SHOPS LIKE GOOSE BARNACLE GIVE DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN ITS FLAVOR

Acclaimed menswear shop and art gallery Goose Barnacle is located at the tip of Atlantic Avenue — so close to the river you can feel the breeze. It’s small and unassuming and packed to the brim with incredibly stylish, well-made finds, vintage furnishings and decor. Owner David Alperin is a soccer fanatic, and this fact is reflected in everything from the bespoke leather cleats to the semi-secret social club and event space in the back, which always has the game on. He’s a neighborhood guy, with roots that go back several generations (his grandparents opened Long Island Bar!), and his customers mostly live in the neighborhood, too. We can’t recommend this shop enough — read on for a little more insight into Goose Barnacle (and David!).

Q: Why DTBK?
A: “I had no choice, born and raised Downtown. Fifth generation and it’s the best.”

Q: What exactly is a goose barnacle?
A: “Goose barnacle is a seafood delicacy from the second best place in the world: Galicia, Spain. Goose barnacle is a symbol I use to represent the Galician immigrants who came to Brooklyn Heights for a better life during the Spanish Civil War. These immigrants built the majority of the Brooklyn Bridge, worked in the piers as longshoreman and created a community that continues today.”

Q: Why do you think your customers shop here?
A: “My customers believe in community and conscious consumerism. Buy less but buy better!”

Q: You have great taste. What are you wearing these days?
A: “My vintage Benetton multicolor mohair sweater, Goose Barnacle Italian raw denim, Goose Barnacle Portuguese flannel, plus ultra-high white socks, Stig Percy collaboration loafers and a Mitchell Ness NYCFC snapback hat.”