These ladies who lunch would drop in and out of tiny boutiques chatting with the sales people, who knew them by name. After 5 p.m. they would retreat into their 10-room apartments, almost emptying the street. In the last 18 months, though, this strip has almost completely transformed, with young Moschino-clad shoppers frantically searching the stores, Prada knapsacks in tow. At night, the young men and women gather in the avenue's cafes, sipping Champagne and eating dinner. In a matter of months, these 15 blocks have become home to the hottest retail property in the city, with retailers like Giorgio Armani and Valentino opening one giant store after another, Eight new stores opened in the last month with five more scheduled to open in the next two months.
Traffic is a mess.
There's been a tremendous increase in the population count. Not everyone is happy about this new population. George Kontogiannis agrees, He has been serving coffee and sandwiches for the past 20 years at Viand, a coffee shop at Madison and 61st Street. These people are very pushy. They want to expand, move or open second stores.