By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — Betsey Johnson's SoHo store will serve cocktails and desserts until 11 p.m. for Fashion's Night Out on Friday, but there's no party at the store's Columbus Avenue location.
The Upper West Side may be the new home of Fashion Week, but many of the neighborhood's boutiques are skipping one of the week's highlights, Fashion's Night Out, when retailers stay open late and host parties for shoppers.
They say it doesn't make sense to hold Fashion's Night Out parties in a neighborhood that's more family-friendly than fashion-forward.
"It's not really bumpin' at night," said Callie Eisenbrandt, assistant manager at Theory on Columbus Avenue and West 71st Street. "People are at home with their kids."
Theory's Upper West Side location will stay open later than usual for Fashion's Night Out, but the store's real Fashion's Night Out soiree will go down at its Meatpacking District location, where champagne will flow to a DJ's beats, Eisenbrandt said.
The Ugg store on Columbus Avenue and West 67th Street tried hosting a Fashion's Night Out event last year, but it was so slow that the store decided against it this time around, said sales associate Chad Harris.
"(The Upper West Side) isn't really a fashion destination," Harris said.
Instead Ugg is putting the fashion focus on its SoHo location, where the store will unveil a new alliance with shoe designer Jimmy Choo.
Likewise, Kiehl's Upper West Side store isn't participating in Fashion's Night Out, but in the East Village, its hosting karaoke and an appearance by singer Jordin Sparks.
Paige Denim's Columbus Avenue location will serve champagne and cupcakes for Fashion's Night Out, but designer Paige Adams-Geller won't be making a personal appearance there. That's only happening at the store's SoHo and Meatpacking District's locations.
"This is kind of the quieter neighborhood of our three stores, but our other locations are definitely having a good time (for Fashion's Night Out)," said Paige Denim manager Adrienne Kupka. "On the Upper West Side you have more restaurants, more delis, other things going on, but downtown their focus is on fashion."
But the more neighborhoody feel has been a boon for Paige Denim, Kupka noted. While Paige's downtown stores attract plenty of foot traffic from tourists, on the Upper West Side the store has been able to build a client base of repeat customers, Kupka said.
The high-end denim retailer has performed "surprisingly well" since opening in June on the Upper West Side, Kupka said. "I thought it would take a while for the neighborhood to warm up, but it hasn't."
