Shopping in Greenwich Village: The best stores and boutiques

The PPB's main focus is on couples looking to invigorate their sex lives with props, potions or costumes. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the store carries a huge number of toys, starting with cheap bullet vibes and topping out with $100-plus extreme dildos. The company's been in business since 1972, which makes Pink Pussycat a trusted name for dommes and submissives alike.

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 items, including candles by Les Secrets Ladurée Paris.  

In operation since 1965, this friendly West Village institution sells all manner of fetish attire, as well as books, sex toys, magazines and plenty more.

Owner Joshua Suzanne Ethier began her career in what she calls “the rag business” as the manager of now-defunct Alice Underground, and it’s clear she takes pride in her chosen field: Ethier hand-selects her merchandise directly from textile houses, wholesalers and warehouses for a mix of unworn dead stock and well-preserved secondhand goods. Unlike most of the city’s cluttered thrift stores, items are meticulously organized by clothing type (oxford shoes on one shelf, flannels on another) in a color-coded rainbow, making sifting through the men’s and women’s garb here a breeze. What’s more, like items are all priced the same, with logo tees marked $18 each or two for $30, Levi’s jeans and denim jackets tagged $35 and cut-off shorts costing a mere $10 to $20. Urban cowboys, take note: the store is known for its killer selection of cowboy boots ($65) and other Western apparel (hello, fringe!).

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 ($36). Considerosity also specializes in items that are practical (S’well colorful stainless-steel water bottles, $35), thoughtful (West Third Brand daily affirmation wish candles, $16) and just plain delicious (Macaron Café macaron gift boxes, $14–$49).

Murray’s Cheese has been New York City’s most famed and beloved, vast and varied dairy purveyor since it first opened in Greenwich Village decades ago. Today, it has additional locations in and outside of Manhattan, as well as availability via large retailers throughout the United States.  Here at home, you can still consult Murray’s top cheesemongers at its charming Bleecker Street shop, Grand Central outpost and Long Island City locale for samples, including proprietary cave-aged varieties prepared right here in town. They’ll also help you match your picks to charcuterie, jams, spreads and crackers for a veritable feast you can source all in one spot.   You can even learn a bit of the trade at Murray’s downtown flagship via burrata and mozzarella-making classes, or lessons on wine and cheese pairings. The classic address also hosts a mac and cheese pop-up, replete with that titular item, sandwich melts and cheese flights, among other menu items. 

This surfer brand opens a second NYC shop to complement its successful Soho location. Snag staples such as the brand’s signature line of graphic tees ($40), ultrasoft henleys ($65), lace-up high-tops ($95), and board shorts ($65–$75) in both solids and prints. Stock up on grooming necessities, including Baxter of California herbal musk-and-citrus deodorant ($18) and aftershave balm ($20). Don’t feel bad if your girlfriend tags along—the shop has a full-service La Colombe coffee bar ($2–$5) and benches outside. https://www.saturdaysnyc.com/

Run by former Daniel sommelier Jean-Luc Le Dû, it’s no surprise that this sleek-but-casual wine boutique boasts a remarkable assortment of French varietals ranging from $10 to $200. Free wine and spirits tastings are held in-store every Saturday from 2-7pm.

Any New Yorker will recognize EZ Pawn’s Roy Lichtenstein–inspired subway ads, and the fact that it’s a massive chain is, well, kind of creepy. But we came around when we learned that the store’s West Village location stocks überhip LES restaurant Beauty & Essex’s speakeasy-style (but faux) pawn shop entryway. The eatery’s storefront is elegantly tricked out to look like an operational pawn shop—complete with a cashier—but it’s all a ruse. So if you’re coveting one of the shiny Stratocasters, vintage cigar humidors or sets of Russian nesting dolls, head straight to source, conveniently located on 14th Street.

Look for the deep blue awning on Bleecker Street and venture inside to scope out high-end paraphernalia from brand names like Sheldon Black, Medicali and JBD. The clerks are reputably knowledgeable and can service all your tricked-out pieces and one-of-a-kind accessory needs. Make sure to ask about Illadelph Glass products—they’re beautifully crafted and come in many different iterations.