At Belmont Park Village, visitors can play all day. The new open-air, experiential shopping destination has opened next to UBS Arena, home of the Islanders as well as a celebrated concert venue, in Elmont, LI. Some 15 off-price luxury brand boutiques from fashion’s hottest labels have already debuted there, and when complete, the center’s elegant, stone-paved streets will be lined with more than 150 stores and seven restaurants and cafés.
Now you can go straight from browsing designer racks to cheering at the rink or applauding Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time show on Dec. 15.
Already unveiled are the first outlets in North America from Thom Browne, Rene Caovilla and Palm Angels, along with Swarovski, Longchamp, Jacob Cohën and more. Coming soon are European and American legends like Valentino, Vivienne Westwood, Etro, Herno, Aquazzura and Missoni, plus beauty and crystal brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, L’Occitane and Baccarat.
The Village is the latest addition to the The Bicester Collection and its first foray into North America. The retail and hospitality giant operates upscale Villages near European and Asian gateway cities, including Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt and Shanghai, as well as two award-winning hotels and a Michelin-star modern Mexican restaurant in California.
These are not generic outlet malls. The Villages are known for their picturesque settings, lush landscaping, tony assortment of labels, tempting restaurants and five-star service in line with that of a hotel. It’s like shopping Madison Avenue on sale and without the traffic.
Guests will be able to register with the concierge for arena delivery, where purchases are delivered to UBS’s Isles Lab Team Store for pickup during or after a hockey game, or hands-free shopping in the Village.
Personal shopping suites and a plush VIP space called the Apartment are slated to open next year. At the latter, invited guests can enjoy champagne and canapes in a gorgeously decorated lounge. Dining options currently include French macaron maker Ladurée and sandwich and coffee shop Pret A Manger, and plant-based Le Botaniste is opening early next year.
For a white-tablecloth experience, guests will soon be able to book Frost & Fry — a venture with American celebrity restaurateurs Jeffrey Chodorow and Robin Leigh and chef Anshu Anghotra from London, or Hundredfold, an American brasserie flagship. There will also be food trucks and pop-ups for a variety of treats.
Transportation to the hub is quick and easy. Trains from Penn Station and Grand Central drop passengers at Elmont-UBS Arena station in about 35 minutes, and shuttle vans ferry shoppers to Belmont Park’s north entrance. Meanwhile, those who arrive in cars can park at an adjacent covered garage (free during store hours). Both JFK and LaGuardia Airports are nearby, and luggage can be checked with the concierge.
Because when it comes to high-flying style, it takes a Village.
