A Dupré-Lafon leather box, $10,000 at BAC.
Orange Blossom candle ($65) and 100-milliliter cologne ($80), at Bloomingdale’s Soho.
Classic paperbacks start at $1 at Housing Works Used Book Café.
Glass vases (starting at $950) at De Vera.
Cast-bronze antlers ($580 a pair) from BDDW.
Fuchsia suspender panties are $398; bra, $240 at 37=1.
Silver leather Kensington accordion-style wallet ($175) at MZ Wallace.
A coated Italian-leather handbag ($206) from Kazuyo Nakano New York.
A wool cardigan by Cloak ($500) at Atelier. Photographs by Davies and Starr
(1.) BAC
16 Crosby St.
Behind the sleek, intimidating façade, you’ll find exquisite twentieth-century European pieces curated by architect-owner Carlos Aparicio. Right, a forties leather box by Dupré-Lafon for Hermès is $10,000.
(2.) Bloomingdale’s Soho
504 Broadway
The Crosby Street back entrance is more civilized than the mob scene at the front. It leads to five floors and 90,000 square feet of merchandise that add up to one-stop shopping for most of your list. This Orange Blossom candle ($65) and 100-milliliter cologne ($80), both by Jo Malone (right), make great presents.
(3.) MoMA Design Store
81 Spring St.
Now on the lower level: sleek Japanese design company Muji’s first North American store. Try elegant, minimal stationery, frosted plastic boxes in all sizes, or portable speakers ($42).
(4.) Housing Works Used Book Café
126 Crosby St.
With mahogany-paneled walls, spiral staircases, and 45,000 books, it looks like an Ivy League library. Classic paperbacks start at $1 (right); a limited-edition signed copy of Arthur Szyk’s Ink and Blood is $850.
(5.) De Vera
1 Crosby St.
Every piece is unique, from the jewelry that Federico de Vera designs (using antique coins and pieces of coral) to the artifacts he finds (hand-carved nineteenth-century Japanese Buddhas) and the contemporary artists he shows—like these glass vases by Ben Edols and Kathy Elliott (right, starting at $950).
(6.) BDDW
5 Crosby St.
Tyler Hays’s simple but stunning custom furniture, handmade in Williamsburg, feels modern and warm. It also requires weeks of lead time and thousands of dollars. If you’re looking last-minute, try cast-bronze antlers (above, $580 a pair) or colorful plastic birds from Japan that chirp when people walk by ($20).
(7.) Michele Varian
35 Crosby St.
Varian is known for her decorative throw pillows in unusual combinations, like metallic leather and silk ($90–$158, including feather/down inserts). For the holidays, she also has home accessories and jewelry.
(8.) 37=1
37 Crosby St.
From this tiny atelier, Jean Yu produces beautiful lingerie. These fuchsia suspender panties are $398; bra, $240.
(9.) IS
91 Crosby St.
Stationery created by and for graphic designers. New collections appear seasonally: A perennial favorite is a chic set of three black notebooks with colored sheets ($27.50), ideal for those who still prefer pen to Palm.
(10.) M Z Wallace
93 Crosby St.
Known for canvas, velvet, and tweed handbags and totes ($145–$245), the store also has a new collection of leather wallets, like the silver leather Kensington accordion-style shown above ($175).
(11.) Kazuyo Nakano New York
117 Crosby St.
This Japanese designer makes small, classic leather handbags and totes with a twist, like chain or crystal accents. Prices start at $41 for a MetroCard holder. Right, a coated Italian-leather handbag from one of Nakano’s older but still popular collections, $206.
(12.) Atelier
125 Crosby St.
High-end men’s clothes, shoes, and accessories by Rick Owens, Balenciaga, Carol Christian Poell, Ann Demeulemeester, Les Hommes, and Shaun Leane. If you want patterns and color, don’t bother, but the muted tones and simple styles are perfect for minimalist dressers. Right, a wool cardigan by Cloak, $500.