Top Stories of 2025
The Village Sealed its Reputation as a foodie destination
The opening of Tashkent Supermarket in March counts as a win for all Manhattanites, but especially Villagers and loyalists who spent years schlepping to Brooklyn and Queens for hard-to-find Eastern European groceries or a turn at the famous hot bar.
Dominique Ansel—whose Cronut arguably launched food’s viral era—opened Papa D’Amour in May, and according to the Infatuation, the Scallion Basil Blossom is better than Ansel’s most famous creation.
In the wee hours, nightlife was also reinventing itself. April brought the opening of People’s “evening club,” which Wallpaper translates in a glowing write-up as “equal parts late-night watering hole, speakeasy, art gallery, dance club and your rich friend-of-a-friend’s house.”
More recently, fashion brand Members Only debuted with a three-level space that gives new meaning to jackets encouraged. The iconic 80s label is experiencing a revival, and the three-level, hybrid shop, bar, and lounge is an apropos departure from the coffee-bar-in-boutique trend of recent years.
Public Art Brightened Plazas
Cooper Union student Juliana Woods at a ceremony with her winning artwork at a ceremony in May.
If you looked closer at the artwork that cropped up over the spring and summer in Astor Place, you discovered that the structures were, in fact, humble utility boxes. The splashes of color were courtesy of artists and winners of two separate competitions for Cooper Union students and members of Greenwich House Older Adult Network.
The metalwork perched on Ruth Wittenberg triangle also rewards a closer look. Crafted by artist Ghada Amer and co-presented by the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art, its curvature holds an Arabic message that translates to “You are what you seek.”
Now in its second year, the Art in the Plazas program has expanded to include more partner organizations and opportunities for artists from all walks of life.
The VILLAGE KEEPS IT LOCAL
Credit: Ryan Muir
Four out of five businesses in the Village District are independent. Remarkably, that’s a number that hasn’t changed in 30 years.
One could hardly imagine a better endorsement on behalf of the small business community than Caroline Weaver. After building a significant following online with a database of independent businesses, she opened her own brick-and-mortar variety store in the Village last year. She also published The Locavore’s Guide to NYC: a curated, analogue successor to the digital index.
In a September interview where she spoke about the book’s second edition, she also explained why she chose the Village to set up shop. “I wanted to be in a place with the widest demographic of people,” she said. “Where there are as many locals as there are tourists, and it's truly just a mix of everybody.
Broadways Finest turned out for a village Icon
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jonathan Groff, and Tom Kirdahy taking a selfie at the ceremony.
When critics referred to the late playwright Terrence McNally as the" “Bard of Broadway,” they weren’t referring to the portion where McNally lived for 24 years, between University Place and 9th Street. But a ceremony in May showed how deep the five-time Tony Award-winner’s roots ran in the Village. The co-naming event showed the globally renowned, five-time Tony Award-winner in a different light, through the eyes of friends and neighbors who knew him best.
McNally’s husband Tom Kirdahy was thronged by some of theater’s brightest stars, including Brandon Uranowitz, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jonathan Groff, who paid tribute with a monologue from McNally’s play And Things That Go Bump in the Night.
Streets Are getting Greener
Photo Credit: Ryan Muir
For a neighborhood with “Green” in its name, the Village looks a little…slate-y compared to nearby districts. But trees don’t plant themselves in massive planters that safeguard pedestrians against traffic, and ongoing care is downtown-Manhattan-expensive. That’s why we launched Project Green in 2025: to raise funds and get to work on making improvements with tangible benefits for residents and business owners.
In an October Op-Ed in Crain’s New York, Village Alliance Executive Director laid out the compelling economic case for greenscaping, citing studies that tied healthy canopies and plant-filled plazas to increased retail activity and property values. “In short, these investments are not cosmetic; they pay dividends,” he writes.
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Retail activity is Higher than Pre-Pandemic Levels
A chart showing storefront vacancies since 2019. The downward trajectory means that there are more stores open for business.
It’s more than a vibe—the data bears out the feel-good story of Greenwich Village’s post-pandemic recovery. Occupancy rates are the highest they’ve been since 2018.
In 2025, 35 businesses opened. An explosion in the dining scene has made the Village into a destination for foodies on the hunt for rare cooking ingredients as well as nightlife connossieurs in search of a shake-up. Foot-traffic is up, and more plants will be added to streets and plazas in the coming year.
All signs point to an even brighter 2026.
