Caravan

Like any downtown boutique, Caravan is pricey. It does, however, have two traits that bring it above the fray in my opinion: the clothes are really unique, much more noteworthy than anything you’d find at an Intermix or Scoop; and the staff is also unbelievably friendly and accommodating.
That first quality is almost a downside, however. Some of the stuff is too offbeat for «normal» wear (i.e. to the office), and because the selection is small, that means that you just might not find anything you could actually wear more than once. I went here in search of a classy «going out» top and did manage to find one — but it took some digging.
As for the friendliness of the staff, however, that’s just awesome. I somehow got my hands on a 20%-off discount, and even though I didn’t actually use it until a month later, they still honored it and were great about my shuttling back and forth to the fitting rooms. Caravan sells unique, rather high-​end pieces, but there’s a refreshing unpretentiousness to the atmosphere that means I’d certainly go back.
As a bonus, it’s also a fairly large store, so it’s not like one of those tiny boutiques that give anyone claustrophobia.

five stars baby because the owner is smoking hot, hot lava baby, hot hot — the kinda hot that makes me melt.
hunger can wait, it’s our last night in new york city and boy are we glad we stopped by! the staff here are the most wonderful, fun and hilarious we’ve encountered! upon walking in, they offered us drinks, wine, beer, juice, water AND the most delicious raspberry chocolate cake. if i didn’t knew better, i would have thought that they were trying to get us drunk. however, you needn’t be drunk to admire and appreciate the clothing here. i have to admit it’s a bit more than what i would normally hope to spend (that’s part of the justification so i don’t feel entirely bad about spending) but the styles are unique so there goes the flashing green light. i mean think about it, would you like to walk down the street and see every girl and possibly her mother wearing the same thing as you?
anyway, we bought some super cute stuff here, but one of my favorites is a black tank top that says «drug dealer» in white on the front, and «a buck a day buys the drugs that keep a child alive».
, on the back.
my mom was like… are you really going to wear that? no ma, i bought it so i could frame it.

If you’re sick of Big Drop, Scoop, and Intermix, head over to Caravan (a breath away from Screaming Mimi).
This new store (opened a year or two ago) features clothes that are trendy (but not excessively so) and one-​of-​a-​kind necklaces and earrings. The labels are slightly more offbeat, and clearly the owners have a good eye for choosing great pieces. Caravan is not cheap, but prices (especially for jewelry) are reasonable and if the manager is in store, you can negotiate ;)
Update: They have a MOBILE store that’s parked around different areas in Manhattan. Go shop in a truck! How cool is that!!!