Best Things to buy at East Village - New York City

That was my first question to everyone before arriving into the Big Apple. I have been asking around people including New Yorkers but I received many unsure answers until I finally found……

The answer is :

In the 1930s, a dance craze known as “The Big Apple” became very popular throughout the American South. It’s said that Jazz musicians travelling around the US coined the phrase, “There are many apples in the tree but to play New York is to play the Big Apple”.

Some say this phrase refers to Harlem, a district in New York City known for its jazz clubs and musicians in the heyday of jazz in America. In 1971, a promotional campaign in New York City used the “Big Apple” to boost tourism. And since then, New York City used the “Big Apple” to boost tourism. And since then New York has always been known affectionately as the “Big Apple”. – Source from the New York Public Library

As a shopaholic, New York City should not be missed in my list.  I got to know the uniqueness of East Village when I first arrived into New York. Some of the shops here are famous for being the most chic and progressive stores in Manhattan. If you are looking for special or unique designer’s clothing fashion; out of fashion dresses; second hand antiques and branded clothing; self-blending perfumed oil; Asian, Eastern European and Middle-Eastern curios ; second hand book stores …etc -  This is the right place to look hunt them down.

East Village is located on the East side of Manhattan. Neighborhood to Lower East Side; Little Italy; The Bowery (on the south); Greenwich Village (on the West) and Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town (on the North).

Visit Vampire Freaks (189, Ave A, between 11th and 12th St) for Freaky, Punk and Gothic dresses. "Skeleton" gloves, black cat hats, human skulls can be purchased here too. Most of the stuff sell here are black in color, well, this is a Goth shop after all. I’ve got myself a “Skeletor Ribcage” T-Shirt – the design is a human ribcage and a red heart in it. If you’re looking for something to wear for Halloween Party, check this out for some funky like Dracula costume, Caribbean Pirate Costume, Sexy Corpse Bride dress, Avatar – Jake Scully and magic witch costume ! There are always some clearance stocks on sale starting as low as US$3.99 for a pair of Skeleton glove.

Gallery Vercon (9th St) are one of my favorite shops that sell locally made and design in New York. Ms  Vashti de Verteuil, the owner, designs her own line of sterling silver jewelry, engagement and wedding rings; wedding veils and bridal party head pieces. The boutique’s window display a few fanciful hats from the 1930s, 40s – 50s. There is variety of hats from small ones with veils, straw hats to wide brim with large flower hats.

Pink Olive (9th St) sells unique gifts such as hand-made toys for babies, unique cards, cute stationeries, vintage rings, candles, baby clothes and home goods; while Jill Anderson (9th St) specializes in clothing for women's wear. Jill's  wear line has "fancy dress" appeal for formal wear, elegant, comfy and stylish.

Meg NYC (E. 9th St) - this women's clothing store features trendy women's clothes, bridal and bridesmaids dresses for women of all shapes and sizes. The clothing here is a combination of classic, simple, wearable, functional, art that doesn't overpower the wearer and yet totally standout! 

If your boyfriend or girlfriend sighs and says they don't know ‘what’ on earth they are going to buy you for your birthday because you already have “everything”, now you can smile and tell them to take you to the charming Fragrance Shop (7^th St), where you can design and make your own perfume, lotion, bath salts, body oils etc... The Fragrance Shop has literally hundreds of essential oils and fragrance elements that you can customize to your exact desire.

Random Accessories (4t St) is a little place packed with random mix of unique, cute baby items, fanciful house wares, cufflinks and pendant necklaces. They also have a great jewelry selection that is affordable. This is a Great Cute store!

Archangel Antiques on the 9^th St offers a large collection of vintage buttons, some ‘hard to find’ items from Victorian era, cufflinks, accessories, cosmetic jewelry, clothing, take your time to look at the items, who knows, you might find some nostalgic collections for yourself !

Timbuktu (2^nd Ave) sells African and Middle Eastern souvenir especially from Morocco, ranging from clothing to footwear, furniture, scarf, statues, lamps and unbelievable arrays of jewelries.

For second hand goods, go to Thrift Stores surrounding the Village. They have from Cowboy boots, vintage shoes, over-sized dresses, cashmere, marked down price branded goods like Gucci, Coach, Channel, Salvatore Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, YSL… The book collection also often has some wonderfully random finds and choices. You’ll surely get the best deal from here.

If you are a serious shopper, I’ll recommend you to save at least half a day of your vacation in New York City to walk around East Village. I bet you can also be sure to bring home some of New York's hottest trends to impress your friends and family after stepping into the best shops in the East Village.

Exit 9 Gift Emporium sells a great range of funky souvenirs from baby products, fancy bags, DIY, colorful kitchenware to watches. If you’re looking for moderate budget gifts, this upscale “flea market” will be a good start for you!

East Village Books (between Ave. A and 1st Ave ) - A place I would not miss before leaving NYC. This is one of the most affordable second hand bookstores especially if you're a bookworm like me. There's a whole wall of $1 books and other stuff reasonably priced. The selection is reasonably good and expanding and the books are usually in good condition. This cozy store also sells old records and buys them as well.

East Village is really a melting pot village, immigrants from different cultures and races have brought in their food around specialty around the Earth from Arabian, Eastern European, Asian, African to South American. …found an Ethiopian Restaurant.

On the upper side of East Village, you can continue to grab branded goods at unbelievable 50% discount on women’s “necessities” (shoes, bags, purse, umbrella, stockings, gloves, perfumes, leather jackets etc) at Feline’s Basement and DSW(Designer Shoe Warehouse) - Union Square (14th St - Subway).

At DSW, luxury brands such as Giuseppe Zanotti, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs Prada Valentino etc. are sold at prices way below your imaginable budget. Shoes with "out-of-the-ordinary" designs are available to dress your feet.  I bought a very nice pair of Nine West brown leather boots from here.

At Feline’s Basement (on the upper floor) you can also find unbelievable 30-60% off their original prices from the best selection of European and American designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, Anne Klein, Armani, Gucci, Guess, Michael Kors, Versace etc for men, women and children. This discount store is neatly organize by designer and then by size so it makes a breeze to shop. It sells all kinds of cufflinks, accessories, undergarments, Italian leather handbags, jackets, luggage bags, home decorations, perfumes, bath & body etc. They are worth buying, though you will need to afford some digging effort at the clearance stock racks. I think, you'll need more time when you're at this place. It's definitely not a pop-in, pop-out type of deal. I spent more than four hours here!

This DSW's and Feline’s Basement location at Union Square makes it more convenient because you can also hop over to Forever 21 on the same building.

Happy Shopping !