> Call it the Amazon effect - who wants to go to SOHO to buy clothes when you can do it online! :) That might be true for some male demographics, but clothing

> Call it the Amazon effect - who wants to go to SOHO to buy clothes when you can do it online! :) That might be true for some male demographics, but clothing is still very much a try-and-buy experience for everyone else. People who drop several hundred to thousands for an outfit aren't going to do it online anywhere near as often as in person at a boutique. As others have noted, the demand is still there, but rents have gone so insanely high that even these rarefied boutiques can't hack it. The rent will, eventually, correct itself. A lot of rich people are going to lose money in real-estate and they deserve to. Hopefully more normal business can move back in-- and Magnolia Cupcakes were nothing to write home about anyway, they were just freaking cupcakes for christs sake.