New York's Greenwich Village has gradually evolved from a college student/gay community/eccentric artist neighborhood to a slightly more "mainstream" destination, still full of character and history but also dotted with interesting boutiques, bountiful stores and designer labels.
The best way to experience shopping in the Village is to wander, window shop and brazenly enter each small shop with your expectations high. Most places won't disappoint you, but to nudge you along, we have some assembled a few ideas. This is by no means a definitive list, but we have selected a few shops and names you won't be seeing in your local shopping mall.
Get top-of-the-line cooking implements, appliances and other kitchen stuff at the Broadway Panhandler, a busy, upscale kitchen store at 65 East 8th St. You have your mandolines, your cake-decorating tools, your springforms, your griddles, your stockpots and your jelly roll pans. You have your Le Creuset, your All-Clad, your Mundial, your Shun and your Wutshof. If this makes your spine tingle, check it out.
Step into an institution by visiting Bleecker Bob's Records, a 40-year landmark independent record store that is the polar opposite of some of the more upscale chic newbies opening doors in the Village. If you're an audiophile who still loves vinyl, you'll want to spend hours here looking for rarities you've searched years to find. Don't expect a sleek place-warped wood floors, walls plastered with old posters and flyers from bands seeking fans. You'll find Bleekcer Bob's at 118 West 3rd St.
Find Asian-inspired dishware and pottery at Global Table at 107 Sullivan St. Don't expect matched sets here-instead, you'll find long tables stacked with dishes, soup bowls, tumblers, place mats and serving trays. And surprise--most of the prices in this unique pottery store are reasonable.
For funky and distinctly unfashionable, head to Uncle Sam's Army Navy Outfitters at 37 West 8th St. and expect to be entertained by the merchandise and the people-watching. A favorite haunt for college students because of the great prices, Uncle Sam's is filled to the rafters with Army-Navy surplus clothing, uniforms, collectibles, dog tags, sunglasses, outdoor tents, police paraphernalia, survival equipment, and gear and khaki.
No visit to Greenwich Village is complete without several hours spent in the Marc Jacobs section of the city. The brash young fashion designer has scooped up no fewer than five locations in the West Village in recent years, causing a firestorm of controversy from residents opposed to the Jacobs-gentrification of so much territory. Nevertheless, shoppers keep coming. Jacobs now has a women's store at 403-405 Bleecker St., a men's store at 382 Bleecker, a men's and women's collections store at 301 W. 4th St., a children's store at 298 W. 4th St. and a fun and inexpensive accessories store at 385 Bleecker.
