In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many rich New Yorkers fled the city to retreat to more secluded places. Sarah Jessica Parker wasn't one of them, and she thinks it's time for those people to return to the city and "reinvest."
While chatting with Town & Country, SJP said she had "hard conversations with friends" about the impact the mass exodus had on small businesses in the city.
"People who are wealthy—New Yorkers who made great success for themselves in New York City—I feel that they owe it to the city to reinvest, to come home to make a city that is now unfamiliar familiar again," she said. "Your favorite deli and restaurant—those businesses can't wait for you. They can't hold on to employees until you come home. They need to feel our presence, to have our financial support to remain open, or reopen."
She added, "In order for our city to look familiar and to function as you have come to expect, you have to come home."
The "Sex and the City" star knows about operating a business in New York City amid the pandemic. Over the summer, she opened her SJP store.
"We struggled through the lockdown, but we kept all our employees on their health insurance," she said. "Our staff is back on staggered schedules."
Sarah is often personally seen helping customers at the store, too.
"We've had great days; we've had days that were not so great," she said. "To be on the floor with customers is my favorite part of the business. 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."
Despite the pandemic, she maintains that women are still dressing up, or at least getting ready for a post-COVID glam up.
"People are still buying heels every day—especially on e-commerce," she said.