An Iconic Gossip Girl Landmark Is Closing, and People Are Heartbroken

In addition to the steps of the MET and the New York Palace Hotel, one of the most iconic Gossip Girl filming locations was department store Henri Bendel. I was about the same age as Serena and Blair when the show was airing, and you can bet that Bendel's was at the top of my itinerary when I visited New York at the time. I used to wander into the store often when I lived in NYC after college. It's why you could say I was a feeling bit nostalgic upon hearing the news today that the flagship 5th Avenue location is closing at the end of January 2019, after 123 years in business. (It's also shutting down the rest of its 23 stores around the country and its e-commerce site.) I'm hardly alone, too—Twitter is flooded with people sharing #henribendel to commiserate about the closing.

According to CNN Money, the parent company said in a statement that its decision to close was "to improve company profitability and focus on our larger brands that have greater growth potential." (Some of those brands includes Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works.) We can imagine those 5th Avenue addresses don't come cheap.

On that note, keep scrolling for a little Gossip Girl reminiscing and to shop my favorite Henri Bendel merch while you still can: the signature brown-and-white striped travel accessories.

Shop Henri Bendel Travel Merch

Next up: all the stores to shop in NYC if you're a Gossip Girl fan.