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.

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.

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.  

Designer Marc Jacobs’s West Village empire continues to expand with the opening of this high-fashion bookstore, which has replaced the beloved Biography Book Shop. Though Biography’s blond-wood shelving remains, its memoirs have been replaced with coffee-table tomes, such as House of Versace ($26), artist Dawn Mellor’s namesake book depicting nightmarish renditions of pop icons ($35) and shutterbug Mario Testino’s photographic ode to muse Kate Moss ($700). It’s not all glossy photos, though: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl ($25) leans against a dishy book about Hollywood scandals ($25). There are also Marc Jacobs–branded souvenirs galore, including condoms packaged in matchbooks ($2), broken-heart compacts ($5), USB cassette tapes ($15), lipstick-shaped pens ($4) and canvas Bookmarc totes emblazoned with a pixelated lightbulb ($20)—perhaps the only MJ handbag that falls within your budget.

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.

This West Village smoke shop has products at every price for every type of smoker—there are glass pipes and rolling papers and hookahs and flavored tobacco and grinders and vaporizers (and more). Also, the people who work here are knowledgable and helpful about the vast inventory without being pushy, a rarity in smoke shops.

The clearance rack at this hip minichain is always worth checking—we’ve scored knee-high leather boots for under $40. Of course, the window displays are pretty tempting too—seeing how they’re always stocked with the latest designs from Seychelles, Dolce Vita, Chelsea Crew, Navid O Nadia, Naughty Monkey and more.

This vintage mecca has been peddling men’s and women’s clothing and accessories since 1978, serving clientele as diverse as Alexa Chung, Marc Jacobs and Cyndi Lauper. Owner Laura Wills travels the world, scouting eclectic finds that span the 1950s to the 1990s, and organizes clothing racks by decade. Do you need sunglasses from the ’70s? How about a royal-wedding T-shirt from the 1980s? Head upstairs to check out higher-end specialty garments like men’s Moschino printed suit jackets ($595) and Hattie Carnegie satin cap-sleeve dresses with beading ($895). The boutique is transformed into a Halloween showcase for the month of October, and since the staff is made up almost entirely of stylists, it's a great place to put together a complete period look, including the era-appropriate wigs and accessories.

Sweet tooth? A Cuter Cupcake makes high-end treats that are easy on the eye. Once the pipe dream of a design student, the company has now grown into the delivery company we see today.  The designs are, as you might expect, very cute, but sometimes surprisingly complex. There’s an overall cartoony style to the decorations, which appear to come in all sizes and colours – the original box, for example, is made up of four cupcakes with rounded animals that mimic children’s toys. Traditionally items come in boxes of four, however other box sizes (e.g. eight) are stocked, too. You can also request speciality boxes tailored to you or your event, and all boxes are hand-delivered. A Cuter Cupcake also notes that their cupcakes are baked daily for freshness and that their kitchen and products are nut-free.

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/