Williamsburg

The story

North Williamsburg's shopping runs along Bedford Avenue and the numbered North streets from North 4th to North 9th, out to Wythe Avenue near the waterfront. The Bedford Avenue L stop sits in the middle of it. Expect jewelry shops, vintage stores and a weekend market, with a few brand stores like Apple and Levi's mixed in.

Jewelry is one strong suit, with Catbird on North 7th and Norbu on Bedford. Vintage is the other, in the core and on Grand Street, Metropolitan, Marcy and Driggs Avenues beyond it. It suits shoppers after independent labels, secondhand clothes and an afternoon on foot.

What to Expect

On Bedford Avenue, Pema is owner Pema Kongpo's women's boutique, mixing Tibetan influences with modern dressing and an in-house line. The Mini Mall is an indoor arcade of small shops, including Spoonbill & Sugartown Books for new and used art and design titles. Norbu stocks jewelry from more than 100 designers, and Apple Williamsburg is at 247.

On the North streets, Catbird sits behind a green door with walk-in permanent jewelry, ear piercing, charm building and a ring annex upstairs. Artists & Fleas brings art, jewelry, vintage clothing and records on weekends. Awoke Vintage focuses on '70s and '80s pieces, and 10ft Single by Stella Dallas is a large shop for outerwear, Dr. Martens and deadstock. Levi's has an on-site tailor for hemming and embroidery, and Aesop is a block off Wythe. Farther out, Other People's Clothes buys, sells and trades, Plus Bklyn stocks sizes 0X to 6X, L Train Vintage has leather and denim jackets, and Mother of Junk is packed with old furniture and records.

Best Time to Visit

Most shops post about 11am to 7pm daily, and brand stores run later: Apple is open until 9pm on weekdays. Come on a weekend for Artists & Fleas, which runs Saturday and Sunday 11am to 7pm. Vintage works in the evening, since Awoke Vintage and Mother of Junk are open daily until 9pm and Plus Bklyn and Other People's Clothes until 8pm. L Train Vintage is closed Monday.

If You Only Have an Hour

Get off the L at Bedford Avenue. Walk to Norbu, then the Mini Mall for Spoonbill & Sugartown. Head over to North 7th for Catbird, and on a weekend finish at Artists & Fleas.

Where to Eat

The Four Horsemen is a wine bar with a seasonal menu and a grape-focused list; book or expect a wait, and order the veal sweetbread skewers. Shota Omakase is chef Cheng Lin's relaxed omakase counter, with seasonal nigiri and cooked bites like binchotan-seared sawara. Francie is a brasserie-style Italian room with an open kitchen in South Williamsburg; the clam conchiglie and the whole roast duck with barley-honey glaze stand out. All three are in the MICHELIN Guide.