Dismal Discount Department Store Fox's Opens on the UES

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The East 86th Street subway stop has a new neighbor: Madison Avenue Spy noted that Fox's, a discount department store chain, just opened in a long-vacant space on the corner of Lexington Avenue.

With nearby locations in East Flatbush and Forest Hills, Fox's carries brands like Nicole Miller, Vince Camuto, and Catherine Malandrino for at least half off—but the selection ranges from "very bad to might-be-okay," the spy reports. That's not hopeful news for the locals.

It's interesting that this store is arriving after New York's king of discount department stores, Loehmann's, closed its brick-and-mortar stores following a bankruptcy filing (it now exists solely online). It was widely thought that its rapid decline indicated shoppers' fatigue with the discount model, realizing that the quality of the merchandise they found didn't hold a candle to the name brand's typical products. It's more likely that Upper East Side shoppers will head to the H&M across the street instead of Fox's—there, at least you're paying for what you get.

But after a months-long vacancy, the property owners are probably just happy to have someone paying the rent. For how long, however, remains to be seen.
· Fox's Opens on East 86th Street [Racked NY]
· Shoppers Expect More From Retail Than Loehmann's [Racked NY]
· Does Loehmann's Signal Discount Department Stores' Demise? [Racked NY]