Ten Great Stores Below 14th Street in NYC Part Two

February 24, 2010

As much a gallery of fabulously interesting found objects, exclusive products, and handmade books–sometimes beautiful, sometimes definitely not–as it is a retail outfit, Partners and Spade in NYC’s Noho district, is Kate and Jack Spade’s design studio / storefront that totally delights us every visit. We love the "impulse buys" on that high shelf only accessible by ladder. We love their single-subject photobooks, like I Think I Can I Think I Can, which consists entirely of iPhone shots of plants pushing through cracks in the concrete. And we love the rotating themed "show" on the big table in the center–for Valentine’s it was Sorrow For Sale, filled with second-hand objects that reminded their original owners of painful breakups and jerky ex-lovers, complete with background stories. Excellent stuff, all around. On Great Jones Street between Bowery and Lafayette in Manhattan. 

Alessi Flagship Store NYC

Another one of our standard Soho NYC pop-ins, the Alessi Flagship store features dozens of that Italian "Dream Factory’s" exquisitely designed house- and kitchenware items (and, by the way, excellent watches, too) in a trippy, white-lit, mirrored space. We like their bright, cartoony line of bathroom accessories (like Piselli, the peekaboo cotton-swab holder), as much as their sleek, space-age stainless toasters and tea kettles, as much as their complicated, twiggy fruit bowls. On Greene Street, between Houston and Prince in New York City.  

Murray’s Cheese Shop New York City

The old standby on Bleecker–in one form or another, it’s been in the Village since 1940–Murray’s Cheese Shop New York City is more well-sourced and vital than ever these days, and even with new competition popping up all over downtown and, especially, in Brooklyn, it remains one of the best specialty food stores in NYC. The cheese is amazing, of course, and the "melts" phenomenal, but we also love their vast selection of smoked and cured meats, chocolates and olives and crackers and… well, it’s tough to get out of there without our arms filled with goodies. Also: private cheese cave tours and cheese-tasting/wine pairing classes! On Bleecker Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan.  

Reed Space NYC

For of-the-moment, street-art-influenced, urban design, Reed Space on the Lower East Side of Manhattan has long been our go-to spot. Like several of our other favorite stores, we drop by Reed Space NYC to buy, of course, especially their extremely well-curated, constantly-changing selection of tee shirts. And they always have a nice variety of art books and cool accessories. But this long store, bridging an entire block–and now including the Reed Space annex!–also makes for an excellent gallery of sorts, and they often have full-fledged exhibitions of the likes of Faille, Phunk Studio and SP One. On Orchard Street between Stanton and Rivington in New York City.  

Clio 

For beautiful gifty, designy home accessories, table- and glassware, Soho’s Clio is always worth a look. The prices are bit high, perhaps, and the inventory doesn’t rotate quite enough to satisfy frequent shoppers (or, to be honest, frequent browsers) like us, but still, we do love our Puddle Plates with something appoaching obsession, and those Seam vases are just about the prettiest we’ve ever seen, and those Tipping Glasses are always a hit, and… well, just go, and see for yourself. Bonus: Daniel and Michelle Lehmann, the husband-and-wife owners, couldn’t be more friendly. On Thompson Street between Spring and Prince in Manhattan.  

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