What’s New

2021 Flatiron & NoMad Business Survey

New Neighbor: Mark's Off Madison, Restaurant & Bagel Bakery

Warm welcome to Mark's Off Madison, a new restaurant and New York bagel bakery from celebrated Chef Mark Strausman that debuted in the neighborhood at 41 Madison Avenue. At Mark's, you'll find incredible seasonal creations and elevated NYC staples. Labeled as one of the "Top NYC Restaurant Newcomers of 2020" by Eater New York the restaurant is already making an impression. 

 

"The inspiration behind the restaurant is simple - it’s my third act. The menu reflects some of the greatest successes from my 30-year career, and I’m proud to be opening my first eponymous restaurant in Flatiron," says Chef Strausman.

 

 

 

An ode to his inimitable culinary career, Strausman is serving some of his greatest hits, plus plenty of new creations. The bakery features his Straussie’s Bagels dubbed “New York’s Best Bagel” by Serious Eats while he was the Chef at the iconic Freds in Barneys New York. Positioned as a "hand-rolled taste of Old New York," Straussie's Bagels are smaller, denser, and less pillowy than most bagels. The chewiness is part of what bagel purists love about Straussie's, as well as the flavor that comes from small batches with zero preservatives. Take a behind-the-scenes look at Chef Strausman's bagel-making process and watch his how-to video that's been viewed 700K+ times. An assortment cream cheeses and hand-selected smoked fishes are available.

Additionally, the bakery offers a variety of artisanal breads, cookies, pastries, and cakes. Popular sweets include morning buns, seasonal fruit muffins, and M.O.M’s signature coffee cake. Artisanal breads are baked daily, available by the loaf, and also used for house-made sandwiches like the Jewish Boy from Queens made with freshly-roasted turkey and homemade Rye and the Ciabatta Prime Rib French Dip Sandwich. 

For the restaurant, Chef Strausman is serving a menu that includes some of the most beloved dishes from his past endeavors. Highlights include his Belgian fries, Estelle’s Chicken Soup, his classic Lasagne Della Nonna meat lasagna, and The O.G. Madison Salad. Check out their full brunch and dinner menus. The restaurant also offers an extensive “Home Service” take-out and delivery menu, serving menu items specifically designed for the home dining experience and a catering component. 

A peek inside... Mark's 4,250 square foot restaurant space showcases the bakery and features an extensive (and heated) outdoor dining area. The relaxed, comfortable yet sophisticated atmosphere complements Strausman’s cooking style. An open bakery is the centerpiece of the eatery with a large steel and glass window allowing patrons to engage with the production process.

The. M.O.M. team has tailored the restaurant's layout and service to meet New York City’s health and safety guidelines. Safety measures include critically configured eating, touch-free systems for ordering and paying, single-use menus, and reduced table settings for minimal contact. Walk-ins will be accepted but reservations are preferred.

Mark's Off Madison is open for dinner service Tuesday through Saturday 5 pm to 10 pm, brunch service Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm, and the Bagel Counter opens at 9 am on the weekends. Heated outdoor dining, take-out, and delivery via GrubHub and Caviar are available.  

Mark's Off Madison, 41 Madison Avenue, Off the northeast corner of Madison Square Park, 646.838.8300, ​@marksoffmadison​.

Header Photo Credit: Joshua Bright for The New York Times
Thumbnail Photo Credit: Alex Staniloff

New Neighbor: Life Time Fitness Club

We are happy to welcome Life Time's newest location to the district at 60 West 23rd Street. The luxury health club featuring state-of-the-art equipment and a suite of amenities proves to be an exciting addition to the "Fit-District." The Life Time 23rd Street club spans 37,000-square-feet across two floors, making it one of the city's largest gym clubs. 

“We are thrilled to grow our New York City presence with Life Time 23rd Street,” said Bahram Akradi, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder of Life Time. “Life Time is committed to the health of the communities in which we operate and we see the opening of 23rd Street as an investment in the future of the city. We look forward to bringing Life Time’s healthy way of life mindset to even more of the local, wellness community.” 

The club features an expansive fitness floor outfitted with the latest workout equipment, including more than 110 new cardio and strength machines from Technogym. The high-end treadmills, rowers, bikes, and stair climbers all come equipped with televisions for your entertainment. For lifting, the club offers free weights up to 120 pounds and a combined Olympic-squat rack and lifting platform combo. Over 90 classes are offered every week and members are allowed to bring two guests per month. Personal training is available and trainers will create a custom personalized training program for every budget, lifestyle, and body.

Other amenities and offerings include an indoor saltwater lap pool, a cedar wood sauna with a Himalayan salt wall lamp, a Whirlpool Spa to soothe sore muscles, a Eucalyptus Steam Room to recover faster post-workout, premium toiletries from hair dryers to full towel service, ultra-luxe dressing rooms,  teakwood showers, and radiant heat panels in the yoga studio. Virtually check the club for yourself - you can view a flythrough video of Life Time 23rd Street.

With health and safety at the forefront for Life club members and team members, Life Time 23^rd Street opens with detailed and proven enhanced cleaning and safety protocols in place. A playbook with over 500 pages was developed in partnership with a former state epidemiologist and industrial hygienist. A peak usage tracker, touchless check-in, temperature screening, extensive cleaning protocols, hospital-grade air filtration, spacious floors offering ample social distancing, online class reservation, and virtual training and class options are some of the safety measures in place. 

Life Time also offers a digital membership. The digital subscription membership includes custom workout programs, access to on-demand classes including yoga, cycling, barre, live-streamed classes, and 1:1 virtual training. The digital subscription is free for January 2021. 

Life Time 23rd Street is open Monday through Thursday, from 6 am to 9 pm, Friday from 6 am to 8 pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 8 am to 7 pm. 

Life Time 23rd Street, 60 West 23rd Street,  (212) 381-8900, @lifetime.nyc

Gifts for the Greater Good: Program Recap & THANK YOU!

Running from November 23rd to December 23rd, the Flatiron Partnership established a gift purchasing campaign, Gifts for the Greater Good, as a part of our "23 Days of Flatiron Cheer" program. The fundraiser set out to raise funds to purchase gifts from retail shops in the Flatiron District, and these gifts would be donated to families in need supported by two local organizations: Hearts of Gold and the Harmonia Shelter. Overall, the campaign set out to achieve two things: generate revenue for our stores at a time when they need it most and offer some warmth and love to families who have had an undeniably hard year.

The Partnership aimed to match each donation dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000 for a total spend of $20,000 on gifts. At the close of the campaign, donations totaled $11,747  thanks to an incredible outpouring of support. These donations were then combined with our match for a total of $21,747. We cannot thank our donors enough! Thanks to the generosity of our community, we exceeded our fundraising goal and plan to purchase additional items from district retailers for other local organizations supporting those living without shelter this January.

With the funds raised, we were able to purchase over 450 gifts for homeless fathers, mothers, and children. Gifts included art sets, games, and toys for the kiddos, and winter apparel, journal sets, sunglasses, bath and body sets, headphones, thermoses, and coats for the adults. All gifts were of high-quality and a healthy mix of fun and necessity items. In total, we fulfilled bulk orders with 16 retail stores in the neighborhood. The participating shops were beyond grateful for the sales during a shopping season that has been deeply impacted by the pandemic and they were excited by the opportunity to come together and support the district. 

All of the gifts were dropped-off at Hearts of Gold and the Harmonia Shelter so they could distribute to the families that they support. Hearts of Gold delivered bags of gifts to mothers and children in a festive bus and the Harmonia Shelter distributed items to their residing families on Christmas Day.

Again, THANK YOU for all of the support. This was a true community effort. The participating stores were very thankful for the purchases and the receiving families were thrilled to experience some much-needed cheer. 

Business beneficiaries:

• 10/10 Optics ***
• Barbering by Marcus
• Butterfly Studio Salon
• Cohen's Fashion Optical
• Fotografiska Gift Shop ***
• Il Fiorista
• J&M Hardware
• Little Folks
• Memories of New York
• Museum of Mathematics 
• P.C. Richard & Son
• Rituals ***
• Rizzoli Bookstore
• Seven Grams Caffé
• Sundays Nail Studio 
• The White Company ***
• Thursday Boot Company (Generously donated 100 pairs of boots at no cost! Thank you, Thursday!!!) 

***Provided special discounts for this program that still allowed for their business to generate revenue. Some of these discounts were specifically provided by larger retailers to allow more dollars to be spent with smaller retailers. We are so thankful for our business community! 

We'd like to give a HUGE shout out to local businesses who generously donated to our GoFundMe campaign: Honeybrains, Bombay Sandwich Company, The Home Depot, and Pentagram Design. Their donations helped us make huge strides in reaching and exceeding our goal! Thank you so much. 

December News Roundup

December's news highlighted festive restaurant dishes and spots on year-end 'best of' lists along with commercial property renovations and sales. The 2020 Flatiron Public Plaza holiday installation, Point of Action, was also widely featured. Stay up-to-date with the latest Flatiron District News. 

Restaurants & Bars

• Shake Shack unveiled three new menu items topped with a one-of-a-kind organic black truffle sauce at its Upper West Side & Madison Square Park locations (via Eater New York).
• Eleven Madison Park offered delivery to the East End and other NYC suburbs (via Wall Street Journal) and they were featured on the Champions' League World's Best Wine List 2020 (via Spears).
• ilili's Philippe Massoud shared that secret behind Lebanese White Coffee by stating, "From a cultural point of view, it’s something that we finished the meal with usually after you’ve eaten a big meal. And we normally spend two, three, four hours at the table eating, so it’s Thanksgiving every day" (via Well + Good).
• Critic Ryan Sutton finds wicked good pineapple buns, rice bowls, and crispy duck at the Milu (via Eater New York).
• Mark's Off Madison was featured in 'The State of the Bagel' (via The New Yorker), the best Hannukah latkes roundup (via Eater New York), and in Eater's Best NYC Restaurant Meals roundup for their roasted chicken (via Eater New York).

District Businesses

• The opening of Harry Potter New York, next the iconic Flatiron Building, has been delayed due to the pandemic but the store’s online shop is now open and offering new products (via Forbes).
• At both The James New York NoMad and The James New York Soho, guests can partake in the unique Four Bodies Wellness program (via Live Trading News).
• The NoMad Hotel is offering the “NoMad Feast” in empty suites, featuring such dishes as its signature black truffle-stuffed chicken (via Bloomberg). The Hotel was also featured in the Post's spectacular staycation roundup (via NY Post).
• Two Flatiron-based startups were in the news in December. Glosslab, a waterless nail salon, raised $3 million in seed funding with plans to increase the number of brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce in 2021 (via Glossy). Attentive raised $340 million through 2020. The company’s software is used by e-commerce retailers to send customers promotions through text messages (via Crain's NY Business).
• Life Time opened a 37,000-square-foot fitness center at 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue (via New York Business Journal).

Real Estate

• Spectrum NY1 featured the iconic Flatiron Building's massive transformation in the heart of the neighborhood at 23rd Street, Broadway, and Fifth Avenue (via Spectrum NY1).
• In addition to NYC’s outstanding talent and funding, the city is rich with life science real estate offerings across the five boroughs. For example, as part of NYCEDC’s LifeSci NYC, the City’s $500 million investment in life sciences, local investment firm Deerfield Management is redeveloping a 12-story building in Flatiron at 345 Park Avenue South (via Fierce Biotech).
• Thor Equities Group sold the 17,600-square-foot, six-story 164 Fifth Avenue retail building for $40 million. The fully leased property is home to Alo Yoga and a new vegan restaurant concept called SUTRA (via Commercial Observer).
• Home Depot extended its lease for 120,000 square at Williams Equities’ 28-40 West 23rd Street, cementing its reign in the Chelsea and Flatiron area for around another 15 years (via Commercial Observer).

Around the Neighborhood

• More than a century ago, the first public Christmas tree lighting in New York City took place in Madison Square Park. That 108-year tradition continues to this day and is commemorated year round. When all of the holiday lights go dark and the giant Christmas trees come down, Madison Square Park keeps the spirit of the season alive with the Star of Hope, a fixture of the park that marks the site of the first tree lighting (via Untapped Cities).
• This holiday season, the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership launched "Gifts for the Greater Good," a community initiative with the goal of supporting local retailers while giving joy to New York City families who are experiencing homelessness (via Patch).
• Studio Cooke John's Point of Action, on display on the Flatiron Public Plazas from November 23rd through January 1st, was featured in many notable public art roundups this month including Untapped Cities, Time Out New York & amNY.

Header Photo: Milu via Eater New York
Thumbnail Photo Credit: The NoMad Hotel

Flatiron Fitness Offerings for 2021 Goals

Cardio, Dance, HIIT, Barre, & Pilates

Offering Pilates, stretching, and strength classes, BK Pilates hosts Livestream classes and on-demand classes (free-trial available). 

Brrrn, 107 West 20th Street, 212-352-3132
Brrrn is New York City's first cool temperature fitness studio. Brrrn offers at-home workout subscriptions for $9.99/month or $79.99/year, and billing doesn't start until January 31, 2021! You can pick-up your very own Brrrn Slide board for their at-home Slide classes. Board purchases include an at-home class subscription.


Dancebody, 1158 Broadway, 212-500-1174
Dancebody is a studio with upbeat group workouts including high-energy cardio & sculpting classes. Check out their New Year's Package that has everything you need to kickstart the month of January, including: access to all Pay-Per-View LIVES, breakdown videos, weekly Private Zoom Classes, virtual consultations with a trainer, and access to an exclusive Facebook group. Dancebody's Live and On-Demand classes are also available along with several programs like the Dancer Abs Program: 14-Day and the 7-Day Sculpt: UpperBody. Virtual and in-person private one-on-one and party sessions are available, too. 


exhale, 19 West 21st Street 
Enjoy exhale's on-demand classes for $19.99/month, plus, a 14-day free trial! exhale also offers an "Exhale Everywhere" that includes on-demand classes and unlimited Livestream classes. For the new year, enjoy 50% off this package for your first month ($24.99/month, normally $49.99/month). 

Func Soul
Func Soul hosts all-levels, achievable dance classes They don’t care if you pick up all of the steps or fumble through the entire routine. They just want you to have a great time! You can enjoy their virtual classes and you can register for January live classes here. 


Jane DO, 24 West 23rd Street, 201-938-1000
Musically charged, energy driven, cross-training workout. Take advantage of Jane DO's "JANE-uary Challenge" where you'll be encouraged to set intentions and challenges for yourself. You can sign-up here to participate in weekly Zoom check-ins with the studio's founders, receive weekly newsletters, and fill-out a downloadable challenge guide. Livestream classes are available. 

Mile High Run Club, 24 West 25th Street, 212-466-6472
Mile High Run Club provides unique treadmill fitness programs. You can experience coach guided on-demand runs. You can get a subscription for full access to all runs or rent individually. New content is released every Monday! You can also sign-up for group outdoor runs hosted by Mile High every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Check out the group outdoor run schedule. Morning and evening runs available.


Pop Physique, 31 West 26th Street 
Experience ballet barre-based Livestream classes with Pop Physique!
 

Power Pilates, 327 Park Avenue South, Second Floor
Power Pilates offers live pilates classes for all levels. You can also schedule private and outdoor pilates classes at their Flatiron flagship location. 

Fitness Clubs & Gyms 

Equinox Gramercy, 315 Park Avenue South, 212-320-9870
Experience Equinox with their exclusive January Offer: join with $0 initiation fee and get the rest of January on Equinox. The Gramercy Club location is currently open with enhanced safety guidelines. A variety of on-demand fitness classes are available through Variis by Equinox app (included with your membership or available for purchase). 


Life Time Fitness, 60 West 23rd Street
Life Time Fitness' Flatiron location is newly open just in time for the new year! You can join for $249/month to enjoy club access and digital content. The enrollment package includes $0 joining fees, 1 Hour Onboarding Session per Adult with a Personal Trainer, a Life TIme digital subscription, and 100 LT Bucks to use on any in-club service. Just interested in digital classes, training, and articles, you can subscribe for $15/month. AND the digital subscription is free for January 2021. 


New York Sports Club, 113 East 23rd Street, 212-982-4400
Join New York Sports Club to workout at their 23rd Street club, or try it out for a month with a 30-day guest pass for $31.35. Join for $119.99/month or $109.00/month with a one-year commitment. 

Yoga

bodē nyc, 182 Fifth Avenue, 212-206-9400
Sign-up for bode's five-week fitness challenge that includes five weeks of unlimited Livestream yoga classes. You'll be challenged to complete 25 classes in these 5 weeks (January 11th through February 14th). You can do any combination of Live Stream classes and Self-Practice Sessions, plus everyone who completes the challenge will be entered to win some fabulous prizes! Additionally, small group sessions are available at the Flatiron studio along with Livestream and on-demand classes. 


Dharma Yoga, 46 West 24th Street 
The popular yoga center offers on-demand yoga classes and you can purchase one-offs or packages. You can stream live yoga classes, too.  


Karma Kids Yoga
Karma Kids Yoga is offering Zoom, YouTube, and Instagram Live classes for FREE. / Zoom / YouTube / Instagram. 


Laughing Lotus, 166 Fifth Avenue, 212-414-2903
LL Studio by Laughing Lotus serves as a home for transformational yoga practice. The studio offers on-demand classes featuring 30-minute, 45-minute, and 60-minute flows and Livestream classes for all levels. 

Y7 Studio, 25 West 23rd Street, 646-820-0781
Try out Y7's online yoga classes that give you unlimited access to all their yoga flows and weekly live streams for just $16/month. 

Header Photo: Dancebody 
Thumbnail Photo: Mile High Run Club

Join the Small Business Resource Network for Free Guidance & Recovery Resources

Calling all small businesses! In response to this time of crisis, various city partners, inluding the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce have launched the NYC Small Business Resource Network (SBRN), a network of New York City specialists offering free, personalized guidance and recovery resources for your business.

The SBRN is a unique, private-public partnership that leverages local relationships with the city’s corporate, financial, and professional service sectors. With support from universities, philanthropies and expert volunteers, the SBRN helps small business owners gain access to a range of programs and services.

Small Business Support Specialists offer guidance and next-step resources in these five fields:

• financial guidance
• marketing expertise
• technology support
• legal counseling
• business coaching

Some common concerns are proper outdoor dining setup (please note, if you're in our BID district boundaries we can assist with this directly), rent negotiation, and website marketing and management. Members of the network can also enjoy special offerings such as cash credit to rebuild your business' website.

Every business is eligible, even if you are not a Chamber of Commerce member. For more information, attend the free info session webinar for small business owners on January 12th, at 2pm, or submit your business profile to join today.

The designated Chamber of Commerce Small Business Support Specialists for the Flatiron and NoMad area are:

Businesses in zipcodes 10003, 10010, and 10016:
Christopher Freire
cfreire [at] Manhattancc.org

Businesses in zipcodes 10001 and 10011: 
Sean Martin
smartin [at] manhattancc.org

Flatiron Foodie: Summer Salt's Rolled Taquitos with American Guac

Directions:

1. If you have a food processor, add all of the ingredients and pulse until you have a smooth consistency. You're all done!
2. If you prefer the manual way, cut the avocados in half, take out the pit, scoop out the avocado flesh and mash it until it's no longer clumpy. 
3. Add the sour cream to your avocado and whip it until smooth. 
4. Fold in the cilantro, lime juice and salt. Adjust salt and lime amount to your taste. 

Chef Juan Carlos Ortiz pictured below:

Flatiron Cheer: Last-Minute Gift Guide

If the holiday season crept up too soon, or if you're missing some last presents, there are still plenty of great gifts that you can pick up in the neighborhood. Use the gift guide below to support district businesses as you check off your holiday shopping list.

We suggest visiting these stores in-person or arranging for pick-up to avoid shipping delays.

For last minute treats and kitchen goods:

Bourke Street Bakery, 15 East 28th Street
Pop into Bourke Street's Market and Pantry for cookbooks, seasonings, and sauces, including their holiday gift set- "Bourke Street Hamper" that includes housemade products: The Ultimate Chocolate sauce, Plum, Strawberry & Cardamom Jam, Avo Smash Sprinkle, Pecan Maple Crunch Granola, and Orange & Fig Marmalade, plus a Tote bag for $55. 

Eataly, 200 5th Avenue, 212-229-2560
Shop Italian-inspired home goods like holiday table settings, cookbooks, and regional extra virgin olive oil in decorated ceramic bottles. Gift cards and cookbooks are also available.

Flatiron Wine & Spirits, 929 Broadway, 212-477-1315
Search through thousands of artisanal wines & spirits from around the world right here in the Flatiron district. If you're not sure what they'd love, let them pick their bottle of choice with a gift card.

Nuts Factory, 700 6th Avenue, 917-445-6556
Shop Nut Factory's selection of assorted gift boxes containing dried fruits, rich chocolates, and roasted nuts, or pick out your own custom selection for your special someone.

For other tid bits:

Fotografiska New York, 281 Park Avenue South, hello.ny@fotografiska.com
Explore the photography museums's The Shop for a curated selection of gifts such as exhibition images, artistic home decor, and sustainable products and works from Black and women-owned studios. 

Il Fiorista, 17 West 26th Street, 646-490-8240
Browse Il Fiorista's hand-tied Floral Bouquets for the finishing touch to your holiday present. Il Fiorista also offers gift cards.

J&M Hardware & Locksmiths, 19 East 21st Street, 212-673-6050
Stop by the district's local hardware store to pick up homeware tools and supplies to finally make those home improvements. Whether your special someone is pro-level or more DIY-style, J&M Hardware has the expert advice, tools, and products to get the job done.

Memories of New York, 206 Fifth Avenue, 212-252-0030
The holidays aren't complete without some love for New York. Shop toys, apparel, children's books, snowglobes, postcards, and other trinkets, perfect for a stocking stuffer.

Petsmart, 1107 Broadway, 646-949-1422
We know how much pets are family. Pick up a present your adorable companion is guaranteed to love from Petsmart's selection of treats, accessories, and services. Gift cards are also available.

Rizzoli Bookstore, 1133 Broadway, 212-759-2424
Rizzoli is the perfect place to get a holiday gift for anyone and everyone in your life. The one-stop shop offers a wide selection of books from sports photography to foreign literature along with book accessories, apparel, and other trinkets.

Looking for other kinds of gifts? Check out our Flatiron Gift Guides for the Athletically Inclined, Self-Care Enthusiasts, Food Fanatics, and Family Members of All Ages.

Photo Credit: 
Thumbnail: Rizzoli Bookstore
Header: Memories of New York