9. Kaufman Army & Navy
Located across from Port Authority, the Kaufman Army and Navy military surplus store has been around since 1946. The store is full of a variety surplus and new military items as well as civilian gear manufactured by military contractors. It is run by the passionate second generation owner Jim Korn, who took over in 1984 for his grandfather Nathan Kaufman, the founder of the store.
Kaufman Army and Navy’s first location was at Cortlandt and Greenwich Streets in lower Manhattan, a site that was eventually demolished to make way for the World Trade Center. It moved to 42nd Street in 1940 and after a small move down the block, has been there ever since, flanked by two U.S. Army circa 1898 Hotchkiss mountain cannons. The store holds the title of the oldest business in continuous operation on West 42nd Street.
