Shopping in SoHo NYC

Before shopping in SoHo NYC was the thing to do, SoHo was in danger of being demolished and later saved by artists. SoHo, or South of Houston (pronounced HOUSE-ton), is loosely bordered by Houston and Canal streets and between Lafayette street and the Hudson River. This area was once referred to as the Cast Iron District, because of the fantastic cast iron work on the buildings, and was a factory district.

The Cast Iron District faced destruction when a plan was developed to build to elevated highways on the location. Historical societies eventually squashed the plan and dubbed the Cast Iron District SoHo. This still left many buildings that were unsuitable for the type of manufacturing and commerce that was popular in New York in the 1970s.

So SoHo became a haven for artists who claimed the upper parts of many buildings as lofts and studios. SoHo was popular for artists because of the low rent and great spaces. Often buildings in SoHo were not zoned for residential use, but that was ignored for many years because otherwise the buildings would have stood dormant.

Artists left in the 1980s as the neighborhood rose up the socioeconomic scale. The location, lofts, architecture, and reputation as a "hip artists' hangout" made SoHo the perfect destination for boutiques and galleries. Today, many of the galleries have moved to Chelsea and left SoHo as a tourist destination and shoppers' paradise.

SoHo is one of the best shopping districts in the city. It is not as expensive as Fifth Avenue so it makes a good alternative to other shopping districts. There's also a great variety in the stores in SoHo. Everything from little boutiques to big names to J Crew have a place in SoHo. Visit Citysearch for a nice SoHo shopping guide.

There are also many shopping tours available for SoHo and other New York neighborhoods. Many of these tours blend SoHo and another neighborhood, usually NoLita (North of Little Italy). Viator has a good SoHo/NoLita tour for an affordable price. These things tend to be a little "touristy," but can be helpful if its your first time in the city.

Another good site for New York City shopping tours is Shop Gotham. This site offers many different shopping tours for New York City including a SoHo and NoLita tour. Shop Gotham also offers specials and package deals like "Sweet Sixteen" and "Mother/Daughter" shopping tours.