cherrypatter nyc
and great ideas for what to do too!
ruby moriarty: thinking japanese in brooklyn
at the point just before carroll gardens turns into an industrial wasteland, the southern edge of court street has become a surprising destination with a few solid food options as well as some great shops lining the end of the street right before the charming entrance to the brooklyn queens expressway. my guess is that frankies 457 started it all when they opened up in 2004. this spring the same owners opened prime meats a block further south on court (we have been dying to go but it has not yet happened), and just this past winter buttermilk channel opened with great fanfare, lots of positive press and lots and lots of admirers (while i don’t think it’s great it is definitely a lovely space and has some yummy items).
and for those of us who like to shop, and who might have to wait for a table at one of these hotspots, fortunately there are some fine choices. ruby moriarty is one of these. just down the street from these three food stops, ruby moriarty is the vision of and is run by by jessica dineen, a woman who loves to travel and used to do (and maybe still does) quite a bit of travel writing and her love for other places shines through. the shop is filled with her obsessions including lots of very hard to find but very much coveted japanese items. as i am a lover of kitsch on occasion (i have in the not so distant past owned an anya hindmarch donkey bag), so it is not so odd for me to be obsessing over the vinyl bags by minmie (shown above) which are hard to find in the u.s. some of these are really great with detailed cartoons of eggs or shrimp along with an accompanying recipe – everything a girl needs when she goes about town. ruby moriarty also carries the more accessible tenshi neko bags with drawings of devils and angels on them and pocky bags as well.
and i will definitely have to visit soon to check out the jessica’s handmade dresses and skirts and soon to come handpainted t-shirts. when i visited a few weeks ago, ruby moriarty had a super cute red cotton shift on display with an empire waist, and more recently there are halter neck sundresses designed in a 1920s style that i really must come see. what is great is that jessica makes only a few of each style so that they truly remain one-of-a-kind items.
ruby moriarty also carries some great looking japanese pajamas for children by glory and doraemon. and there are lots of toys and treats too. fake mini cakes from thailand, snacks including the chocolate lollipops above by fujia, all sorts of pocky sticks as well as crackers that look like mushrooms with a chocolate top. k and s would love those — looks like a vegetable but really dessert. i might have to just go stand in line at butterfield channel for an excuse to visit. ruby moriarty, 516 court street between nelson and huntington streets, brooklyn, new york, .
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[...] had been store518) joins some of my other favorite little shops and food pit stops (including ruby moriarty and prime meats) concentrated in this great area at the far end of court street in [...]