Shopping in Greenwich Village: The best stores and boutiques

Murray’s Cheese has been New York City’s most famed and beloved, vast and varied dairy purveyor since it first opened in Greenwich Village decades ago. Today, it has additional locations in and outside of Manhattan, as well as availability via large retailers throughout the United States.  Here at home, you can still consult Murray’s top cheesemongers at its charming Bleecker Street shop, Grand Central outpost and Long Island City locale for samples, including proprietary cave-aged varieties prepared right here in town. They’ll also help you match your picks to charcuterie, jams, spreads and crackers for a veritable feast you can source all in one spot.   You can even learn a bit of the trade at Murray’s downtown flagship via burrata and mozzarella-making classes, or lessons on wine and cheese pairings. The classic address also hosts a mac and cheese pop-up, replete with that titular item, sandwich melts and cheese flights, among other menu items. 

You’ll be transported to Paris once you step inside this opulent bath-and-body shop. Rich burgundy carpets, gilded wallpaper, a gloriously huge chandelier and a mahogany desk that serves as the checkout area set the stage for the luxurious fragrances ($50–$300), candles ($20–$400), lotions, and soaps from brands like Diptyque and Annick Goutal. Curiosity cabinets house many of the store’s exclusives—the West Village outpost is the only location in the country to sell several items, including candles by Les Secrets Ladurée Paris.  

The PPB's main focus is on couples looking to invigorate their sex lives with props, potions or costumes. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the store carries a huge number of toys, starting with cheap bullet vibes and topping out with $100-plus extreme dildos. The company's been in business since 1972, which makes Pink Pussycat a trusted name for dommes and submissives alike.

In operation since 1965, this friendly West Village institution sells all manner of fetish attire, as well as books, sex toys, magazines and plenty more.

This stationery store—with exposed brick, cheerful floral wallpaper and a pink overhanging lamp—exudes West Village charm. It’s owned by sisters Amy Swanson and Beth Salvini, whose family has been in the printing biz for three generations, and nearly everything is designed in-house and produced on an old Gutenberg-style press. Aside from note cards and stationery, GLP also offers notebooks, rubber stamps, labels, gift tags and striking wrapping paper ($3–$5 a sheet).

This San Francisco hatmaker expands with a second NYC location (the original is in Park Slope). Brick walls, a black tin ceiling, a leather lounge chair and Edison-style lightbulbs provide an old-timey vibe—fitting, since the company began in 1895. Even the merchandise harkens to the days of yore, with a wide range of fedora styles for ladies and gents, including short-brimmed leather ($100), satin-banded straw ($50) and summery plaid ($54) variations. Guys can don any number of newsboy caps ($38–$110), while women can get a sweet retro look with all manner of cloches ($34–$140). Goorin does contemporary styles too, as evidenced by wildly printed ball caps ($34) and trucker hats ($25). Gals should stop in for summer’s must-have floppy sun hat ($350–$490), such as our favorite red Panama straw version ($140). 

When Insoek Paek opened this luggage, handbag and travel accessories store in 1989, he wanted to create a neighborhood shop with a European feel. He’s done exactly that by stocking the neatly organized bag emporium with international brands such as Upla and Jack Gomme from France, and Italian line Mywalit. Paek draws on his hospitality experience from stints at South Korean hotels, chatting up customers to recommend items and personally delivering purchases throughout Manhattan for free. Last-minute types who always find themselves running to the gate should invest in Tumi rolling carry-ons ($395) or Samsonite hard-side bags with rotating wheels ($189) for quicker sprints. Cover and safeguard your suitcases with clear Luggage Protect bags ($30) or guard your hands from blisters with Lewis N. Clark Belle Hop cushioned handle wraps ($15).

Look for the deep blue awning on Bleecker Street and venture inside to scope out high-end paraphernalia from brand names like Sheldon Black, Medicali and JBD. The clerks are reputably knowledgeable and can service all your tricked-out pieces and one-of-a-kind accessory needs. Make sure to ask about Illadelph Glass products—they’re beautifully crafted and come in many different iterations.

This West Village smoke shop has products at every price for every type of smoker—there are glass pipes and rolling papers and hookahs and flavored tobacco and grinders and vaporizers (and more). Also, the people who work here are knowledgable and helpful about the vast inventory without being pushy, a rarity in smoke shops.

This Meatpacking District boutique is named after owner Kilian Hennessy (he’s also a descendant to the creator of the top-shelf cognac brand). And much like the ingredients in a great cocktail, all of the fragrances here are totally intoxicating. Apple Brandy (a unique accord of apple liqueur and woods, $235) is a top-seller—it’s inspired by the Big Apple. Ask the staff for a free sample and take it for a test drive.