Williamsburg always grabs the spotlight for its evolving retail landscape, but it’s not the only neighborhood in Brooklyn to go to for hip, upscale stores and unique eateries.
“With quality owners, there’s never been more competition for quality spaces in the top corridors of Brooklyn, whether on Court Street, in the borough’s top shopping centers, or in Williamsburg,” says Ben Weiner, vice president at Ripco Real Estate.
Indeed, Williamsburg is the epicenter of the borough’s rising luxury appeal, with the Chanel fragrance and beauty boutique at 130 North Sixth Street, and Hermès at 91 North Sixth Street, joining nearby Yves Saint Laurent, Warby Parker, Reformation, The North Face, Apple, Madewell and Paul Smith. Hermès’ current location is temporary, but the French brand plans to have a permanent store in the neighborhood.
“Brooklyn is a great market, but different areas have evolved differently and some have yet to evolve,” says Laura Pomerantz, vice chairman and head of strategic accounts at Cushman & Wakefield.
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Pomerantz says Williamsburg, once filled with commercial warehouses that today have been mostly converted to residential and retail uses, has become “very hip,” spurred by young people relocating from Manhattan seeking more space for growing families or working from home, or relocating from the suburbs to be close to Manhattan. According to census data, Williamsburg’s population grew from 104,000 in 2000 to 157,000 in 2020, with much of the new population between ages 25 and 34. While North Sixth Street is the hub for luxury, it’s Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg that gets the greatest footfall, receiving 4.3 million visitors last year, Pomerantz says.
In fact, Williamsburg has become so popular that certain retailers on North Sixth Street are relocating to nearby locations due to rising rents, Weiner says. “For better or worse, as tenants look to stay in the neighborhood and can’t afford North Sixth Street or Bedford Avenue, they’re looking at Kent Avenue and Wythe Avenue. Kent Avenue is very interesting with all its development.”
But Williamsburg is not the only neighborhood for good shopping and eating. As Weiner, Pomerantz and other experts in commercial real estate point out, other sections of Brooklyn serve up a different variety of retail, whether it’s DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn or Atlantic Avenue in the northern sections of Brooklyn, or Sunset Park, Bay Ridge and Brighton Beach in more southern sections of the borough.
While Williamsburg has brought in the big-name brands common around the country, DUMBO, situated on the East River waterfront between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, has evolved with an interesting set of trendy boutiques, vintage stores, and several local retailers.
L’Ensemble, a by-appointment designer retailer at 55 Washington Street, Suite 461, and Kith Kids, 55 Water Street, Space 1F, for children’s apparel, accessories, footwear, ice cream, as well as events and workshops like basket weaving and sculpture, both recently opened. They join such stores in the area as Made in Dumbo, 57 Front Street, for locally made handcrafted jewelry and ceramics.
L’Ensemble founder and owner Dawn Nguyen has said she chose DUMBO for her store because it’s close to other neighborhoods in Brooklyn she sees the business drawing from, and accessible to Manhattan. She offers styles by Proenza Schouler, Y’s by Yohji Yamamoto, Mfpen, Kallmeyer, B Sides, Judy Turner, Guest in Residence, Veronica de Piante, Savette, Guidi and Sunflower.
Along Atlantic Avenue, which separates the Boerum Hill and Cobble Hill communities, the situation is similar. U.K. lifestyle label Toast, 367 Atlantic Avenue, and El Cedro, 144 Atlantic Avenue, a restaurant serving fusion Lebanese and Mexican dishes including tacos and salsa, both opened not long ago. Toast, which sells sustainable and ethically produced fashion and homeware brands, operates 19 stores in the U.K., and only the Brooklyn location in the U.S.
“We just opened three months ago,” says El Cedro’s founder and Lebanese chef Maher Chebaro. “Atlantic Avenue in Cobble Hill is a great location. It’s the right neighborhood because there has always been a concentration of Middle Eastern food here for years.” The restaurant seats 60, has indoor and outdoor tables, and is inspired by the historical connections between Lebanon and Mexico. Chebaro’s culinary style pays homage to both cultures.
Atlantic Avenue has a concentration of unique, small, neighborly shops with sophisticated fashion, home and food offerings — a practically unbroken seven block stretch starting near the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and going east. Among the stores are Page Sargisson, 347 Atlantic Avenue, for handcrafted fine jewelry made from recycled 18-karat gold, rainbow sapphires and diamonds designed on site; The Primary Essentials, 372 Atlantic Avenue, which has candles, quilts and other home products from local artisans, and the Jao Social Club apothecary, 357 Atlantic Avenue, which has a wide wholesale distribution.
“The Primary Essentials opened in Brooklyn in the fall of 2013 as a place to provide an edited mix of special objects for the home and gift, with an emphasis on how we live our daily lives,” says owner Lauren Snyder. “Striving to source goods that have a subtle yet distinctive impact, The Primary Essentials believes in the importance of independent designers and artisans, and their individual outlook on the world.”
Greenpoint has experienced an influx of young, creative residents and dozens of restaurants, bars and coffee shops have opened in the last several years, diversifying the appeal beyond the Polish food the neighborhood is known for. Around the intersection of Greenpoint Avenue and Franklin Street, there’s an energetic dining and nightlife scene.
Teak New York unveiled a new flagship at 34 Norman Avenue in mid-July after outgrowing its former Greenpoint location. The 4,000-square-foot store is the exclusive Stateside retailer selling Omhu’s “Teddy” sofa, which doubles as a bed, and is the only brick-and-mortar store in the U.S. to offer the eco-certified Danish design line Montana Furniture. Shoppers will find 75 Scandinavian brands, and to play up the “hygge” way of life, Teak New York has unveiled the Swedish café Falu House, under the ownership of partner Leah Flannigan. Scandinavian staples like Swedish meatballs, cardamom buns and smørrebrød open-face sandwiches are among the offerings.
Just in time for summer, Caffè Panna, the Italian-inspired ice cream and coffee shop, debuted its second location in Greenpoint at 16 Norman Avenue. It’s more than just a store – it’s a full-on ice cream factory with quadruple the production space compared to its Irving Place digs in Manhattan. In the brick-walled café, patrons can eye the production kitchen at work, which also churns out pints for wholesale accounts. The new location is the only outpost serving up granita, an icy Sicilian specialty. There is also granita di caffe, made with beans from the Roman coffee shop Sant-Eustachio.
There is a party and event space for ice cream lovers to rent. Founder Hallie Meyer started the search for a second location two years ago with her “mind set on Brooklyn,” she says, to tap into a new delivery market and give more people access to the pints. After signing the lease for the Greenpoint store, she so fell in love with the area that she lives there now. Meyer says, “All of the best new food businesses are opening up and growing up here.”
At the City Point mixed-use development, 445 Albee Square West in downtown Brooklyn by Fulton Street, the Brooklyn Made store, which opened in June, offers products created by Brooklyn artisans and entrepreneurs, including many Brooklyn-themed souvenirs. Also, the Guitar Center opened at 540 Fulton Street late last year.
“There’s been many transactions on Fulton Street, including City Point, and also some significant closings. Nordstrom Rack, Express and T.J. Maxx shuttered,” Pomerantz says. “The strength of Fulton is really Macy’s and outlet stores, and Primark gets a lot of traffic.”
Court Street from Atlantic Avenue to Bergen Street in Cobble Hill is one of Brooklyn’s best markets, Weiner says. It’s currently home to Rag & Bone, The RealReal, Daily Provisions, Trader Joe’s and Chipotle, among other shops and eateries.
Here are some other places to check out in Brooklyn:
- Two Hands Café, 262 Kent Avenue, for “a conscious approach to health and lifestyle, from coffee ’til cocktails.”
- Jones Road, 102 Metropolitan Avenue. A cosmetic company offering clean formulations for every skin type and tone, started by makeup artist Bobbi Brown.
- Dough Donuts, 43 India Street. This bakery specializes in gourmet donuts with unique flavors like hibiscus and passion fruit.
- Hatchet Outdoor Supply Co., 101 West Street, specializes in outdoor clothing and gear, and equipment for hiking, camping, and urban exploration.
- The Other Half Brewing, 195 Centre Street, offers a wide selection of craft beers, atmosphere, seasonal and exclusive brews, and brewery tours.
- Vintage Vinyl, 422 Atlantic Avenue, is considered a “paradise” for music lovers, and has a huge collection of records, CDs, memorabilia and collectibles. Live music and listening parties are staged.
— With contributions by Rosemary Feitelberg
