Forever 21 Times Square Flagship Opens

I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard that a new Forever 21 was coming to town. Not just any old Forever 21 but a four-level flagship that takes up 91,257 square feet of real estate in the heart of Times Square.

Truthfully Times Square fascinated me as a tourist but now that I live here, I don't usually venture into it unless I have an out of town guest or am headed to a show. Also, most Forever 21's in NYC (ie. Herald Square) can be a little bit of a disaster and didn't make for the most pleasant shopping experience. I'd usually hit up the Soho location to pick up a few great accessories but never had much luck with clothing as with all things great in the city was picked over by the time I could look.

Fortunately the Times Square location does it right. Located at 1540 Broadway (nr 46th St) the store is equipped with 151 fitting rooms, 32 cash registers and 500 employees. The hours are also unbeatable, 8am-2am, 7 days a week! The multi-level location with the boutiques withing store of each of the Forever 21 labels housed make it feel like a shopping empire that reminds me a bit of London's Topshop Flagship store on Oxford Street.

The displays are also great and try to incorporate a playful urban NYC feel. Expect these to change often as fashion and merchandise is expected to move faster at this location.

From the directory you can see that the Ground floor being the smallest level is devoted to the Latest Trends and doesn't look too different from other Forever 21's.

The lower levels however are an entirely different story! Accesories, Lingerie, Cosmetics and the contemporary labels find a home. Also important to note, menswear is available at this location. It doesn't usually go to every store and it often sells out quickly.

I found that despite the crowds I had a pleasant experience as there was still plenty of room to look around and browse. The store was bright and cheerful, the displays/fixtures showed off the huge assortment of merchandise well so it was easy to see. This is a store that invites and encourages shopping.

Despite being in Times Square, I think it's definitely worth the trip through tourists to shop the store. I'm actually excited at the prospect of late night shopping. I always thought it was awesome that in Asia you could shop around the clock at night markets and I'm glad that North America is getting a taste! I know I'll definitely be stopping by again in the near future when I have more time to browse...half an hour is definitely not enough for this store!