1. here a shop, there a shop; Jane Herman finds gold in the finely tuned boutiques just east of the beaten path.(Carroll Gardens, New York)

Byline: Jane Herman

This past summer I left Manhattan and moved to Carroll Gardens, a predominantly Italian neighborhood in south Brooklyn made up of large landmarked brownstones and small family-run businesses. It was an easy thing to do, not nearly as bitter as it was sweet, though some-my mother, for one-didn't feel the same. Why ever would I choose to leave Greenwich Village? she asked. What's better than its storied, picturesque streets and close proximity to, well, everything?

There's no doubt I love Manhattan's exceptional offerings, and in the eight years I lived there, I had come to rely heavily on its best-known stores, for gift shopping especially. Curious tabletop accessories from John Derian Company and seasonal designer pieces from Bergdorf Goodman or Barneys always impress and please. So with the holidays drawing near, the real question soon became, On the other side of the East River, far from SoHo and Madison Avenue, what were my options?

As in most cities adjacent to greatness, my new neighborhood is home to a list of beautifully executed petite boutiques. They're places that sell only a handful of forward-thinking labels or one-of-a-kind finds from the far ends of the Earth. At shops like Butter, Bark, Darr, and Bird (I suspect that the popularity of the single-word store name is directly linked to the area's artfully understated lifestyle), the owners are almost always present. And although the gifts one finds here don't come in iconic boxes, they will certainly have the souvenir-like specialness that often trumps celebrity status.

Because I'm still new to the area, I start by seeking advice from local fashion friends. Jewelry designers Gillian Conroy and Danica Wilcox, whose delicate gold-set pieces are sold at the aforementioned Butter, recommend that I start on the major thoroughfare, Atlantic Avenue, where a handful of Middle Eastern markets toward the river gives way to a string of antiques stores and minimalist boutiques as you move farther inland.

On the western end of the avenue, A Brooklyn Table carries pretty tabletop decorations, and from a selection of flower-shaped finger bowls, I select three-tulip, hibiscus, and poppy-for a girlfriend to keep her rings in. A ...