Upscale retail goes underground

From the April issue: Gum, batteries, a magazine — these are items you would have expected to find for sale under Manhattan’s crowded city streets a few years ago. Now, the rushed consumer is drawn below ground by organic strawberries, iPods and 400-thread-count satin sheets stocked tantalizingly on basement shelves. As retail rents on the ground floors of buildings continue to increase, many upscale stores, such as electronics retailer Apple and Whole Foods, have dug out space below Manhattan sidewalks. At the same time, retail space in subway stations is increasing as face-lifts and new construction at the World Trade Center and Fulton Street station allow for massive underground concourses. more By Tracy McNamara