just snapping photos and trying on clothing. I did buy something for the cause (partial sales went towards White Columns). After trying on a few items I settled on the Rhomboid Rush Dress ($158, review here)– a suitable party favor in my mind.
I took plenty of photos around the store — full slideshow here. Be sure to watch for the ridiculously awesome Whoopi Goldberg paper plate. New York Anthro fans, will you be checking out the new Chelsea location this weekend?
Thanks to Anthropologie’s PR team for the invite!
Read Racked’s take here.
thanks for the review, roxy–can't wait to check it out…it's now the closest one to my apartment so i'm quite excited! planning on dragging my 2 yr old today if she doesn't protest too much!
I work in the Chelsea Market building, and I and some of the girls in my office are rather concerned for our paychecks! We've been rubbernecking for weeks, peeking at all of the lovely inventory. I'm excited!
ahhh ignore my question in my previous post! so cool you got to go to the opening party. glad you were able to get a little party favor =P
Swoon. Makes my local Anthro look so sleepy and tiny, especially in the housewares section.
that's awesome, roxy! i can't wait to check it out.
stef – ah nice! I have to admit it's kind of a haul for me to get there but last weekend my wasted trip was saved by being near the High Line! I ended up walking around up there and taking photos. I think the store will be a popular one for me in the warm months but will be avoided come the cold.laura – oh my. I have a friend in the same boat with the same concerns! I can't even imagine how destitute I would be with an Anthro so close. I hope you ladies have fun!Naomi's mom – hee, your ? was perfect timing. 🙂 It was cool though I always find myself very shy at these things. I never bring anyone with me but I really should. I need a partner in crime!Katie – it's funny because I've been longing for a suburban-sized Anthro recently and this one has the setup of one but with a nice urban twist. I hope you get to visit sometime. :)tres tippy – let us know what you think when you swing by! I was most excited about the full stock of some less recent items.
I work in the building too! This is going to be disastrous!!! And awesome…
Wow! Thanks for the pix. I think I may have to plan a vacation this summer to NY! I like your term "patient partners". My husband just drops me off at the mall and flees back to the hotel with our boys! (We have to go 2 hours to nearest Anthropologie and stay a couple of days) Not patient at all, but gives me my space to shop!
Though… if I start eating at Fat Witch Bakery everyday, I'll size myself out of Anthropologie and not have to worry about spending small fortunes there…
Good Morning, Roxy! I'm glad you had a great night and picked up that gorgeous dress. Quick question about the store: do they carry shoes? Thanks!
Suki – lucky duck. I suppose if I worked in that area I could bike to work more regularly, which would be really nice. Currently I have to cross Houston and ride down Varick, which is pretty much equal to a death wish. Also LOL at Fat Witch Bakery, there are so many temptations in that building!Gemma – I know the feeling. 😉 I just do my shopping trips stag these days as no guy is willing to wait for hours on end as I peruse. (Nor would I expect one to.)Lauren S. – no shoes sadly, though I didn't even think about until you just mentioned it.
It's beautiful!! Ah, can't wait to check out the housewares dept – it looks bigger than the one at Rockefeller…so exciting!
Thanks for sharing all the fabulous pictures, Roxy. I'm contemplating the 2.5 hour drive to my nearest Anthro. You got me jonesing!
What a beautiful store! I love all of the displays. I loved the calla lily looking "chairs". Thanks so much for indulging me in beautiful "eye candy" this morning! That's so neat that you got to go. Have a great weekend Roxy! 🙂
ohhh, this is great. i will definitely be stopping by very soon. thanks for the photos, roxy! one of these days i will prob run into you at anthro. i may or may not say hi, as it would be too weird…! :p
cravenmaven – I thought of you while I was looking at all the housewares! I think you'll be pleased with the selection (as will other home mavens). Jenny – glad you enjoyed! Wow, 2.5 hours. Doesn't seem fair.Athena – Wishing you a lovely weekend as well. :)Megha – please do say hello! 🙂 I will be in my own little world so you'll have to snap me out of it, but I talk to community members every so often at the stores and I love it.
Dear Roxy,I cannot tell you how much I've enjoyed the slideshow you've put on Flick'r! For those like me who don't have an Anthropologie store at less than 6 hours by car and who always order via the website, this was a chance to be able to accompany you in what I personally call the paradise of all the stores. I was unable to go in NY this winter due to my pregnancy, but am keeping all the references you kindly gave me for a future visit, maybe next winter.Keep taking shots of your visits in Anthro stores, it's like I were there also: I love it! And I like to see the displays!!Thank you!
Hey Roxy,Thanks for posting those amazing photos on Flickr! I almost felt like I was visiting an Anthropologie store myself (now, if only I had a bottle of the "Anthropologie scent" to make the experience complete… does anyone know what the scent is, by the way?). As someone who hasn't visited an actual Anthropologie store since January 1st (not that I keep track of these things or anything…haha), it was nice to have a little slice of Anthro.
great review, roxy! i loved the photos. i hadn't been planning to check out the new shop this weekend, but i saw they have the clearly constructed dress (and that great little frock to the right of it!) which has not made a debut at the soho store yet, so I might have to work it into to my schedule. thanks again!
updating my comment–visited the shop earlier this afternoon!first off, for any others who are also part of the stroller brigade, this anthro is easily accessible–no entryway stairs and a large elevator to get downstairs…yay!another thing i noticed at this location (that i don't think i noticed at any other anthros??), they have a selection of one of a kind vintage dresses/apparel. mind you, these are pricier items and since they are one of a kind, there is no size backstock…but i couldn't resist one dress that caught my eye! as roxy mentioned, they are well stocked (so far, at least!) in many of the 'hot' newer items–saw plenty of 5th form shifts, ny ny dresses, drifting by dresses etc. if you're looking for a full price sold out item, give them a call!the sales room (as kinda expected for a new store) was eh–they had a decent amt of blue plaid and green reed dresses and also several navy rare blooms; other then that, just the most recent markdowns. there were a few of these tabitha dresses marked down, that i don't recall ever seeing–they're short sleeved, thick cotton, belted shirt dresses in a sunny/golden yellow. does this ring a bell for anyone?finally, fantastic home section! i would have browsed here longer but breakable ceramic and my 2 yr old don't mix very well!lovely store that i'm sure i will be visiting again sooner then later–it's just a 10 minute walk from my apt! (tho i can't complain much–the soho and 5th ave locations are only another 5-10 min longer route…my credit cards are in constant danger!)
How cool! Looks like it was really fun! Thanks for sharing the pics!!!Hey Roxy, do they have that lime Leifsdottir dress in this new store? I still didn't see it here. Maybe I should try the Neiman Marcus store that just opened here in Bellevue. I saw that they have that dress online.
thanks for the review on the event. it was fun looking at the photos. wish i can go & shop there…i live in socal.
Sandrine! I was wondering if you'd made it here. I hope all is well with you. :)Lola – wow, at this point I feel like I'm at Anthro once or twice a week. So to have not gone in a few months blows my mind a bit. Reminder that I'm just a wee bit obsessed.Stephanie – do it, it's well worth the trip!stef – thanks so much for the report, you hit on some great things I'd missed.Marcela – no, sadly. I've given up hope that it's ever going to show up at Anthro. They do carry it in-store at Bloomingdales, not sure about NM.Anonymous – you have some beautiful Anthros in socal too! Man, I need to get back out there.
I'm doing very well (and still read your blog daily) 🙂 We've bought a house and are having a baby, so I decided to report the trip, but I still want to go!! My priorities just changed a little, as we have a lot of expenses coming and anyway I would not be able to wear most of my Anthro clothes being pregnant… The Wind-Rippled tee, the Claudine and the Spotlights tank still fit though, it's amazing how these can be stretched!! But I can't wait to wear my dresses again…Cheers darling
Roxy, thanks so much for the review. I went last night after work and felt like I was visiting the home of an old friend rather than a large, two-level store, as a result of watching your slideshow. My only complaint about the store is that some categories of accessories are scattered throughout, rather than in one central location. I went in looking for the Looping Lanes belt, but I had to hunt all over for it as the belts are not together as they are at my beloved Rock Center store.Stef, the yellow Tabitha "dress" is actually a jacket according to Anthro (Lemon Squares Jacket). I thought it was a dress, too, and purchased it to wear it as a dress, all the while thinking "why do the buttons stop so high up?" I'm going to sew a snap onto the bottom. I'm only 5'4", so I can get away with it as a dress with bare legs without having to resort to leggings.I also picked up the Tandem Jump Blouse, which I've been stalking for a while, a We Love Vera dress that I haven't seen anywhere yet, a creamy Eloise tank (love those!), and a pair of turquoise rosette earrings. I hunted around for the Sketched Danios Dress but came up empty-handed.The staff was very helpful and seemed well-informed.
I love the building – that store just looks gorgeous. Thanks for the review photos!