Galerie Half

If you peruse the internet long enough, you will find poems inspired by Galerie Half—which is, we must imagine, one of the highest compliments to which any establishment can aspire. This, however, is not our favorite fact about Galerie Half. That distinction goes to a story about its co-founder Clifford Fong, which alleges that when his college apartment converted to condos many years after he’d dwelled within its walls, he bought one to furnish in a way quite disparate from how he’d done so—with just a mattress on the floor—in the salad days of his less-than-flush youth. Though the gallery itself is not at all musty, cluttered, or lived in (instead it's rather sparse compared to most of its peers), the bulk of the antiques it houses have a homey vibe that lends a friend-to-friend feel to any transaction. Though its pieces are mixed in style and era of origin—they range from the 1800s to the 1970s, with a sweet spot between 1930 and 1950—the space somehow does not feel eclectic so much as curated into one cohesive story. Galerie Half also boasts an impressive roster of celebrity fans, so don’t be surprised if Ellen DeGeneres beats you to that late 18th century bluestone-top table you’ve been eyeing.