Is Columbus Avenue Stealing MePa's Retail Thunder?

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An article on Crain's this week questions the fate of the Meatpacking District as a shopping destination, and suggests that its possible replacement could be Columbus Avenue. While nearly two dozen retail locations on 14th Street between Fifth Avenue and Washington Street are vacant, spaces on the now construction-free Columbus Avenue are harder to come by. And lest you forget that longtime staple Stella McCartney recently traded her MePa digs for a spot in Soho that's "a little more grown up."

The Shophound recalls Columbus Avenues' mid-90s rough patch: "The 90s, unfortunately, were not kind to the Upper West Side as a combination of a harsh recession and disruptive sewage line construction robbed Columbus Avenue of much of its luster, as did the demise of its chicest anchor store, Charivari." But, he adds, that a resurgence is happening, as shops like Helmut Lang, Theory, Intermix, Rag and Bone, and Club Monaco are all doing their part to bring the shopping masses back home.
· Meatpacking district cools as Columbus Sizzles [Crain's New York Business]
· Is Columbus Avenue Next On Deck For A Resurgence? [The Shophound]
· Stella McCartney Says Soho Is More Grown Up Than Meatpacking [Racked NY]