Why Is Sarah Jessica Parker Closing Her NYC Store Effective Immediately?

Sarah Jessica Parker is best known for her iconic role as fashionista Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex and the City," which first premiered in 1998. Decades since the original series began on HBO, with its final episode in 2004, it has since seen Parker and the rest of the cast return to reprise their roles in the 2021 reboot, "And Just Like That..." However, what casual fans of the franchise might not know is that Parker also has had successful business ventures outside of her acting career.

In 2005, she started a fragrance collection, which was followed by a shoe line, SJP, in 2014 that has since expanded, with stores across the globe, according to The Richest. Though the shoes are sold in locations from Las Vegas to Dubai, Parker herself lives in Manhattan. New York City, of course, is home to her legacy, both through "SATC" and two stores — a flagship in Midtown and a boutique in South Street Seaport, per the company's website. 

For Parker, the business is personal. "To be on the floor with customers is my favorite part of the business," Parker told Town & Country in November 2020. "I'm getting shoes for them and learning all about their lives. We do virtual shopping, and for deliveries south of 54th Street, I drop shoes off to the customers myself." 

Though Parker's show is experiencing renewed success, her business ventures might be taking a financial hit. 

"Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker shared on her company's Instagram that her SJP flagship store in New York would be closing indefinitely — largely due to the city's recent spike in COVID-19 cases of the Omicron variant. While Parker does have one other location in Manhattan, located in South Street Seaport, it appears the smaller boutique will remain open. "It is our top priority to keep both our customers and staff safe and healthy," the post emphasized. 

Largely, fans of both Parker and her clothing ventures were upset in the replies but understood the importance — even if they'll have to wait for shoes. "Stay safe! I want a pair so bad," one person wrote.

Parker has also been outspoken about the impact and perception of the pandemic in New York previously, including during an interview with Footwear News in 2020. "You just can't give up on this city. All of us are feeling very tired of the headlines of 'New York is dead.' I don't think it's helpful, and I really wish papers would stop writing that," Parker said prior to her store's closure. "There are really serious issues happening in our city, and some of them have only been highlighted by the pandemic in terms of the inequitable economy."