Best gift shops: Nolita
Fri Nov 9 2012
Erica Weiner Photograph: Grant Asken
Bag
- Price band: 2/4
A quality product at a plausible price point is the recipe for a satisfied shopper, and this accessory boutique has it in the bag. Recently relocated from Nolita, this new LES location is three times the size of its old digs, and offers a wider selection of goods in a spacious, gallery-esque setting. Prices range from $99 to $325 for bags, and $50 to $150 for wallets and clutches, including standout pieces like the Tano Boogie leather bucket tote ($215), Moving on Up cobalt blue bag ($265), and lightweight unisex messenger caryall ($198) from the in-house label Relysh. Also in-store is a small collection of footwear (for more options visit sister store Shoe at 247 Mulberry St). Treat your feet to a pair of Cydwoq shoes ($198 to $340), cleverly crafted to feel as though you’re walking barefoot on sand.
- 197 Mulberry St between Kenmare and Spring Sts
Condor
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Shop owner Loriann Smoak has racked up a lot of stamps on her passport (she traveled to 19 countries last year alone!), and now she’s bringing her worldly finds to this Nolita boutique. The bright, white, marble-detailed space is decorated with plants and greenery, and it’s loaded with garb from local and international designers. Eco-friendly silk tanks by Amour Vert come from France ($72), Ghost Dancer beaded bib necklaces are inspired by Native American culture ($178), Juma bird-printed scarves are made in India ($175) and cult photographer Neil Krug’s Pulp Art Book of grainy Polaroid-film photos can decorate coffee tables ($50).
- 259 Elizabeth St, (between E Houston and Prince Sts)
Erica Weiner
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Seamstress-turned-jewelry-designer Erica Weiner sells her own bronze, brass, silver and gold creations alongside vintage and reworked baubles in her first-ever, eponymous boutique. With a painted tin ceiling and white-tiled floors accented by early-20th-century furnishings, the store resembles an old-fashioned dress shop. Weiner combs estate sales and New England auction houses to line the shelves of her cozy shop with antique engagement rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets, all of which have unique stories behind them. Her wares are often casts or modified versions of old objects, such as 1930s cocktail stirrers from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel that she fashioned into polished brass necklaces ($85). Even better, much of Weiner’s jewelry can be scooped up for less than $100. Browse winged cicada-insect dangling earrings ($30), mottled feather-and-mesh Chinese ginkgo-leaf charm necklaces ($35), brass floral-patterned reproduction Victorian wedding bracelets ($65) and 1930s vintage filigree diamond engagement rings ($625).
- 173 Elizabeth St, (between Kenmare and Spring Sts)
Gas Bijoux
- Price band: 2/4
Francophiles will adore French jeweler André Gas’s third NYC location. This space is larger than the Nolita and Upper West Side shops, and roomy enough to showcase his entire accessories collection, adding hats, bags and belts to the mix. Gas got his start in 1969 selling intricate charm bracelets on the beaches of Saint-Tropez to bronzed vacationers. The current goods evoke that same sultry feeling, but with a city edge. Each piece is handmade in France with the help of many of the same women who have been with the company since the ’70s, so there’s no outsourcing, and loads of items are one-of-a-kind. Inside the shop, an animal-skin rug is illuminated by a gorgeous white feather chandelier, mixing exotic and urban decor, and the jewelry sits on top of simple light-wood shelves, which allows the surprisingly well-priced baubles to shine. Yellow-gold tiger earrings ($165) and nylon-strap bracelets with gold-plated charms ($55–$95) are right on trend with the ’70s fashion resurgence. String rings with silver charms ($35) are like modern-day friendship bracelets, and wear-with-everything gold-heart cuffs make a perfect Mother’s Day gift ($265). Don’t miss the coconut and floral beach-in-a-bottle fragrances ($75–$95) and handwoven cotton-and-leather belts from Guatemala ($165).
- 325 Bleecker St, (at Christopher St)
