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Ever since January began, we've been engaged in a possibly-crazy attempt to ferret out every single amazing secret store in New York City. The Upper East Side storefront that sells nothing but buttons, the Polaroid equipment shop on the fifth floor of a high-rise, the Soho menswear boutique hidden within a furniture store—if it's strange, somewhat magical, and nearly impossible to locate, it goes on the list. To help us with the quest, we've turned to fashion and retail insiders from home photographer Todd Selby to British style blogger Suzy Bubble, figuring that nobody would know the hidden shopping corridors of the city like people who think about clothes for a living.

One month in, we've barely begun to scratch the surface, but we've got enough to start plotting a map of their answers. Enjoy our findings below, and if you've got your own hidden gem of a store to recommend, let us know in the comments.

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