Travel

Cobble Hill

Establishment neighborhood
Books Are Magic
225 Smith St., Cobble Hill
] Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Boerum Hill residents were rightly bummed when one of the best independent bookstores in all the boroughs (and arguably the country) announced it was closing at the end of 2016. After thirty-five years in business, whatever was to come after BookCourt had big shoes to fill. And it did. Novelist Emma Straub (The Vacationers, Modern Lovers) swooped in with her husband, designer Michael Fusco-Straub, to open the immediately adored Books Are Magic. The monthly lineup of book talks and signings brings out the brightest of the literary world (of which Straub is a clear darling). If it’s your first time, take a picture by the awesome mural before you head inside.
Shen Beauty
138 Court St, Cobble Hill
Run by one of the most curious, energetic minds in the beauty business, this OG clean beauty boutique is famous for sleuthing out next-big-thing brands, so shopping here is always a thrill. Everything here is super clean and nontoxic, too, including goop‘s own line of clean skin care and some of our favorites, like May Lindstrom, Pai Skincare, and RMS Beauty. But the brilliant secret is the spa treatments: microblading, brow and lash tints, lash lifts, lip blushing, and the ultimate: a skin-transforming facial. The Signature treatment is an amazing and customizable detox with your choice of LED light, dermaplaning, peels, ZIIP current, and microdermabrasion. Add on the Revealing Eye Therapy, which uses icicles to soothe, smooth, and totally awaken your undereye area.