Shopping near the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

This UES family-owned shop has been in the haute couture–recycling business since 1954 and is the place to go if you want to score Dior, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana dresses for 70 to 90 percent off retail price. While you shouldn’t schlep your bags of less-than-luxe stuff here expecting a trade (they only buy first-tier designer labels that are less than two years old and in great condition), come here if you want to treat yourself to something luxurious without breaking the bank.

Ranking among the city’s top tourist attractions, Bloomie’s is stocked with everything from bags to beauty products, homewares to designer duds. The cosmetics hall, complete with an outpost of globe-spanning apothecary Space NK and a Bumble and bumble dry-styling bar, recently got a glam makeover. The compact Soho outpost concentrates on young fashion and cosmetics.  

Credit cards feel right at home at this luxury Upper East Side boutique catering to avid shoppers. Gowns seen on runways worldwide are for sale along with more casual daytime dresses for the ladies-who-lunch crowd.

This Paris-based gourmet chocolate shop has multiple locations in New York.

If you struggle with the art of mixing trendy duds with basics, consider the contemporary styles found at this Upper East Side boutique, the key to unleashing your inner mixologist. This is the first Manhattan outpost, which opened last week, for the Long Island retailer, and you have every reason to be excited. While the brand is considered a fast-fashion chain due to its affordable pricing, the shop carries bohemian designer labels, including BB Dakota, Unif and For Love & Lemons, giving the store a leg up on its competitors H&M and Forever 21. Shop for Free Spirit layered necklaces ($35), Whitney Eve Windsor crop tops ($52) and Free People Lennon heels ($178)—you’ll want to add these to your wardrobe, stat.

For nearly half a century, Fred Kooby has been running this prim-and-proper stationery boutique, and though he’s watched as paper companies shrink their lines and e-cards replace formal invitations, his own business has grown from a single storefront to the better chunk of the block. Attribute this to his loyal clientele, who appreciate proper etiquette and classic taste—tenets that are best represented by the wall of Crane & Co. place cards (ten for $9–$100), and selection of Caspari greeting cards ($3–$9) and Charing Cross leather-bound calendars ($32–$49). Kooby’s daughter, Vanessa, oversees the custom-design department, whose shelves are jammed with sample books from lines as mid-range as William Arthur and as elaborate as C’est Papier. Aside from paper products, the store also stocks Kolo photo albums ($17–$50), Tizo picture frames ($17–$150) and fine writing instruments ($39–$495) from Waterman, Parker and Cross.

An initiative of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Albertine is devoted to works—both in its original version and in translation—and offers the largest selection of French literature in the United States, with more than 14,000 titles from 30 French-speaking countries. The two-floor space is truly an escapist's dream, with a designated reading room with lush sofas and armchairs, all housed in the French embassy.

Stocked with a wide variety of foodstuffs and organic products, this large, health-conscious grocery store on the Upper East Side offers a huge selection for most dietary needs. Besides offering staples and specialty items, take-away meals include fresh smoothies and juices, soups and made-to-order salads perfect for a quick and easy bite.

A life-sized zebra welcomes shoppers at Alexis Bittar’s boutique, a veritable safari of the designer’s most colorful accessories. Best known for his Lucite jewelry (small square bangles, drop pendants, block rings), Bittar has also expanded his collection to include precious metals. Choose from silver, gold or rose-gold pieces, adorned with semiprecious stones and Swarovski crystals.

Italian pork stores and hipster meat counters seem to be garnering most of the attention these days, but the Lobel family has been carving fine quality meats for 170 years. If the seasonally inspired sausages, dry-aged American Wagyu rib steaks, and racks of hormone- and antibiotic-free veal don’t draw you in, the picturesque interior, with mounted stag’s heads and cleavers on display, just might. Lobel’s has developed a thriving online business as well, peddling inventory available on the Web only (like grilling packs featuring snappy hot dogs).