An Anti-Kardashian Jaunt For New York Quirk in SoHo

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Welcome to Drunk Shopping, our feature celebrating the time-honored tradition of getting totally wasted while the sun's still shining before buying a bunch of debatably useful stuff that the sober you would be too timid or too restrained to take home. Each Friday we'll cobble together a new itinerary starting you off with a boozy Saturday or Sunday brunch before meandering through a few neighboring retailers and happy hours notable for seasonal specials, limited time availability, fantastic deals, recent openings, or new shipments.

The Kardashians moving their trampy hobby shop into Soho might seem like a real kick in the teeth to many of you (because it does to many of us). As if New York isn't sterilized and corporate enough—a slew of famous-for-being-only-kinda-famous bitches are sucking up real estate in our best shopping district. And the fact that a lot of people are really, really psyched on it—well, that's the worst part.

So Drunk Shopping is hitting Soho (and Nolita) for spite. Avoiding Dash (noses up) and visiting the stores that make our city the City. The funky, the quirky, the fabulous, the ones without reality television contracts and velvet ropes for no reason. So strap on your Drunk Shopping shoes for an afternoon of feeling good about being here and always having other options.

Where better to start than Spring Street Natural—serving seasonal and affordable and really pretty fantastic meals since 1973? Their weekend brunches are a friendly affair with live music, a litany of daily specials, a big basket of house-made bread and a massive, pleasantly-affordable wine and cocktail list. There might be a wait; it's usually worth it.

There are so many fantastic stops it's almost impossible to put together a manageable, coherent list. So we're making suggestions, a lot of suggestions—just bear with us.

Oh the clothes: Opening Ceremony is one of the finest boutiques in the world, and they just expanded. Old guard avant-garde awaits at IF, while the new(er) guard of avant-garde is ready and waiting at Seven New York and Nom de Guerre. Looking for brand-specific flagships you can't just find anywhere? Jil Sander, Dunderdon, Acne, Philip Lim, RRL, Tsubi, Anna Sui, A.P.C., Supreme, the original and-so-New-York Jack Spade—we could go on indefinitely.

For oddities and objets: A museum-quality tribute to the everyday at Kiosk; skulls, taxidermy and the truly weird at Evolution; and (duh) the MOMA Design Store. For gorgeous, glorious books: Taschen and Phaidon have shops showcasing everything they have in print. Clic Bookstore & Gallery has a beautifully-curated selection of art and design books. McNally Jackson has, like, every magazine ever. For the full scope of vintage from accessible to unbelievable: Zachary's Smile, What Goes Around Comes Around, Amarcord, and so many others.

That's a lot of great so take at least a little solace: New York is still New York. And you should drink to that! We suggest two Drunk Shopping favorites for boozy breaks—a midday beer at Gatsby's (a Douche York classic) and a final few at the quintessential New York sorta-hipster dive (that also happens to be dirt cheap), Botanica.

Enjoy! And please do share your Drunk Shopping tips, tales, and war stories in the comments.

· The Kardashians' Store Opens, Kauses Komplete Khaos [Racked NY]
· Drunk Shopping [Racked NY]