From Toronto, Dumbo Is The New Meatpacking District or the New Park Slope

From our friends up North in Toronto, Dumbo Brooklyn gets some focus for its trendy stores and food in a Globe and Mail article.

It’s interesting to hear that Dumbo can be seen as the new Meatpacking District (Belgian block streets, loft spaces, restaurant scene) or the new Park Slope (family oriented, gentrified living) considering the differences between the two. The article does a good job mentioning instances of both Meatpacking like stores of Loopy Mango, Wonk, and Prague Kolektiv and stores that cater to the Park Slope families, such as Pomme.


the vintage carousel on Water Street mentioned in the article (photo by dumbonyc)

For the article highlights, click on the link below.

One of these is the neighbourhood dubbed DUMBO, an acronym for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.” In layman’s terms, it’s the new Meatpacking District or the new Park Slope — trendy neighbourhoods that offer a shopping and lifestyle mix. It features the high-meets-low mix one sees in so many gentrifying neighbourhoods — at one end, a 24-hour organic deli, Foragers, (56 Adams St.,Brooklyn; 718-801-8400; foragersmarket.com), at the other, a vintage carousel in a state of refurbishment.

But DUMBO has other charms. Its stores have a light-hearted feel and an anachronistic theme. Take Loopy Mango, which sells everything from a vintage dollhouse to tops from Clu, the latest trendy West Coast minimalist line (68 Jay St., Brooklyn; 718-222-0595; loopymango.com). Wonk, in spite of its name, carries simple, locally produced wooden furniture that is more likely to prompt showroom esteem than thoughts of Dr. Seuss (68 Jay St., Brooklyn; 788-596-8026; www.wonknyc.com). Prague Kolektiv (143 Front St., Brooklyn; 718-260-8013; praguekolektiv.com) has a furniture conceit that’s not as far out as it seems — the neat, tweed-and-steel lines of “pre-war Czech avant-garde” has a lot to teach post-20th-century blasé style.

In spite of its design-consciousness, DUMBO is a comforting place. Perhaps it’s the dreamy, shrunken feeling of walking among giant bridge supports.

Indeed, children are particularly well served here, whether it’s at Pomme (81 Washington St., Brooklyn; 718-855-0623; www.pommenyc.com), which sells clothing and toys on a growing-up-in-France theme; or the factory of Jacques Torres (66 Water St., Brooklyn; 718-875-9772; www.mrchocolate.com), whose retail repertoire includes milk chocolate-covered Cheerios besides more “adult” dark chocolate-covered corn flakes.

{NYC’s trendiest — and tastiest — stores, Published 9/9/2006, Globe and Mail}

4 Comment

  • I’ve heard Dumbo be called the next SoHo, Meatpacking District, Park Slope, Tribeca. Why can’t Dumbo be Dumbo? It has a uniqueness of its own. I guess it’s relatively “hidden” by people outside of NYC.

  • I’ve heard Dumbo be called the next SoHo, Meatpacking District, Park Slope, Tribeca. Why can’t Dumbo be Dumbo? It has a uniqueness of its own. I guess it’s relatively “hidden” by people outside of NYC.

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