80 Best Shopping in Brooklyn, New York City

Alter

Greenpoint Fodor's choice

Sartorialists come to this fashionable boutique to snag unique wardrobe pieces like drapey sweaters, Cheap Monday jeans, and minimalist jewelry, as well as retro-inspired sunglasses, canvas bags, and shoes for men and women. Area designers are well represented.

Archestratus Books + Foods

Greenpoint Fodor's choice

One of those rare neighborhood gems that becomes a true community hub, Archestratus started out as a tiny food bookstore. It has now expanded into two storefronts: one with a well-curated selection of cookbooks and culinary writings, and another a cozy café serving Italian-inflected goodies like arancini (rice balls), with shelves packed with local produce, high-end grains, oils, and spices. There are also cooking classes, bake sales for good causes, and lectures, plus a monthly event that sees locals coming together to cook recipes from a specific cookbook, often alongside the author.

Artists & Fleas

Fodor's choice

Hands down the best place to lay eyes on the latest cool creations from Brooklyn-based artists and designers, this huge warehouse lures canny connoisseurs seeking one-of-a-kind items. Every weekend, nearly 100 vendors sell everything from handmade jewelry and objets d'art to custom clocks made from old hardcover books and T-shirts with vintage cartoons.

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Beacon's Closet

Greenpoint Fodor's choice

The racks are organized by category and color at this trove of secondhand and vintage clothes, so you can find an entire section of black dresses and another just for jeans. Be patient sorting through the huge selection—you might find gems like a vintage Yves Saint Laurent jacket or purple-sequined, peep-toe heels by Marc Jacobs. There are enough brocade gowns and fur (real and fake) to outfit the entire cast of a 1960s period drama.

Beacon's Closet, Park Slope

Park Slope Fodor's choice

Of the four secondhand clothing shops in a two-block stretch, this one's the best. The well-organized local chain carries vintage and modern styles for men and women. The racks are updated daily, thanks to area fashionistas who sell their cast-offs here. Most threads cost $11 to $23 (the latter for, say, a nearly new Paul Smith jacket from a season or three ago, or an Italian Sisley wool coat). If secondhand isn't your thing, the shop also sells brand-new costume jewelry, hosiery, journals, and hand-poured Paddywax candles in a wide variety of scents and packaging.

Bedford Cheese Shop

Fodor's choice

A cheese lover's dream, this small fromagerie sells everything needed for a gourmet antipasto. The more than 200 artisanal cheeses are arranged by style—hard, soft, Bries, blues, etcetera. Dry goods include crackers, biscuits, premium olive oils, small-batch jams, and chocolates. Prosciutto di Parma and Serrano ham are among the cured meats; you'll also find foie gras, quail eggs, and other comestibles. Expert cheesemongers will help you navigate the offerings.

Bellocq Tea Atelier

Greenpoint Fodor's choice

This jewel box of a tea shop is a bit out of the way, but it's a must for tea aficionados. Bellocq sources organic and exotic teas from China, India, and Japan, and sells them as single-origin varieties or custom blends. Though the shop isn’t a full-service tea salon, you can always find a pot or two brewed for tasting. With their elegant yellow canisters, Bellocq teas make great gifts.

Better Than Jam

Fodor's choice

Stocked with clothes, jewelry, accessories, art, local zines, bath products, and housewares all handmade in New York's five boroughs, this store, attached to the Shops at the Loom, is the perfect place to find distinctive gifts and souvenirs. The space also doubles as a communal art studio, with workshops, classes, and open hours available to the public. It's closed Tuesday–Thursday.

Black Bear

Fodor's choice

The well-curated selection of secondhand and vintage designer clothing—perhaps a colorful Pucci dress or a child-size coat—sunglasses, hats, and shoes, as well as handmade jewelry and greeting cards, is hard to resist browsing through. The shop is small, but the stock is frequently refreshed.

Brooklyn ARTery

Fodor's choice

Jewelry, T-shirts, home decor items, Brooklyn-made artisanal foods like candy from Liddabit Sweets and Mike’s Hot Honey, health and beauty products, and much more: this well-stocked gift shop specializes in handmade and reclaimed merchandise made locally and at sustainable cooperatives from around the world.

Catbird

Fodor's choice

Known for its trademark stackable rings and other dainty jewelry, the tiny store also sells soft cashmere hats, candles, and gift items, all curated with an emphasis on area designers. Any gift you buy here—for a friend or for yourself—will be cherished.

Collyer’s Mansion

Brooklyn Heights Fodor's choice

Although this housewares shop is named for New York’s infamous hoarder brothers, it’s actually a thoughtful selection of beautiful textiles, glassware, lighting, and jewelry designed by a mix of local and international artists. The Japanese bath products—Binchotan charcoal soaps and masks, and Yoshii towels made with raw cotton—are especially popular.

Court Street Grocers

Carroll Gardens Fodor's choice

Part sandwich shop, part specialty food store, Court Street Grocers is a one-stop shop for Brooklyn’s most food-curious visitors. The shop’s owners scour the world for products, including regional sodas, chocolate bars, and potato chips. A long list of delicious sandwiches are sold in back: favorites include the Reuben made with house-corned beef brisket, sauerkraut and “come-back” sauce, and the Ultimate Warrior, with slow-roasted pork shoulder, broccoli rabe, provolone, and hot peppers on a Caputo hero.

Dépanneur

Fodor's choice

Foodies have many reasons to stop at Dépanneur: artisanal products, cookbooks, food magazines, gourmet sandwiches, pastries, and coffee by Toby's Estate. The specialty store's shelves are lined with small-batch jams, pickles by Brooklyn Brine, flavored hot sauces, syrups, cordials, and bitters, not to mention a well-chosen selection of cheeses and salumi.

Exit 9 Gift Emporium

Boerum Hill Fodor's choice

The beloved East Village kitsch emporium and card shop—where “childish” is both a selling point and a compliment—expanded to Smith Street. Its wide array of merchandise is often zany yet practical, and includes cool NYC-themed souvenirs and everyday objects like hand sanitizer, bandages, and breath mints turned into gag gifts. The sassy cards, themed gift boxes, and gift wrap come with far more personality than you’ll find in any run-of-the-mill drugstore.

Greenlight Bookstore

Fort Greene Fodor's choice

If you build it, they will read. Popular demand—and some vocal attendees of a 2008 community board meeting—augured the opening of this independent bookstore. It now hosts readings by popular national and international authors as well as local book club meetings. The shelves are well stocked with contemporary titles and the staff are eager to help. The children's section in the rear of the store hosts weekly storytelling events.

Mast Brothers

Fodor's choice

The elegantly wrapped bars of Brooklyn's artisanal bean-to-bar chocolatiers are ubiquitous in New York City, but to experience the magic as it transpires, head to the Mast flagship on North 3rd Street, where you can tour the factory and sample goodies ($10, register online). The all-natural, single-origin chocolate bars are earthy and barely sweet. Two doors down at Brew Bar, cocoa beans are brewed like coffee—the taste is like nothing you've tried before.

Pema New York

Fodor's choice

Stylish shoppers stop into this boutique for affordable dresses, tops, and skirts by the likes of Olivaceous, Everleigh, Lucy Paris, and Gracia, shoes by New York–based Chelsea Crew, as well as eclectic jewelry. The shop also carries yak-wool scarves and hats knitted in the Himalayas by the owner's family.

Sahadi's

Brooklyn Heights Fodor's choice

Inhale the aromas of spices and coffee beans as you enter this trading post that's been a neighborhood institution since 1948. They're not just purveyors of nuts, cheeses, olives, and other Middle Eastern grocery items, but also have a gourmet deli of prepared foods. Hot saj (unlevened flatbread) sandwiches are made to order, filled with curried chickpeas, falafels, za'ater (Middle Eastern spice blend) chicken, or harissa (hot chili pepper paste) salmon, along with your choice of veggies.

Terrace Books

Fodor's choice

The quintessential neighborhood bookstore, this small shop has extremely friendly staff as well as a small but well-chosen selection of secondhand books and notable new paperbacks and hardcovers. There's a children's nook in back, and the store has events for kids such as story-time readings.

V Curated

Park Slope Fodor's choice

Designer Vanessa Vallarino's motto for her cooperative of 38 emerging designers is one-of-a-kind, and handmade in the United States. Aesthetics lean toward eye-catching but also simple and clean women's wear and accessories. The silk tops, pants, and dresses with soft colors and gently blurred patterns come from Vallarino's on-site studio.

10 Ft. Single by Stella Dallas

For vintage clothes, look no further. The store is enormous, with rack upon rack of secondhand clothes ranging from '40s cocktail dresses to '80s printed blouses. The back room has well-kept pieces from the 1940s to the 1960s, including an impressive array of fur coats. There's plenty for guys, too: T-shirts, varsity jackets, cowboy boots, and more. Head next door for antique textiles and rugs.

145 Front

DUMBO

An artist selling hand-carved children's toys and a Japanese tea shop are among the pop-up retailers in this labyrinthine collection of independent microstores. The winding space has entrances on both Front and Pearl streets, and includes the atelier of long-term tenant Yoshi Sekiguchi, whose à la carte Teizo jewelry is also sold at the Guggenheim Museum.

A. Cheng

Park Slope

Owner Alice Cheng curates a lovely selection of elegant women's clothing. Choose from her own A. Cheng line, Sessùn from France, or Local from Italy. Ace&jig's handwoven designs speak to palpable comfort. Featherweight cashmere, silk mock turtlenecks, and loose dresses are perfect for work or play.

Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store

Park Slope

The perfectly giftable, Brooklyn-made products at this variety store include Apotheke candles and diffusers, Klei Beauty products, Claudia Pearson’s hand-drawn tea towels, and Bocce's Bakery birthday-cake treats for your favorite canine. Brooklyn-themed tchotchkes, funny socks, books, stationery, games and toys round out the selection.

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Carroll Gardens

This is the place to go for eclectic, anything-but-basic separates and accessories. Rollas straight-leg jeans, kitschy PepaLoves blouses, and style splurges like a statement kitten heel pump by Intentionally Blank come together in this fabulous shop. Look for on-trend yet affordable brands like Seaworthy, Jeffrey Campbell, and BB Dakota.

Barnes & Noble

Park Slope

Two floors of books, a vast and varied selection of magazines, and an extensive collection of travel information for New York City and beyond welcome browsers at this busy location of the national chain. Popular storytelling events for children take place Saturday mornings.

Barneys New York

Cobble Hill

This location of the legendary Manhattan retail store is a spacious, relaxed place to browse designer collections like A.P.C. or Givenchy without dealing with the hustle and bustle of the Madison Avenue flagship. Shoppers here appreciate the wide selection of men's and women's clothing, shoes, handbags, hats, coats, and other accessories, plus an ever-changing sale section.

Berl's Brooklyn Poetry Shop

DUMBO

The only New York City bookstore dedicated exclusively to poetry, Berl's is a family-run affair. The husband-and-wife owners are alumni of the Brooklyn Flea, and they fill their former gallery space with books by local and national poets, display artwork by up-and-coming talent, and host readings by published poets and Brooklyn-based university students. Note that the shop doesn't open till 2 pm.

Bhoomki

Park Slope

At designer Swati Argade’s women’s boutique, every handmade piece of jewelry or pair of shoes, hand-blocked silk shirt or woven scarf has a story that reflects sustainability, fair trade, and artisan traditions. That’s true whether the dress, accessory, or staple item comes from Peru, Mexico, or India. Argade’s own Bhoomki studio designs most of the textiles, which are custom-made by weavers and block printers. Other ethical labels include KowTow (all organic cotton), Kordal, and Rujuta Sheth.

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