Best shops in West Village, from local classics to new boutiques
The best shops in the West Village include designer flagships, quirky independent boutiques and America’s oldest apothecary.
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Best brunch places in West Village: The weekend starts here
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Cheap eats in West Village: Best nosh on a budget
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Best bars in West Village: The essential drinking spots
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Best shops in West Village, from local classics to new boutiques
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Best nightlife in West Village: The hottest clubs and music venues
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Things to do in West Village: Local arts and culture
West Village guide: The best of the neighborhood
The West Village stretch of Bleecker Street may have morphed into a mini Madison Avenue, but nonchain stores still survive in the neighborhood, including venerable apothecary C.O. Bigelow Chemists. Our guide to the best shops in the West Village points you to our local favorites for fashion as well as one-offs selling everything from rubber stamps to all things Lomography. When shopping fatigue sets in, retire to one of the many bars or grab a bite.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to West Village
Aedes de Venustas
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
You’ll be transported to Paris once you step inside this opulent bath-and-body shop. Rich burgundy carpets, gilded wallpaper, a gloriously huge chandelier and a mahogany desk that serves as the checkout area set the stage for the luxurious fragrances ($50–$300), candles ($20–$400), lotions, and soaps from brands like Diptyque and Annick Goutal. Curiosity cabinets house many of the store’s exclusives—the West Village outpost is the only location in the country to sell several
- 9 Christopher St, (at Sixth Ave)
Albertine
- Price band: 3/4
Thanks to a ceramic birdbath in the window and pink Louis XIV–style chairs and birdcages adorning the shop, Albertine is a fitting setting for a tea party—and carries what you could wear to one. Owner Kyung Lee designs the house line, Delphine, which covers both bespoke and off-the-rack clothing. Shoes and dresses by Rachel Comey, Bodkin, Apiece Apart and CFDA nominee Gary Graham also fill the slim shop. Right next door is sister store Abertine General, the jewelry outpost that
- 13 Christopher St, (between Greenwich Ave and Waverly Pl)
Alexis Bittar
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
The jewelry designer who started out selling his designs from a humble Soho street stall now has three shops to show off his art-object, sculptural designs, including his trademark Lucite cuffs and oversize crystal-encrusted earrings. All are handcrafted in his Brooklyn atelier.
- 353 Bleecker St, (between Charles and W 10th Sts)
Castor & Pollux
- Price band: 2/4
Boutique owner Kerrilynn Pamer sleuths out such breakout stars as Macedonian-born Risto Bimbiloski, the Louis Vuitton knitwear designer who launched his own womenswear label, and Caron Callahan, formerly of Derek Lam, whose beautifully simple line, Standard Finery, is made in New York’s Garment District. Unusual accessories are a constant feature—look for exquisitely hand-crafted Reece Hudson lambskin bags by recent Parsons graduate Reece Solomon, and delicate gold-and-gem
- 238 W 10th St, (between Bleecker and Hudson Sts)
C.O. Bigelow Chemists
- Price band: 1/4
Established in 1838, Bigelow is the oldest apothecary in America. Its simply packaged, appealingly old-school line of toiletries includes such tried-and-true favorites as Mentha Lip Shine, Barber Cologne Elixir Red No. 1584 and Lemon Body Cream. The spacious, chandelier-lit store is packed with natural remedies, organic skin-care products and drug-store essentials—and they still fill prescriptions.
- 414 Sixth Ave, (between Eighth and Ninth Sts)
Considerosity
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Gift-giving is a whole lot easier with this cozy West Village boutique, whose selection of pretty, tasteful items—ranging from handmade jewelry ($30–$150) to artisanal home goods ($15–$50)—offers something for every hostess, birthday girl and bride-to-be in your life. Reclaimed-wood shelving showcases Julie Nolan’s brass-disc pendants featuring astrological constellations ($45) and Coatt’s Morse-code necklaces that spell out love, peace and friend in gold-filled dots and dashes
- 191 W 4th St, (between Barrow and Jones Sts )
Darling
- Price band: 2/4
It makes perfect sense that owner Ann Emonts Sherma is a former theater costume designer; you can see her flair for the dramatic in the vintage clothing she stocks, as well as the design of the space. Fresh flowers displayed throughout match the sunny disposition of the staff. Tables and chairs bordered by ivy-covered walls make for the perfect rest stop for shopping buddies (even four-legged ones) when the backyard garden isn’t being used for vintage sales in the summer. Dresses
- 1 Horatio St, (at Eighth Ave)
The Ink Pad
- Price band: 1/4
Perhaps Manhattan’s only store dedicated to rubber stamps, this oddball nook—founded by a retired NYC high-school teacher—offers thousands of themed and artsy designs for adorning papers and cards. To further embellish your stationery, check out their range of punches, stencils, embossing powder, glitter and tassels as well as publications like Brit magazine Craft Stamper.
- 22 Eighth Ave, (between Jane and W 12th St)
Lomography Gallery Shop
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
What started with two Austrian students discovering a small Russian camera in the 1990s resulted in a company, community and movement based on experimental, color-saturated snapshots taken with Lomo cameras. This one-stop analog shop attracts everyone from amateur photogs to School of Visual Art professors with its diverse array of color-splash, instant and fish-eye point-and-shoots; instructive and historical photo books; and easy-to-use Diana, Action and 35mm cams. While the
- 41 W 8th St, (between Fifth and Sixth Aves)
A Man and a Woman
- Price band: 4/4
- Critics choice
While Erin Crandall, Shopbop’s former head buyer for ten years, was out perusing stores with her fiancé, it struck her how few couple-friendly boutiques existed in NYC. In her new West Village boutique, she hopes to fill the void of equal-opportunity shopping. Though the racks may be brimming with designer labels, such as Vince leather jackets with cowl-necks ($995), the shop feels cozy and lacks pretension. If we could splurge, we’d take home Inhabit cashmere sweaters ($285) and
- 14 Christopher St, (at Gay St)
Odin
- Price band: 4/4
- Critics choice
The Norse god Odin is often portrayed sporting an eye patch and an array of shabby robes to complement his dour, bearded visage. That may have been fashionable in medieval Scandinavia, but to make it in NYC, he’d have to pick up some Robert Gellar, Rag & Bone or Comme des Garçons from this upscale men’s boutique bearing his name. Tasteful masculine jewelry and dapper shoes are also available to those with a healthy cash flow.
- 750 Greenwich St, (at 11th St)
OHWOW Book Club
- Price band: 1/4
Underground in more ways than one (the shop is below street level, and it’s as indie as they come), this Laundromat turned reading room is the latest project to come from Aaron “A-Ron the Downtown Don” Bondaroff. Since getting his start as the face of streetwear brand Supreme in the early ’90s, the native New Yorker has become a fixture in the international art scene, having curated shows for the Guggenheim and Colette. OHWOW, the publishing company that he co-founded two years
- 227 Waverly Pl , (between W 11th and Perry Sts)
Rag & Bone
- Price band: 4/4
Born out of its founders’ frustrations with mass-produced jeans, what began as a denim line in 2002 has expanded to cover clothing for both men and women, all with an emphasis on craftsmanship. The designs nod toward tradition (riding jackets, overcoats) while exuding an utterly contemporary vibe. This aesthetic is reflected in its elegant, industrial-edged his ’n’ hers stores.
- 100 & 104 Christopher St, (between Bedford and Bleecker Sts)
Steven Alan
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
This Steven Alan locale offers a high concentration of the eponymous brand for men and women with a rumpled hipster persuasion. Brands like A.P.C. and Rag & Bone crop up among the in-house line, in addition to shoes, accessories and jewelry.
- 69 Eighth Ave, (at W 13th St)
Teich Design
- Price band: 2/4
Husband and wife Allison and JJ McGowan opened the second branch of their mom-and-pop boutique to balance out the big-name chain stores inhabiting the West Village. In addition to the bags that made Teich’s original East Village shop popular (such as vintage-inspired lambskin clutches, $125), the new space offers exclusive products made by other local labels, including Studio DuArte, Noli Noli and Grass & Clovers. The space is eco-friendly with recycled-rubber floors,
- 22 Eighth Ave, (at 12th St)
Tocca
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
After Tocca’s first NYC boutique closed in 2001, its ready-to-wear line came to a halt. The Italian brand has hit the refresh button by opening a new storefront and reintroducing its womenswear line, this time under the direction of designer Emma Fletcher, former owner of the now-shuttered Nolita boutique Lyell. The clothing collection ($120–$650) embodies feminine charm in sophisticated knitted, silk and tailored styles, such as Peter Pan collar blouses ($260) and chic tweed
- 605 Hudson St, (between Bethune and W 12th Sts)
Zoomies
- Price band: 2/4
This colorful and inviting boutique is all about pampering your pooch with frivolous—yet irresistible—offerings such as a scrumptious biscuit bar featuring all-natural ginger and blueberry-flavored treats ($13 per pound), fancifully illustrated children’s books with tales of canine antics ($10) and evil-eye charms for collars ($6–$10). But what Zoomies is best known for is its sleek house line of apparel. “We make the clothes for the dog, not the human,” says co-owner Angelique
- 434 Hudson St, (between Leroy and Morton Sts)
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