I’ve traversed the city to catalogue its independent retailers for my shopping resource, The Locavore Guide, and found the majority of brick-and-mortar shops have e-commerce, but some still keep the best of (or all of) their goods offline. That’s because certain things — rare reggae records, German cuckoo clocks, dried exotic fruits — are better appreciated in person and often sell quickly. Here are some of the most interesting, delightful shops for gifts you won’t find online.
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Tucked into a Chinatown jewelry mall, Tommy Fung’s stall stocks a huge selection of charms, including local sports insignia, a chunky sewer grate, and a Basquiat crown. (82 Bowery)
Claude-Noëlle Toly and William Nuckel’s shop opened in a former grocery store in the West Village in 1987 and sells Provençal pottery, folk art, and antique furniture. (299 W. 4th St.)
Known for carrying Akari light sculptures, the museum shop is also one of the only places in the U.S. to buy boxes of incense from Kungyokudo, Japan’s oldest incense-maker. (9-01 33rd Rd., Astoria)
Owner Nina Allen is responsible for discovering and importing many of the brands you’ll find in design shops, but this is her own collection, including Italian textiles from Lanificio Leo and charming German cuckoo clocks. (245 Broome St.)
Specializing in toys made only with natural materials and sourced from all over, including German Nanchen dolls and wooden marble trees crafted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (32 N. Moore St.)
Artists shop here for old-stock sketchbooks (the paper quality is better than what’s made today) along with ’80s Eldon desk accessories. (9 E. 47th St.)
La Fanion, Playing Mantis, and Phil’s Stationery. Photo: Jo Pasinkoff/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (Playing Mantis); Nina Roberts/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (La Fanion, Phils, Playing Mantis).
La Fanion, Playing Mantis, and Phil’s Stationery. Photo: Jo Pasinkoff/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (Playing Mantis); Nina Roberts/Courtesy of The Lo… more
La Fanion, Playing Mantis, and Phil’s Stationery. Photo: Jo Pasinkoff/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (Playing Mantis); Nina Roberts/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (La Fanion, Phils, Playing Mantis).
While you’ll find vintage magazines and old-school candy here, Sammy Levin’s shop is best known for her collection of ashtrays and lighters dating from the 1920s to the 1970s. (139 Division St.)
A dapper man’s destination, packed with neckties, preppy scarves, quirky collar bars, decorative cuff links, and matchbooks from New York institutions of the past. (445 W. 49th St.)
This basement shop is densely stocked with model-making kits ranging from traditional airplanes to cast-brass subway cars for upwards of $1,000 each. (23 W. 45th St.)
With a knack for sourcing the wackiest gifts and gags, this shop is where you’ll find foodlike oddities in the “Fauxdega” and Kami Goertz’s popular pocket slug plush toys. (353 Seventh Ave., Park Slope)
Design store Lichen collaborated with local fragrance brand Fragile Glass for this new shop, which sells antique housewares, Pyrex lab equipment, and African Senufo stools. (109 Montrose Ave., Williamsburg)
Home to printmaker Archie Archambault’s minimalist maps as well as the work of at least 80 other artists with specialties like Risograph and letterpress. (220 E. 10th St.)
In addition to single-origin soy sauces, jams, and dried exotic fruits, Yun Hai sells items from small producers in Taiwan, including knives forged from spent artillery shells from Kinmen Island. (170 Montrose Ave., Williamsburg)
Specializing in Senegalese goods, this shop carries pantry items from the restaurant next door, jewelry brought back from the owner Nilea Alexander’s travels, and plush toys made from traditional fabrics. (1453 Bedford Ave., Crown Heights)
Clockwise from top left: Leroy’s Place The Red Caboose, Marché Rue Dix, and Yun Hai. Photo: Jo Pasinkoff/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (Red Caboose); Nina Roberts/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (Leroy’s Place, Yun Hai, Marché Rue Dix).
Clockwise from top left: Leroy’s Place The Red Caboose, Marché Rue Dix, and Yun Hai. Photo: Jo Pasinkoff/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (Red Caboose);… more
Clockwise from top left: Leroy’s Place The Red Caboose, Marché Rue Dix, and Yun Hai. Photo: Jo Pasinkoff/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (Red Caboose); Nina Roberts/Courtesy of The Locavore Guide (Leroy’s Place, Yun Hai, Marché Rue Dix).
One of the oldest independent video-game shops in the city, this spot carries games and accessories — like Nintendo 64 controllers — from every era. (202 E. 6th St.)
Since the 1950s, the bow-embellished slippers have been beloved by the uptown set. The nonstandard sizing and ever-changing inventory mean these are best tried in person. (110 E. 55th St.)
A large selection of food and pantry goods from every region of Spain — including tinned fish, acorn-fed Ibérico ham, and olive oils — fills this shop, where you can make custom gift baskets. (354 Degraw St., Carroll Gardens)
Find “Peanuts,” Studio Ghibli, and Edward Gorey characters alongside vintage Muppets and copies of classics like The Yearling and Mother Goose at this shop that specializes in animal-themed books. (328 E. 9th St.)
Nearly everything at this home-goods store is made by an artisan in Mexico, but most notable are the glass pieces: chunky pitchers, drinking glasses swirled with color, and bowls — many well under $100. (31-88 37th St., Astoria)
Hundreds of reggae, rocksteady, soul, and ska records are available at Ian Barrett’s shop. He’s the grandson of Clement S. Dodd, who founded Studio One Records, where Bob Marley recorded his first album in 1965 (rare vinyl from the studio is on offer too). (3135 Fulton St., Cypress Hills)
Find gear for hiking, camping, and other outdoor jaunts from under-the-radar brands like Gramicci and Finisterre, or join one of the shop’s popular group hikes. (722 Franklin Ave., Crown Heights)
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