Independent shopping guide
The Coolest Independent Shops in New York City
An editor-led guide to the fashion, design, book, jewelry, and fragrance shops that still make New York feel specific.
By Lauren Harano, Contributing Writer
The independent edit
Where to shop when you want New York with a pulse
New York has always had the best independent shops in the world, and somehow, against every odd stacked against them (the rents, the e-commerce, the pandemic), the ones that matter are still here. These are the stores worth crossing a borough for, all of which are independently owned, founder-run, and exactly where you should be spending a day off.
FASHION
Fashion
Sharp edits, rare vintage, and rooms worth visiting in person.
Ven.Space🔗
Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Ven.Space: Founder Christopher Green opened this Carroll Gardens shop in fall 2024 with a designer roster (think Lemaire, Our Legacy, The Row, Dries van Noten, and Maison Margiela footwear, to name a few) that most SoHo stores would kill for, and zero interest in the press that usually comes with it. There is no online shop, because the whole experience is built around showing up and discovering something.
ESSX🔗
Lower East Side
ESSX: Founded by Laura Baker, Abe Pines, and Yoel Zagelbaum in a 7,000-square-foot space on Essex Street, this spot stocks Martine Rose, Wales Bonner, Jil Sander, and a rotating cast of designers organized not by brand but by vibe. Trust us, it’s not to be missed.
Outline🔗
Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Outline: This multi-brand boutique on Atlantic Avenue was opened by Margaret Austin (former buyer for Opening Ceremony and Totokaelo), alongside two childhood friends, and it carries Cecilie Bahnsen, The Row, Wales Bonner, Lemaire, and Dries van Noten. Add in fresh flowers from its backyard cutting garden, and it’s one of the best reasons to make the trip to Boerum Hill.
Sincerely, Tommy🔗
Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
Sincerely, Tommy: Kai Avent-deLeon, a third-generation Bed-Stuy resident, opened this lifestyle concept store on Tompkins Avenue in 2014 when the block had almost nothing else on it, and built it into one of the most important independent retail voices in the city. It stocks emerging designers, has a coffee shop built in, and has become a real staple.
Collina Strada🔗
Lower East Side
Collina Strada: Fashion designer Hillary Taymour's flagship on Canal Street carries her sustainably-made label alongside a curated selection of objects and collaborators that reflect the same creative energy as the clothes. It's worth visiting even if you've been following the brand online for years.
Maryam Nassir Zadeh🔗
Lower East Side
Maryam Nassir Zadeh: One of the most influential boutiques in New York, this Lower East Side shop has been setting the standard since 2008. It carries MNZ's label and international designers in a space that’s warm yet exclusive. The shoes alone are enough to make you pop in.
IF SoHo🔗
SoHo
IF SoHo: Open since 1978 on Grand Street, IF was the first store in New York to carry Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, and Comme des Garçons, and it still carries them today. Andy Warhol was so impressed when it opened that he gave the store a free full-page ad on the back of Interview magazine for a year. Nearly five decades in, the edit remains as cool as ever.
Desert Vintage🔗
Lower East Side
Desert Vintage: Founded in Tucson in 1974 and taken over by Salima Boufelfel and Roberto Cowan in 2012, Desert Vintage specializes in rare and antique fashion from the turn of the century through the 1960s. For serious vintage lovers, a visit here is less about shopping and more about finding things you didn't know existed.
HOME & DESIGN
Home & Design
Objects, gifts, and design shops with real point of view.
Big Night🔗
West Village
Big Night: Katherine Lewin designed this West Village shop (found through bright red doors and divided into kitchen, bar, and pantry sections) to feel like a fantasy New York City apartment, and it absolutely does. It is the best place in the city to buy a dinner party gift, and it will make you want to throw one as soon as you get home.
Gohar World🔗
SoHo
Gohar World: Sisters Laila and Nadia Gohar's SoHo shop carries hand-poured candles shaped like baguettes, antique servingware, and objects sourced from ateliers around the world, all chosen with the same considered eye that has made the Gohar sisters two of the most interesting creative voices in New York. It is the best place in the city to find something nobody else has.
Common Things🔗
East Village
Common Things: The cobalt blue wall pulls you in off East 7th Street, and the curation keeps you, thanks to ceramics, candles, and objects from makers most people have never heard of, sourced from all over the world. Founder Komal Kehar's whole philosophy is discovery, and the shop delivers on it every time.
The Future Perfect🔗
West Village
The Future Perfect: Founder David Alhadeff's design gallery and shop on Horatio Street has been one of the most important platforms for independent furniture and object designers since it opened, championing studio designers and limited-edition pieces with a real collector's eye. The West Village townhouse setting makes it feel more like a home visit than a store, which is very intentional.
Fredericks & Mae🔗
Lower East Side
Fredericks & Mae: This is the shop that helped make wavy ceramics and confetti cutting boards instantly recognizable, and it has since grown into a full world of glass serving bowls, art prints, and objects with a cool, handmade vibe that is completely its own. It’s one of the most original homeware stores in the city, which makes it a keeper.
Michele Varian🔗
SoHo
Michele Varian: Michele Varian's SoHo shop carries independent jewelry, homeware, and objects from over 100 local and emerging design brands, plus her own locally manufactured collections of lighting, pillows, and furniture. It changes enough with each visit to keep you coming back, and it always has something you need to take home.
Fishs Eddy🔗
Flatiron
Fishs Eddy: Family-owned since 1985 and still independently run by founder Julie Gaines, Fishs Eddy carries diner-style dishware, witty NYC glassware, and restaurant surplus sourced with a dry wit and true love for the city. Nearly 40 years in and it has not lost a step.
BOOKS
Books
Iconic shelves and tighter culture edits.
Strand Book Store🔗
East Village
Strand Book Store: Eighteen miles of books, family-owned since 1927, and still standing on Broadway and 12th Street against every force that should have closed it by now, Strand is simply iconic. The rare sellers table out front is fun to stop at on any given day, and the staff recommendations are reliably excellent.
Climax Books🔗
SoHo
Climax Books: Founded by Isabella Burley, former editor-in-chief of Dazed, Climax has art books, photography monographs, and titles at the intersection of fashion, culture, and ideas, all stocked with the same eye that made Burley one of the most influential editors of her generation.
Three Lives & Company🔗
West Village
Three Lives & Company: This is a tiny West Village gem that has been one of the best independent bookshops in the city since 1968. It’s super curated and will definitely remind you why physical bookshops matter.
JEWELRY
Jewelry
Brooklyn-made pieces with staying power.
Catbird🔗
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Catbird: Founded in Williamsburg in 2004 and still independently owned by founder Rony Vardi, Catbird makes all of its jewelry in its Brooklyn studio using recycled and fair trade gold. The Forever Bracelet, which is welded onto your wrist in the store, has become one of the New York rites of passage.
FRAGRANCE
Fragrance
Niche scent, serious curation.
Stéle🔗
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Stéle: This is the fragrance shop for people who take fragrance seriously. Indie brands like Andrea Mack and Clandestine Laboratories can be found here, alongside Régime Des Fleurs, Maison D'Etto, and more.