BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK

Best NYC Specialty Stores

Admittedly these cater a bit to my own interests, though I assure the reader that this doesn't make any of these shops less appealing/unique.

1. Murray's: New York's oldest and best cheese shop. After moving around the street a bit, the shop isn't actually still sitting on its original location, but prepare to be amazed all the same at the SUBSTANTIAL range of cheeses for sale here.

2. Bouchon Bakery: take home gorgeous to-die-for handmade chocolates, divine chocolate bouchons and stacks of macarons. They also make muffins, tarts and specialty breads. Located on the third floor.
3. Kate's Paperie: five Manhattan locations to choose from and this store sells every gorgeous paper thing you can imagine - journals, wrapping paper, invitations, calendars, agendas.... Don't let paper become extinct, people!
4. Babeland: a sex shop that is decidedly inoffensive and especially welcoming to women, though it of course has a few commodities lying around for men. Two Manhattan locations, one in Brooklyn.
5. Dylan's Candy Bar: there isn't anything made of chocolate you've imagined that they aren't selling. Sort of the Willy Wonka of Midtown East. Get your Harry Potter Fudge Flies, gummy cola bottles and Emergency Dark Chocolate Bar here.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl Jan 10, 2010
Amy's Breads: which has three locations in the city -Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea Market and The Village and offers a smorgasbord of various breads like Olive, Rosemary, Sourdough, Whole wheat along with pastries, cakes and many other munchies.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish Jan 10, 2010
The New York Doll Hospital on the Upper East Side might qualify as a specialty shop. Tons of doll parts strewn around and you can have any kind of toy repaired here.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Jan 10, 2010
Oh I would also like to add the Fountain Pen Hospital which is located in the Financial District -http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/ and offers a wide range of the world's finest writing instruments like fountain pens from renowned brands like Faber-Castell, Maby Todd, MontBlanc and many more along with special inks.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish Jan 10, 2010
I heard of a perfumes boutique in Brooklyn where the owner will mix you up a unique scent just right for you, or you can buy one of their innovative ready-made scents with names like "concrete." Now, what in the world was that place called--?
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Jan 11, 2010
coming to think there are tons of specialty stores in NYC - wouldn't gourmet chocolatier Martine Leventer's Martine's Chocolates too(http://martineschocolates.com/) also count as a specialty store though she does have a concession at Bloomingdales. Similar outfits are Divalicious Chocolates of Warren Street Brooklyn(http://www.divaliciouschocolate.com/index.php), and Kee Lee Tong's Kee's Chocolates which have unusual flavors like black sesame truffle and Thai chili and are sold through her two outlets in Soho and Midtown-http://www.keeschocolates.com/
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Jan 11, 2010
@uptowngirl Someone knows their NYC chocolate shops! Martine's looks fantastic - I especially appreciate their wedding cake bridge and groom made of chocolate. One of my personal favorites - and I know I've mentioned it on another posting - is Chocolate Bar in the West Village (http://www.chocolatebarnyc.com/). They offer memberships to their Chocolate Addicts Club and their truffles are trendy-looking and delicious-tasting. I also can never express enough how much I adore that spicy hot chocolate. I'll try not to bring it up again....
hhusted
hhusted Jan 11, 2010
I love the sound of Dylan's Candy Bar. With my sweet tooth, I would love to go there. Where is Dylan's Candy Bar? The location is not listed.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish Jan 24, 2010
Found another one for this category, though not for food: Murder Ink, oldest murder-mystery bookstore in the world. 2486 Broadway, btw W 92nd and W 93 rd 212-362-8906
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist Jan 25, 2010
The Oscar Wilde Bookshop, on Christopher Street, has a great selection of GBLT books. Enchanted, on 9th St btwn 1st and 2nd Aves, has the city's largest collection of pagan/occult/Wiccan/voodoo/etc. Forbidden Planet, on Broadway and 12th Street, is a sci-fi/geek/comic book/anime/general fandom store with loads of DVDs, manga, comic books, and figurines. Gothic Renaissance, on 4th Avenue and 11th Street (by Grace Church), and its next-door neighbor for high-end Neo-Victorian lacy/velvety New Romantic/Halloween costumes. 8th Street Lab, on W 8th Street off 5th Ave, for cyberpunk/goth clothing. And, of course, for rare books, nothing can beat the upstairs room at the Strand (11th and Broadway)
hhusted
hhusted Jan 25, 2010
I went to Enchanted once and bought a deck of Tarot cards. Great store if you are into that type of thing.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Jan 25, 2010
Desert Island (540 Metropolitan Ave in Brooklyn) is another awesome comic book store that even comic nerds love. http://www.desertislandbrooklyn.com/
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Jan 25, 2010
Yunhong Chopsticks 50 Mott Street, NY, NY1003. 212-566-8828 A entire store devoted to chopsticks of different hues and made of various different materials. Wild, wacky and wonderful sticks check out their website at http://www.happychopsticks.com/ I was definitely enlightened.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish Jan 27, 2010
They are a "chopsticks boutique." Cute.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Jan 27, 2010
@uptowngirl That is pretty great. I wonder if they do a lot of business? They seem to be quite popular with the media. I'm really tempted to check it out; I love using chopsticks.
hhusted
hhusted Jan 27, 2010
@Ajadedidealist: Are you into Tarot cards and other mystic stuff? My reason for asking is because I am into it to, but not devoted to it. I use my Tarot cards to give readings to people for money sometimes, specially when I need some extra cash.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Jan 29, 2010
Not sure how I forgot the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co in Park Slope on the original list, as it's probably one of the most awesome stores in the entire city. Well, if you are into secret identities or in need of a lair anyway. http://www.superherosupplies.com/ 372 Fifth Ave Brooklyn, NY 11215
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish Jan 29, 2010
Yeah, the superhero store is pretty fantastic.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Mar 11, 2010
Just came across the Blue Ribbon General Store in Boreum Hill: http://www.blueribbongeneralstore.net/index.shtml They tout themselves as a "modern general store for a well-lived life," and their selection of random household items is pretty cool - they've got heart-shaped subway maps, a range of beauty products that includes "the man can" ("1 bar of manly soap, 1 extremely spicy shaving gel, 1 very masculine bay rum oil, 1 really scratchy body mitt, 1 jar of fisherman's hand butter") and random gift bag goodies like candy dots and pocket etch-a-sketches. So, I'm not completely sure if this qualifies as a specialty store, but I'm not sure what else it would qualify as.
hhusted
hhusted Mar 11, 2010
@BroadwayBK: It sounds like the Blue Ribbon General Store is a cool place to be and shop at.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Mar 11, 2010
@BroadwayBK the Blue Ribbon General Store looks so cool I love the poster - A New Yorker's Idea of the United States of America..
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Mar 11, 2010
@uptowngirl Ha! I didn't even see that.. and so inexpensive, too.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish Mar 13, 2010
I just recently saw a Green hardware store on the Bowery that opened recently. Around Houston or Prince or so, but I didn't note the name. Dang. Anyway, everything was made of hemp and the paints were all nontoxic eco-friendly, blah, blah.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Mar 13, 2010
@Uraniumfish bet everything at the store was also super expensive ..,most green things tend to be -so annoying !
hhusted
hhusted Mar 13, 2010
I guess high prices is the side-effect to having green. However, when such a thing really catches on, you will see anything that relates to green and being eco-friendly fall in prices.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Mar 13, 2010
@hhusted unfortunately some companies I think are currently looking to make a quick buck by riding the 'green' wave.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish Mar 13, 2010
@uptowngirl When I walked in they were giving an educational seminar on how to live green, with a nice little crowd of about 8 people. Seemed charming, even though their motive was probably to attract prospective cutomers and get themselves established.
DBlack
DBlack Mar 13, 2010
@Uraniumfish Well, it's appropriately located very near to Whole Foods, and I bet the area's well to do will give them plenty of business.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist Mar 14, 2010
Indeed, @uptowngirl. I don't understand what's to be gained on the part of the green movement by making it seem like an elitist upper-middle-class phenomenon. Marginalizing "greenness" only hurts our planet in the long run by making people of all backgrounds not take it seriously, or think of it as a "trendy" Park Slope thing.
DBlack
DBlack Mar 14, 2010
I think it would be a great thing if the green movement becomes completely mainstream and recycled products and toxic-free paints become standard in all stores and across all brands. Companies will only be motivated to make such product cheap and easily accessible if consumers demand them.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Mar 14, 2010
@ajadedidealist So true.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Mar 15, 2010
@DBlack, Ajadedidealist well said!
JenMac
JenMac Mar 19, 2010
It's not a shop, per say, but can we give a shout out for the rice pudding store in soho / little italy? So weird. So New York.
hhusted
hhusted Mar 19, 2010
@JenMac: I've never been to the rice pudding store. But since I love rice pudding I might just check it out.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Mar 21, 2010
@JenMac Is that place good? I've been by it a million times or more, but never actually gotten anything.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist Mar 22, 2010
If this is the place I'm thinking of, @Jenmac, it's certainly fun! I'm not a huge fan of Little Italy or neo-Italian food, but I've stopped in at the shop once or twice and rice pudding really can hit the spot
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish Mar 22, 2010
@ajadeidealist It's not neo-Italian at all. Just sort of mod-Contemporary, with sassy little signs in the windows. Looks like an ice cream parlor but you get...rice pudding. Yeah, never actually got something there either.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Mar 22, 2010
@Uraniumfish ah-h you jogged my memory I walked in there once some years ago and walked right out as I dont really like rice pudding.
hhusted
hhusted Mar 23, 2010
@Everybody: If the rice pudding store in Soho also serves ice cream or yogurt, it would really be great to have rice pudding and yogurt on top. What a great desert.
JenMac
JenMac Mar 25, 2010
I think it just serves rice pudding. It's pretty weird how it stays in business. I always wondered if it was a mob cover.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl Mar 25, 2010
@JenMac maybe there is a legion of Rice Pudding fans in the city that we know nothing of?:)
hhusted
hhusted Mar 25, 2010
@Uptowngirl: Yeah, like me. Hey, that would be cool. Start a rice pudding fan club. :)
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK Mar 25, 2010
So...no one's ever been to the rice pudding place that looks like an ice cream parlor? This is the place we are talking about: http://www.yelp.com/biz/rice-to-riches-new-york , right? Apparently some people have been there... and liked it. @JenMac Ha ha.You may be right...it's always strangely empty when I stroll by.

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