I wouldn't call Ralph Lauren, Ciprianni's, Bea Brummel chain stores. Unless you walk up and down W. Broadway and SOHO you'll see its higher end retail which adds to the value of the neighborhood. The high end galleries, the restaurants with a price tag that's not for the faint of heart is not at all cheap or your typical McDonalds, on the contrary it adds class to the area. You might want to look at Park Ave South, Lincoln Square/Lincoln Center area, Fifth Ave off of 59th St, those are trophy locations with outstanding, high end retail, and you won't find any so called chain stores.

That is why SOHO galleries got up and moved to West Chelsea. To get away from the GAP addicts. While we have some very high end destination stores (Comme De Garcon for one) we don't have the mall rat stores. We are overun by art galleries.
West Chelsea is the new SOHO.

BIllyburg - Williamsburg Brooklyn, DUMBO, etc are still very hip, trnedy, young and not engulfed by the mainstream "big box" machine.

I would also seriously consider Coney Island, the amount of Dollars going into the BEACH FRONT, area in NYC is crazy. They are putting a hotel, amusement park, and bringing it back to it's hey day! Believe me, in 2-3 years people will say how they should have gotten into Coney Island earlier....

It may already be too late! Check the link.

The Financial District is now becoming the urban professionals playground. The chain stores are coming in but not to the point that SoHo is at. NY Times has dubed the Financial District the new 5th Ave.