Shopping in Bayonne

In less than 1 square mile of Manhattan real estate, representatives from the world’s greatest fashion houses flock to the show rooms, sewing houses, and fabric stores that earned the neighborhood its alluring nickname—the Garment District. This is where shoppers will find Better Choice Fabrics, a store bustling with a menagerie of fabrics, including striking chiffons, intricate brocades, and gossamer-like lace. Amid multihued displays, customers snatch up textured cloth for their burgeoning projects, pore over sequined fabrics, or arrange bridal veils across foreheads or over life-size pictures of their soon-to-be-wed cockatiels.

As a partner of the NY Waterway's East River Ferry, Peachfrog gives travelers from across the five boroughs a compelling reason to trek out to North Williamsburg by boat. The overstock boutique fits in well with its up-and-coming surroundings, outfitting guests with the dresses, hats, and handbags necessary to stand out among the hip crowd that frequents the nearby wine bars, brew pubs, and underground cinemas.

These chic apparel items—along with the store’s housewares and accessories—arrive directly from boutique retailers. Peachfrog does its part to ensure that they move along quickly, marking them at up to 90% off their original prices and continually seeking out new items to take their place. "They're finds, they're treasures, they're gone," cofounder Howard Blumberg notes. He specializes in tracking down unique items, kindly passing on pieces that one could easily find in a chain or department store.

Blumberg founded the shop with business partner and sculptor Bill Norton, a pioneer of the area's arts community who formerly served as the director of installations at MoMA PS1. Under Norton's artistic hand, Peachfrog transformed from the hull of an old egg-roll factory into an industrial-chic boutique. Today, men's clothing items dwell in what was once a large freezer, and the factory kitchen’s original range hoods extract heat from sundresses entering their supernova stage in the dressing rooms. In 2009, the New York Times gave Peachfrog an approving nod, citing the store's expansive inventory as well as its close proximity to other charming shops and street vendors.

For more than 25 years, New Yorkers' toes have found safe haven in Shoe Parlor’s collection of boots, sandals, dress shoes, sneakers, pumps, and flats. The store boasts a selection of footwear that includes such top brands as Ugg, Sorel, Birkenstock, Calvin Klein, Converse, Timberland, and Sam Edelman. Customers can visit the store's online portal or its storefront, just a block from Carnegie Hall, to peruse an assortment of women’s, men’s, kids', and horse's shoes.

Sunlight bounces off the windows of the towering Empire State building, shooting its reflective rays into YAFiX's 5th Avenue location. As thousands of cell phone- and computer-toting New Yorkers pass to and fro on the bustling street outside, YAFiX's team of professional technicians diligently works to keep abreast of the newest advancements in electronics repair and customization services. They specialize in Apple repairs, securing their licensed and insured work with a 100% guarantee. In addition, the fast-working team can also customize iPhones and iPads with color-swapping services, which change out the trademark white or black shells with more vibrant hues to showcase individuality or with invisibility cases to hide phones from home-obsessed extraterrestrial visitors.

As the recession deepened, Metro Art & Frame owner Bo Okuyan found that demand never slackened for one market of art collectors: parents. Mr. Okuyan's business savvy caught the attention of the New York Times' Michael Winerip in 2010, who noted that a steady supply of finger paintings and crafts had caused Bo to rethink his definition of art. “All kids are artists, that’s how we look at it now,” he said. Whether upgrading fridge-hung stick-figure portraits to a permanent gallery or framing a more traditionally priceless painting, Mr. Okuyan and his staff begin with a complimentary consultation, tailoring each project to fit home or office aesthetics and personal style. Metro Art & Frame's acid-free mats center photographs, oil paintings, or post-modern puddles of spilled milk in an ornate, gold-leafed frame or elegant black one. Five types of glass and two flavors of plexiglass guard sensitive paintings from light damage with UV protection, and the shop's selection of contemporary and classic prints lets patrons fill in the gaps in their home galleries.