It’s a rare sunny winter Friday in Midtown Manhattan, and Fifth Avenue’s busy sidewalks are teeming with people. Eager tourists pile into Apple, Coach and Nike, their shopping bags swinging behind them. Office workers grab a bowl to go from Sweetgreen and Cava before rushing back to their desks at nearby buildings. And neon-lit pedicabs make their way uptown, blasting “Shake It Off” and “Empire State of Mind.” In the world of global retail, Upper Fifth Avenue is a storied institution. It’s known for glitzy flagships, like Tiffany & Co and Gucci, but it’s also an area that’s been well-trodden by local employees, sightseers and native New Yorkers. In the truest sense of the word, “Fifth Avenue really is the most attractive street in the world,” said Ed Pincar, president of The Fifth Avenue Association, gesturing to the bustling scene before him. “It attracts history and culture. It attracts fashion and retail. It attracts investment. It attracts profit — not only for our members, but also for the city of New York. It really is this place that captures everyone’s attention, every day.” Pincar, a former New York City government official, makes it his job to walk up and down Fifth Avenue, he told Modern Retail on a recent tour. What is considered Upper Fifth Avenue, or the stretch of blocks in Midtown Manhattan from 49th to 60th Streets, is one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world, with rents topping $2,000 per square foot annually, per Cushman…
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