13 Best Shopping in Lower East Side, New York City

Arguably the best place to buy fragrance in Manhattan, this lovely smelling boutique's super-knowledgeable staff help shoppers find the perfect scent. High-end (and predominantly European) brands like L'Artisan Parfumeur and Astier de Villatte are stocked, along with luxurious skin-care products, pricey candles, and room diffusers.

A well-chosen collection of clothes, accessories, and objects from some of the most exciting independent designers in the world is on display at this minimalist, industrial-chic boutique. Try on a hot-pink blazer from Eckaus Latta, a colorful patchwork blouse by Sophie Andes Gascon, or a classic silhouette from Paris Georgia. Zadeh's own line is also available, and she sometimes stocks flea-market finds from her travels.

Sure you can shop online for sex toys for maximum anonymity, but if you want to see and touch the goodies IRL before you purchase, this is the place to go. The staff is friendly and helpful, but not in a way that’ll make you uncomfortable, and there are plenty of lubes and dress-up clothes as well.

Oh, to be a kid in a candy store! Economy Candy has been making life sweeter since 1937, and the floor-to-ceiling shelves and candy-and-nut dispensers here are filled with bulk specialty and brand-name goodies, from every flavor of gummy candy and jelly bean—you can purchase by flavor or just by color—to nuts, halvah, and chocolate-covered everything. There are also everyday chocolate bars like Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, and M&Ms (available in bulk or in five-pound bags). If you’ve never tried Canadian chocolate bars like Coffee Crisp, Aero, and Crispy Crunch, you’re in for a treat.

Begun as a pop-up in 2019, there was enough fanfare about South African–born, New York–based Daniella Kallmeyer's understated, earth-toned women's pieces that it went permanent on Orchard Street soon after. A favorite place to shop among New York's art scene crowd, the shop also features the designer's favorite brands of vintage jewelry. 

This small shop is a fixture in the neighborhood, showcasing impeccably curated racks of second-hand designer togs and accessories from the likes of Prada, Comme des Garçons, and more. The owners source their pieces from auctions and private dealers around the world.

For NYC-theme souvenirs that are worlds away from the tacky tourist tchotchkes, the gift shop at the Tenement Museum has it all: books, cards, puzzles, tote bags, jewelry, and much more.

In the late 1800s, pickle sellers were a dime a dozen—or to be more exact, a penny a cucumber, which went up to around a nickel by the early 1900s: it was cheap snack, and there were pickle vendors selling their wares from pushcarts and giant barrels all over the Lower East Side. It's said that at one point there were 200 pickle sellers on Essex Street alone, but these days there's only one left: The Pickle Guys.