Major Retailers On NYC’s Iconic 5th Ave Reopen; Small Stores Struggle To Keep Shoppers On Curb

Some of the biggest names in luxury retail reopen for business (curbside pickup, anyway) Thursday along Manhattan’s iconic Fifth Avenue, delaying their starts for a few days to pull plywood off storefronts hit by looting last week. Saks, Wempe, Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton, within the Fifth Avenue Association District, are now open for curbside pickup and other services, joining Cartier and Valentino, which opened a day earlier. A number of stores remain shut down, concerned about paying rent while customer traffic remains low. Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier this week he understood that some stores didn’t find Phase I, which the city entered Monday, to be the optimal time to open. He said many are looking to Phase II, which is when he says he thinks “retail will really come alive in New York City.” Phase II opens up in-person shopping with restrictions like social distancing and facial covering mandates. It also opens up outdoor dining, which hundreds of restaurants did when Long Island took that next step earlier this week. De Blasio says the city could get there in early July. Read more at NBC New York.