STYLE AND UTILITY IN
In both decades-old businesses and more recent openings in New York City’s Williamsburg neighbourhood, shoppers will find appealing options, writes Rachel Felder
SOMETIMES, when you get off the Bedford Avenue stop of the L train in Williamsburg, New York City, and are bombarded with a crush of people, it seems like every traveller in the world has been told to get over to what’s been hyped as Brooklyn’s coolest neighbourhood. But it’s worth heading that way and taking a walk north to Greenpoint, Williamsburg’s less gentrified, untouristy neighbour.
You’ll find a low-key mix of millennials, young families and longtime residents, many of them Polish. There’s an almost tangible sense of community in the neighbourhood, in both decades-old businesses and more recent openings. For shoppers, there are appealing options in each category.
FROM MUSIC TO TEA
Adaptations (109 Franklin St.) is a vintage furniture store that focuses mostly on pieces from the 1970s: boxy wooden cabinets, platform sofas, macrame wall hangings and eight-track-friendly stereo receivers.
Arranged like a home, with a bedroom nook in back, the store has an unintimidating atmosphere and prices that are not astronomical for items that are in excellent condition. To pair with the vintage finds there are new, plush upholstered ottomans, which the shop makes to order in a variety of fabrics.
Earlier this year, the store’s owner, Kyla Burney, opened a companion shop, Porter James (116 Franklin St.), nearby. The sensibility at her newer location is more refined, with mid-century pieces (such as, recently, a sleek chocolate-brown leather sofa) that seem more suited for a spacious co-op apartment than a first-time rental. Still, there are some smaller options, too, like a glass cocktail shaker for just under US$50 (RM220).
There are plenty of stylish items for one’s residence at Home of the Brave (146 Franklin St.) as well, which offers a curated selection of mostly artisanal goods - like woven rugs made in India and Morocco, handmade ceramic mugs and sugar bowls, and woven African baskets. Everything has a quiet sense of utilitarian style, with many choices under US$100.
The store is an offshoot of Wolves Within (174 Franklin St.), where you’ll find clothes and accessories for both sexes. Its sensibility is quite similar to its sister boutique: Well-cut dark jeans, soft cotton button-downs, geometric brass jewellery and sturdy boots have a no-nonsense polish that is likely to appeal to fans of Steven Alan or APC.
The women’s offerings at Pas Mal (99 Franklin St.) are also restrained. The store, owned by a former blogger who is from Korea, offers laid-back closet staples, like a slouchy grey alpaca coat and mohair cardigans, in a mostly neutral palette, with relaxed silhouettes. There are shoes and a bit of jewellery, too, with a similarly soft mood. And peppered around the store are spools of yarn by Wool and the Gang.
With Greenpoint’s many millennial residents, vintage clothing stores are, not surprisingly, abundant. There are several well-stocked ones near the Nassau Avenue G station: Awoke Vintage (688 Manhattan Ave.), which also has a Williamsburg location; Mirth (606 Manhattan Ave.); and Fox & Fawn (570 Manhattan Ave.), where a pair of strappy Jimmy Choo high-heeled sandals for under US$30 might be found among the well-worn leather jackets and polyester dresses.
For music fans, there’s Academy Records (85 Oak St.), a huge space with more than 100,000 vinyl albums in many genres, although alternative rock is a strong point. About 80 per cent of what is available is used, including some CDs and cassettes. Affiliated with two Manhattan stores, it’s a place to spend ample time sorting through the racks.
At Bellocq Tea Atelier (104 West St.), the atmosphere is more upscale, despite its location on a rugged industrial block. It offers around 100 varieties of loose tea, stored in huge canisters; customers are encouraged to make their choices at leisure. Everything is blended and elegantly packaged at the brand’s headquarters in back. Gift items, like Yixing pottery and handmade copper kettles, are also available.
Archestratus Books & Foods (160 Huron St.) offers cookbooks, new and vintage, with some stationery items - Kaweco pens, Blackwing pencils, thick Drei Sterne Kreide chalk crayons - thrown in for good measure. In the back, there is a large open kitchen and cafe where Italian cookies and snacks are served during the day, with themed dinners a couple of nights a week.
TASTE OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
For the food-obsessed, Acme Smoked Fish (30 Gem St.) is a neighbourhood landmark. It supplies salmon to lox specialists like Barney Greengrass and Zabar’s; on Friday mornings, it is open to the public. Prices are close to wholesale, with an ample selection of flavourful choices, including salmon punctuated with sharp peppercorns or pastrami spices.
For a post-shopping bite, Cassette (113 Franklin St.) offers healthy versions of comfort food — avocado toast, salmon tartare and roast chicken — with a French twist. Although it has been open for only about a year, the laid-back bistrolike restaurant feels like a mainstay.
In the evening, Cherry Point (664 Cookbooks on display in Archestratus Books & Foods in New York. Manhattan Ave.) serves mostly small plates, such as oysters on rosemary with hollandaise, accompanied by cocktails like a Thinking Cap, made with rye and bitters, and wines from a well-chosen list.
Propeller (984 Manhattan Ave.) is popular with the neighbourhood’s laptopand-latte crowd. It’s an unpretentious spot for a coffee and pastry, decorated in vintage finds.
For a taste of the neighbourhood’s Polish community, Polka Dot (725 Manhattan Ave.) specialises in well-prepared traditional fare like fried apple pancakes, smoked meats and hearty soups to eat in on several roomy tables or to take home.
NYT