5 Amazing Brooklyn Etsy Shops!

Photo Via Etsy

Given the task to find the best local Etsy shops, I buried my head in the site and searched through garbage and treasure, nearly going broke and having to talk myself out of many purchases. Luckily, I survived to share the details of my journey. So, without further ado and in no particular order, I bring you my top 5 picks:

Sophie Blackall (Art: Prints & Paintings)

You have to move fast with this artist because both of the drawings that I liked most were stolen straight from my cart! Fine, it was my internet cart so it wasn’t actual "Hey-that's-my-purse!" stealing, but still. Anyway, Sophie Blackall knows what’s up; the artwork is awesome and the little narratives are funny. Art and humor combined? Hell yes, I say. In addition, each piece is almost personal, giving you a feeling of comfort and familiarity (and not just because they’re mentioning trains that we take and locations we live near, smart asses).

Katwise (Zany coats)

I had to mention this one on principle alone. I mean, look at this shit! They’re upcycled (is that a thing?), recycled and my head is spinning in cycles just looking at them. In all seriousness though these colorful, recycled, hand-made hoodies are absolutely unique and amazing. But they sure as hell aren’t cheap: my personal favorite, the Extra Long Blue Eyeball Coat is a whopping $600. Although the pricing can be justified given the amount of work and creativity that’s put into each of these pieces, I can’t help but be surprised that they’ve made 3,393 sales…only because I can’t think of 3,393 people that would go for/could even pull off this eccentric look. I’m keeping my eyes peeled, though I probably won’t have to try too hard to spot one of these babies on the street.

The Light Store (Lighted things) 

When shopping for handmade items, I usually try to pick things that I couldn’t make myself. You won’t catch me buying a glittery pinecone off the internet, that’s what rainy afternoons at Granny’s are for. Going by this barometer and the fact that I would surely explode trying to fashion a lamp (I don’t fuck with electricity), I would feel more than OK with purchasing one of these kick ass lamps. Using a number of different mediums and colors to make their lamps, they cover a broad range of tastes and styles -- from the Hanging Twig Lamp for your more organic, earthy individual, to the Firefly Hanging Lamp for any of the 3,393 people hiding out wearing Katwise’s coats -- you can probably find the perfect lamp for just about anyone who likes unique lamps. Except Granny. Her lamps are made of glittery pinecones.

Ball and Chain (Jewelry)

Ball and Chain takes everyday objects, like jugs of milk and boom boxes (OK, boom boxes aren’t so common anymore, whatevs), and casts silver silhouettes of them to make simple yet badass accessories. And it’s not just silhouettes dangling on necklaces, there’s jewelry patterned in plaid and woodgrain, made of beads and feathers or recycled silverware, and just…just go look at it you lazy bastard, it’s good shit. Get yourself some tighty whitey undies or some fool’s gold (remember fool’s gold? Yeah!).

Luxxor (Vintage & Antique)

This place is the spot for all things vintage and antique. I have my eye on a few special pieces that I won’t be sharing with you, as you will surely steal them right from under my nose while I decide which to choose. The really good thing about this shop is that usually when you hear “vintage” you automatically think all hipster and fucking ridic expensive just because they’re using the word “vintage”, and although that may be the case for some of their stuff, they definitely have awesome stuff to suit any budget (highest at around $400, lowest under 20 bucks). One critique is that they only list one handmade item on their page (pictured above) and it’s pretty damn cool, so I’d like to see more of what they’re made of.