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The stretch of Havemeyer Street that runs between Grand and the BQE is one of Williamsburg's last retail-light zones. Mixed in with the dollar stores, restaurants, and bodegas there's Joinery (home of the blanket waiting list), Rabbits, (home of an extensive Japanese vintage selection), and, as of today, East of the Mississippi (home of handmade womenswear, accessories, and home goods).
Dreamed up by Parsons alums Ali Nichols and Linsay Long, the garden-level space is a bit like an East Coast road trip in store form. The pair traveled from Portland, Maine to Miami, Florida, picking up everything from hand-stitched baseballs (in New Jersey) to perfectly-distressed denim (in Raleigh, North Carolina) from makers along the way.
Local designers are also well-represented, with turquoise and brass jewelry by Psyche, Upstate's shibori sweatshirts and silk slipdresses, and definitely-too-fancy-for-the-gym leather jump ropes made in Greenpoint by General Manufacturing Concern.