Shop Small at These 10 Unique Brooklyn Gift Stores

Looking to check off your holiday shopping list while also making a difference for local business owners? Skip the big-box stores and try these shops around Brooklyn for unique gifts for all occasions.

Brooklyn Kitchen. This Williamsburg mainstay has goods for any home cook, from countertop appliances to canning supplies to cocktail gear to locally made foodstuffs. There’s also a fully stocked butcher shop, The Meat Hook, nestled inside. And the Brooklyn Kitchen also offers classes, always a good gift for anyone whose kitchen is already overstuffed. 100 Frost Street (Williamsburg).

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Front General Store. You’ll cross off a big chunk of your gift list at this Dumbo emporium, which carries an encyclopedic mix of vintage and new housewares and clothing. Items include spongeware pottery, animal-themed brass bookends, patched vintage work pants, skeleton keys, quilts, Welsh blankets, and pieces of vintage handwoven indigo-dyed fabric. Prices range from $20 for pastel plastic sunglasses to $300 for an antique Caucasian rug. 143 Front Street (Dumbo).

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Sincerely, Tommy. Sincerely, Tommy is Bed Stuy’s storefront gem that seeps haute aesthetic and cool-kid mana. Although a little on the pricey side, the contemporary clothing shop offers a myriad of emerging women’s wear and lifestyle brands, which is a good indication that your gift will likely be very special. Expect sales on multiple items for the holiday season and loads of inspiration from just browsing the racks. 343 Tompkins Avenue (Bed Stuy).

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Acorn Toy Shop. Founded by a filmmaker and an artist, this design-centric shop focuses on handcrafted toys for babies and toddlers. You’ll find wooden toys made in Germany in a rainbow of colors, petite dustpans and brooms, a diminutive grocery store with miniature eggs, leeks and scales, tiny but spirited felt dogs, play tents, irresistible bunny- and fawn-shaped pillows, and clothing and art by local makers. 323 Atlantic Avenue (Downtown Brooklyn).

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Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store. This petite Park Slope shop is chock full of quirky gifts, greeting cards and plenty of locally made goodies, and for the holiday seasons, a full wall of offbeat Christmas ornaments. It’s a safe bet for finding something a little weird, perfect for any kind of gift exchange. 232 5th Avenue (Park Slope).

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Jill Lindsey. This cafe–designer boutique hybrid offers workshops, trunk shows, clothing and housewares, some of it designed by local Pratt grads. The elegant and unusual goods include lamps, silk dresses, cutting boards, wine-scented perfume, children’s clothing, an artist-designed deck of cards for divination, and mushroom-print socks. 370 Myrtle near Clermont (Fort Greene).

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Brooklyn Historical Society Gift Shop. Pick up all sorts of unusual Brooklyn ephemera at this small but thoughtfully curated bookstore and gift shop. From hard-to-find books on Brooklyn history — 82 Remsen Street: Coming of Age in Brooklyn Heights, anyone? — to Brooklyn-themed toys and books for the little ones, the colorful selection will appeal to a wide range of interests and ages, whether they live in Brooklyn or not. 128 Pierrepont Street (Brooklyn Heights).

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BKLYN Larder. BKLYN Larder knows what’s up when it comes to cheese, charcuterie and gift baskets, making it a perfect one-stop shop for edible gifts. They also offer suscriptions for monthly packages of cheese, chocolate, olive oil and more. 228 Flatbush Avenue (Prospect Heights).

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By Brooklyn. Talk about homegrown — By Brooklyn only sells products made here. Check out kid-friendly wares like unicorn horn headbands, or edible goodies like pickles or natural fruit licorice. By Brooklyn has two storefront locations, but they’ll also ship to your door. 261 Smith Street (Carroll Gardens), 142 Grand Street (Williamsburg).

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Better Than Jam. Better Than Jam, which recently opened in this new location, sells handmade wares from local designers, mostly clothing, jewelry and accessories, as well as crafting supplies. 20 Grattan Street (Bushwick).

[Contributors: Cate Corcoran, Maude Delice, Hannah Frishberg, Laura Leebove]

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