The Best Shopping Hood in America is Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Illustration by Jon Han

The Best Shopping Hood in America is Williamsburg, Brooklyn 

by Andrew Richdale

It's not just disaffected musicians smoking cigarettes, or people who look like—or actually are in—the cast of Girls. The former trucker-hat capital of the world is now an unparalleled place to shop for everything from a surfboard to, yes, a bespoke suit. (Also: There are really good fish tacos)

Jay-Z & Beyoncé in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

When you get to Williamsburg, you'll know it—the Bedford Avenue subway platform is basically the world's only continuously operating fashion runway. There are stairs at the end of the catwalk—take them to street level and head for Strawser & Smith (1), a home-design store with stuff like Navajo-print Eames chairs. Men round these parts wear necklaces, which is why In God We Trust (2) thrives. If you'd prefer to buy cologne from people with a sharper point of view than at the department store, how about CB I Hate Perfume (3)? A eucalyptus shave at Barber & Supply (4) will also improve your odor. Or keep your beard and follow the indigenous urban lumberjacks to their outfitter, H. W. Carter & Sons (5). Nearby Academy Records (6) stocks more than just used Joy Division— you'll also find Patsy Cline and Ali Farka Touré. Now, some sustenance—pour-over coffee from Blue Bottle (7), worth-it $8 chocolate bars from Mast Brothers (8), or oysters and a beer at Maison Premiere (9)—before you plow through the jeans at Brooklyn Denim Co. (10). Pilgrim Surf + Supply (11), part of the new wave of surf shops, offers wet suits to wave riders and T-shirts to the rest of us. Sprout's (12) terrariums may change your feelings on micro-gardening. If you've worked up an appetite, there are tacos at La Superior (13), bacon-egg-and-cheese biscuits at Marlow & Sons (14), or the famous burger at Diner (15). Then binge on Japanese chore jackets and quirky American ties at Hickoree's (16). Before you catch the subway at Marcy Avenue (Jay- Z's old hood), duck into D.O.C. Wine Shop (17), which feels like a living room in a Kubrick set. Lastly, order a custom suit at Brooklyn Tailors (18). Did we just say "suit"? In Williamsburg? This place really has grown up. — GQ