Best independent shops: Red Hook

home/made
The owners of this funky-fresh home-goods store also own the similarly named wine garden/grill around the corner (formerly known as Tini), where most of the stoneware, woven baskets and customized treasures are for sale. Sip some vino while you restock your style. 263 Van Brunt St at Pioneer St (347-223-4135, homemadebklyn.com)

Saipua
This family-owned flower shop creates incredible bouquets, with seasonal blossoms fit for a blushing bride or an ambrosia-sipping princess. Whether you need to make a serious apology or clean up your act with natural olive oil-based soaps, Saipua’s got just the thing. 392 Van Brunt St between Coffey and Dikeman Sts (718-624-2929, saipua.com)

Brooklyn Collective
In a big ol’ eff-you to the proverbial Man, Brooklyn Collective opened its doors to artists who wanted to showcase their work without the pressures of corporate retail. Members bear the brunt of the rent and keep 100 percent of their profits. Check out the urban landscapes by Chris Tsanos or impossibly delicate gold-leaf earrings by Jess Yam. 198 Columbia St between DeGraw and Sackett Sts, Carroll Gardens (718-596-6231, brooklyncollective.com)

Erie Basin
Sampling Russell Whitmore’s shop is like taking a crash course in art history, without all those slides. Not your typical hand-me-down jewelry, these 19th- and early-20th-century antiques have been handpicked and preserved with fastidious care. While a 1920s Art Deco diamond ring can cost you a pretty penny ($650), Erie Basin carries more reasonable treasures, like an abalone brooch from 1910 ($30) and a weirdly wonderful 1860s cross pendant made from gold and human hair ($90). 388 Van Brunt St at Dikeman St (718-554-6147, eriebasin.com)

Metal & Thread
Step into this cozy, dimly lit shop to bolster your Brooklyn pride. Denise Carbonell has set up a store where the fiver in your pocket can send you home happy instead of hankering. Peruse handmade items (mostly) from Red Hook residents. With quilts, chain-mail jewelry, wire-sculpted hands and recycled coffee-bag purselets, local never looked so good. 398 Van Brunt St between Coffey and Dikeman Sts (718-414-9651)

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Shopping guide '09
Best independent shops Forget chain stores. It's the little guys we're loving right now.