Manhattan Portage – Token Store

Where can you find a great selection of well made, well designed, sturdy, affordable, attractive, practical, well priced merchandise — in stock –and get waited on by nice, helpful staff who actually know what they are doing? Here! Just like America used to be.

Love this store! I am a big fan of Manhattan Portage bags. They are very well made and durable. The employees at the store are always very helpful.

Buyer Beware!
The bags are great, but be careful shopping at this retail location. They will not offer any refunds whatsoever even if the tags are uncut. All sales here are final.
Tip: come see the bags here in person, but order on their website. They offer refunds on the merchandise only online, not in this store.
Also annoying that even if you just want to browse, am employee will follow you around the store. Give shoppers the space and freedom to look around without a clerk over their shoulder.

I’ve needed a replacement for my messenger back for awhile. I’m very rough on my bags. I was in the neighborhood so i came in to look. I ended up leaving with a nice replacement that is sturdy and a good value. I think the material is similar to a bulletproof vest. Thanks so much to Yukiko who was very helpful and knowledgeable about all of the bags.

Desperate and determined to get a backpack today after procrastinating for an entire semester and sadly lugging a middle school looking one around that I quickly picked at a Kmart, I browsed Unilocal to see what was nearby. I walked in half an hour to closing and was greeted by a very helpful Jessica who, although I entered with the objective to get in and out (I’ve worked in retail!), never rushed me during the process. I was looking for a backpack that would be respectful enough for me to wear around graduate school and at the same time in the corporate office where I work. There are two brands within the store which include the classic Manhattan Portage and their more refined collection called Token. I ended up finding the perfect bag with comfortable cushioned straps and the perfect length for someone petite like me. I used the 15% off Unilocal discount and I was very happy with the price that I paid for a high quality bag that met all of my needs.

Went in today to pick up a bag as a gift for my BIL who loves this brand. Rory and Jessica helped me out and really made it easy to find what I wanted. I was shown a variety of styles, each one great and along the lines of what I wanted to buy. They were very patient — not pushy — and accommodating. Within 20 minutes I was able to walk out with a bag in hand that I’m sure my BIL will like. Also was able to use the Unilocal 15% OFF, so that was a plus. (It’s not advertised, so make sure you bring it up at checkout.)
I’ll definitely go back to this location.

Manhattan Portage carries 2 different brands (sort of). One is Manhattan Portage as you expected, and the other is called Token, which is a subdivision of this company which is more urban and neater I should say (Manhattan Portage is more casual).
I have bought the first bag, a small crossbag to carry my equipments during work, and I really love it. It had cool design, but the texture is very strong and firm. Has good combination of color selection, and has a lot of pockets within the bag. The token brand looks quite sophisticated but at the same time can be very casual. After having used my first bag for a month, I ended up buying another bag (bigger one) for my books, laptop, etc.
Service is very good, and the people who work there tried very hard to be attentive and answer all the questions during each visit. As some other reviewers pointed out, this brand is not cheap, and Token is even more expensive than Manhattan Portage line. Still, thinking of using these bags for the next five years at least, this is definitely a good investment.
Oh, if you buy an item from this company for the first time online, you can get 10% discount.

Good quality bag. Felt a little pricy at $ 105. Wish the gal had told me about the 15% off Unilocal check in deal. Would’ve given 4 stars. She was nice, but that would have been «helpful». If your company is advertising on Unilocal,and paying them, you should promote it verbally or at the checkout counter.

Smart store, with smart bags.
Brought my vintage 2006 Manhattan Portage bag down to Manhattan headquarters for repair of a worn-​out zipper. Cool bag, the hip employees noted, particularly the five-​year-​old olive oil-​on-​olive stains. $ 15 and 2 weeks later, the bag was sent out and returned good as new.
Store also offers 30% on last year’s designs and colors, as well as a show room for their not-​as-​ubiquitous Token line. Token bags (designed to be higher-​end) are sharp, but tend to be heavier than their mainline Manhattan Portage counterparts.
While there, learned that the MP Japanese website offers a substantially different collection of bags, many which are compelling buys — though in Yen. Maybe the Manhattan flagship store can acquire one of these?

I came here knowing what I wanted and the staff helped me very quickly. They showed me three different bags of the type, had no problem telling me specs and had great conversation. If you want the highest quality water proof bag, you gotta come here.

Excellent staff, great selection, and a darn fine bag!

Went to the store today to buy a backpack. The first guy who offered to help me was very friendly. Unfortunately, the short saleswoman with long hair was incredibly rude. She was impolite, unfriendly, and followed me around without offering assistance. When I asked for help she was angry and inconvenienced. I would have happily bought a backpack if she had just been a friendly saleswoman.

Did I read somewhere that this location carries every Manhattan Portage model? Not sure if that’s true, but they have A LOT — I found what I was looking for and even got a little something extra.
I love my bag & carry it every day — it’s streamlined but expands to be HUGE — I use it for travel, groceries, documents, every day. Comfortable & durable, essential classic.

A bit pricey, but I just love their bags. Very New York City street wear.

Was in the market for a new backpack and the shop lady was so kind, attentive, and friendly. Loved her! She offered many suggestions, easily pointing out features and benefits.

This location on Elizabeth street is the best thing about this Token/​Manhattan-​Portage store. The bags were pricey, I bought a laptop/​messenger bag (the classic DJ style) for $ 79 + tax. I wish it would have had padding on the shoulder strap but the MP classic bags don’t offer that. There is a sale item table in the back of the store where some bags are up to 30% off, but the colors are whack and not worth the discount.

I love this place. I bought my first Manhattan Portage at their old location back in 2005 and have used the heck out of it. I take it whenever I travel or go to a concert and can fit a ton of stuff in it. Went back to the store (new location) this trip and got a Token because it’s virtually identical to my old one with a cooler color scheme of black with a brown stripe. The woman working there couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful (she even gave me a ton of those guava candies). Don’t understand the haters — LOVE it. My husband loves Crumpler and they’re nice but a little too bulky and too much velcro for my liking. Overall happy to give this place 5 stars.

I bought a bag and was disturbed to find out they don’t give refunds, only exchanges or store credit. This is unheard of!!!
So when I decided I would like to get my money back for my completely unused bag and buy a Timbuk2 bag a mere one day later, I was forced to «eat it».
Oh well, I hope this bag lasts a long time.
Suffice to say, I will NOT be shopping at this store ever again!

I’ll tell you this much: if, like me, functionality matters, than Manhattan Portage is a pretty good option. Don’t think of your MP bag as an alternative to your oversized Dolce and Gabanna handbag. They are two different animals. Think of your MP as your ticket for easily schlepping things around town. Think of your MP as a big (or small) rectangle that you can put things in. Think of your MP as something that will last a very, very long time.
On days when all I need to do is carry three huge stacks of students’ papers to school alongside my laptop, I throw it all in an MP bag, and I’m off. The bag isn’t flashy, it’s not oversized, it doesn’t have anything shiny or ornate. It’s just a simple, easy, durable bag that does the job — and I love that about it. And let me say one other thing about MP: when something breaks on your MP (say the zipper gives out after five or ten years), you can take it back to the store and they’ll get it fixed for you.
And one last thing about the store– I’ve had only positive experiences there. The staff is really helpful, without being pushy, and always, always, encourages me to check out the sale rack (who doesn’t love a sale?!)

I really wanted to love Manhattan Portage bags. They don’t look/​feel as «commercialized» as Crumpler and Timbuk2. Their headquarters are in New York. How could you go wrong?
But unfortunately, their bags are no longer made in New York City or even the US. If you check the FAQ on their website, they admit they’ve been producing them in Asia. That’s not something that I personally have a problem with as long as they’re paying them decently and the bags are still of high quality.
But it’s looking like that’s not the case, at least in terms of quality. I purchased a Laptop Messenger in late July. By mid September, some of the stitching around the front pocket was coming apart. I took it back to the Token Store (which is the primary storefront for Manhattan Portage bags in NYC now) and they replaced it without a hassle. Unfortunately, the replacement bag was not up to standard either – this one was put together unsymmetrically! (The attachment of the front flap of the bag is about an inch off.)
I’m planning on taking this one back too; I’m sure they will replace it for me again, but how many times should I have to go through this to get the bag I should have got initially. Either I’ve been very unlucky or they really need to improve their quality control.
(BTW, I don’t think Manhattan Portage has a store at the address on this Unilocal listing anymore. You’ll find the location of the Token Store if you go to the Manhattan Portage website.)
UPDATE: I learned that all of the black laptop messenger bags had this defect. I was a little disappointed that all they gave me for discovering this manufacturing defect was a stupid MP lanyard (I was secretly hoping they’d give me a free bag). Plus, since all of the black bags were messed up, I had to get a different color. Yeah, I know – with people dying in Africa and stuff, me having to get a different colored bag is not the worst thing that can happen. BUT, if you’re obsessed about bags like me, it still sucks not having the exact bag you want.
The resolution of the situation left me not so excited about Manhattan Portage anymore, so I’m not sure if I’m going to buy any more of their bags.