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
Attention Indie Comix fans: This has nothing to do with Brownstoner, but there is a Chris Ware show up at Adam Baumgold Gallery on East 79th until March 15.
Yep, Rocketship is a great place. They concentrate on indie/alt books but do have some superhero titles, classics, a kids section, etc. Nice mix of stuff. And, in a similar tribute to an old neighborhood business, they left up the old Bootery sign. I’ll be sure to check out Desert Island as well.
i too used to get my amce at clovis, for some reason they don’t sell them at that location any more. hope this new place does well. i need the new Mome!
alot like Rocketship, and believe it or not, Rocketship’s doing fine on unlikely Smith street. Desert Island has a fine chance of survival. Plenty of hipster artists trying to make comics and silkscreening over there, and i dont mean that meanly..
I am looking forward to seeing this store open. Good luck Gabriel.
Sounds a lot like Rocketship.
Stop right there! I have the only working phaser ever built. It was fired only once to keep William Shatner from making another album.
That store is a cheese shop now.
Can’t wait to check it out. As a nitpick, there used to be a bookstore (Clover Press?) in Williamsburg that carried Fantagraphics, D&Q and lots of ‘zines and minicomics. I think it’s gone now though.