Madison Avenue To Welcome Back Shoppers With Deals, Music

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Gunning for a rebound in foot traffic as autumn approaches, the Upper East Side's marquee shopping street is hosting a pair of weekend events that will feature in-store discounts, live music and more.

Madison Avenue's "Welcome Back Saturdays" will kick off this week, Sept. 18, building off a similar event last fall. The promotion spans 29 blocks between East 57th and 86th streets, with more than 60 participating stores.

People who stroll the avenue will encounter live music by VocalSoul and The MadTones, as well as deals and special promotions at the dozens of participating retailers, from Giorgio Armani to the Apple Store to the Frick Madison museum.

It will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., including a noon celebration at the corner of 72nd Street where elected officials like U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Borough President Gale Brewer will salute the hospitality workers and businesses who "preserved a sense of normalcy during the pandemic," according to the Madison Avenue B.I.D., which organized the event.

Also at noon, business owners along the avenue will wave and take a bow to mark their own work maintaining the neighborhood's vibrancy over the past year and a half.

Madison Avenue was hit hard by the pandemic, with the number of open storefronts rising to 55 as of last quarter — a 25 percent increase from last year. But the district's boosters counter that things are on the rebound, with more than a dozen new businesses opening during the first half of the year.

The following Saturday, Sept, 25 the B.I.D. will host a smaller Welcome Back event with a canine focus. The "shop with your dog" event will be run in partnership with the Humane Society of New York, with pet-related programming throughout the day.

See the full list of participating vendors in Madison Avenue Welcome Back Saturdays, and learn more, at the Madison Avenue B.I.D. website.

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