Streetlevel: From T-Mobile to Comics on Metropolitan
This storefront at 540 Metropolitan Avenue (between Lorimer and Union) has had an interesting past.
The storefront in 2008 as Desert Island was preparing to open. Photo by Heather for Brownstoner
This storefront at 540 Metropolitan Avenue (between Lorimer and Union) has had an interesting past. After years as an Italian bakery, and then a T-mobile store, it is now slated to become Williamsburg’s first indie comics shop, Desert Island. What’s nice is that they’ve kept the original signage and that curved window intact. And let’s face it, getting your Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly fix locally seems like a no-brainer. Desert Island will also carry zines, artist’s books, and limited edition silkscreens. Owner Gabriel Fowler hopes to use the dramatic window space to showcase up-and-coming print artists. “Specific titles include Robert Crumb’s ‘Zap’ comics and Chris Ware’s ‘Acme Novelty Library’ (contemporary favorite), and tons of other obscure delicacies.” Desert Island will open for business in about three weeks. GMAP
They have a website now: http://www.desertislandbrooklyn.com/
pretty awesome!
I’ll second that! Anyone who needs infinite variety can visit a little store called the Internet. In my dreams, New York is full of shops like this. It’s well-curated, and everything in it is loved. I’m especially glad to have a place to see a great collection of independently printed publications, as well as a lot of stuff from outside the USA. (I’m a book designer, not a comic book collector). I’ll be going back.
it’s now open!! and f’ing awesome!
how will we know when it opens?
this is a welcome addition to the neighborhood and I hope it succeeds pre-T-mobile there was a pretty amazing art supply store in that location.
EXCELLENT. NYC needs more good comic shops and W’burg is the perfect spot for it.
This saves me from riding my bike six miles just to go to Rocketship. Awesome! Except now I won’t have any money.
Sounds great to me. I never was a serious superhero comic-book fan, but as a kid I always enjoyed Harvey Comics and later I became a rabid EC Horror book fan. I still get tingles looking at old issues of Eerie and Creepy and Famous Monsters and the like.
Anyhow, I’m an illustrator and, while I don’t do comics per se, I applaud anyone who celebrates them as an art form. I find a trip to Rocketship ( or St Marks comics or even Forbidden planet) incredibly inspiring. Looking forward to checking out Desert Island.
I only wish it was opening in Clinton Hill- we need an injection of retail cool like nothing else over here. If you’re ever looking to expand, lookover here…please!
Anyhow, good luck, Gabriel. You have my full support.
i could not be more excited about this. i’ve lived in greenpoint for 8 and half years and i’ve been wanting a comic book shop around here. clovis had some good stuff, but it wasn’t a great selection (as in variety, not that what they had was bad). there used to be a goth store in the mall on n. 5th that carried some comics, but again, not a whole lot.
i do hope they’ll carry a healthy amount of zines because there are so few places to get them in the city at all. not just around here.
i know where my paychecks are going to start going, now that i don’t need to go all the way into manhattan for them.