Big Deals for Thrifty Shoppers

Feb 11, 2009 by Khristina Narizhnaya

Sure times are tough, but North Brooklyn’s cash-strapped consumers need not despair. Help is just around the corner—literally: Our local bars, cafes, restaurants and fashionable boutiques offer some of the best deals in town.

Hot clothes

PeachFrog (136 N 10th Street) offers high-quality, dirt-cheap designer duds and home items at 70–90 per cent off their retail prices. With $50 Betsey Johnson dresses and $15 Union from Seattle jeans, this former egg-roll factory is the recession’s ultimate shopping destination.

Buffalo Exchange (504 Driggs Avenue) features high-end slightly worn designer clothing at ridiculously cheap prices for both men and women. Need another reason to stop by this fashion mecca? Bring your mildly worn clothes and redeem them at a percent of their retail price, or get store credit.

Cool Bars

The low-key Charleston (174 Bedford Avenue) offers a decent selection of beers on tap, wines, a free medium pizza with every drink and an attentive staff, to boot.

Music is good and whiskey flows like water at Spike Hill (184 Bedford Avenue). The bar offers an extensive selection of reasonably priced whiskeys and scotches with free top-notch live music every night. Previous performers at Spike Hill include Jazz singer Norah Jones with her band.

Cheap food

At Bagelsmith (189 Bedford Avenue) you can get fresh handmade bagels with cream-cheese and a small coffee for just $2.19. A free can of soda is offered with any sandwich that costs $5 or more.

Whether it’s a midnight snack you want or a satisfying meal, Oasis Falafel (161 N 7th Street) has got you covered. The $3 falafel sandwiches, served hot with fresh salad and spices, are among the best in New York City. All are welcome in the inclusive menu with all types of pies, lamb and chicken sandwiches and platters as well as vegetarian dishes, with prices ranging from $3 to $9.

Eden (166 N 7th Street), the pizza-place across the street from Oasis, offers the beloved New York Classic¬ – the $1.25 slice of plain pizza. For the gourmet among us, a variety of pies and calzones are sold here as well.

Endless Summer taco truck serves delicious fresh street food at prices ranging from $2.50 to $7. The $2.50 taco consists of two soft tortillas covered with beef, chicken or pork, cheese, onions, cilantro and hot sauce. The truck is vegetarian-friendly and features tacos, quesadillas and burritos made of beef, chicken, pork, chorizo (a cooked Spanish sausage), fish and seitan (a vegetarian wheat meat).

If you are in the mood for a hearty meal and don’t have much time or money to spare, Lomzynianka Restauracja (646 Manhattan Avenue) is your place. A generous portion of roast chicken with a side of veggies and mashed potatoes costs only $5. For $2.50 you get a cup of soup with four slices of white bread, fresh from a local bakery. The atmosphere is cozy and the service quick, making this Polish eatery one of the best deals in Greenpoint.

Yummy dessert

A sweet recession special is to be had at Penny Licks (158 Bedford Avenue). For $2 you get a cup of coffee and either a chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin or a Macadamia nut cookie. For ice-cream lovers, the café serves a single scoop of ice cream in a cone for just $.

Entertainment

Although the home entertainment industry has undergone many changes, Videology (308 Bedford Avenue) holds its own against Netflix. This local video store boasts a large selection of films that can be delivered in as little as 30 minutes. The courier who delivers the movies can also pick them up, and if the films are returned before due date, you get store credit.

Supplies

The 99-cent stores that line Greenpoint’s Manhattan Avenue, and pop up around Williamsburg, are a haven for budget-conscious shoppers. Here everything is sold from wine glasses to chocolate-covered marmalade to picture frames, all at around $1.