Until recently, there was a longstanding belief in Brooklyn as the last frontier of New York City. Now, Brooklyn is the cultural epicenter of the city, which is especially clear when visiting Haricot Vert, a jewelry store in Williamsburg that encapsulates the epitome of the trendsetting, chic Brooklynite. 

“I used to think Williamsburg was a little bit overdone, but I’ve developed a newfound love for it over the past year” said Kelsey Armstrong, Haricot Vert founder. “There’s something a little bit edgy about Brooklyn, and I feel like, as a brand, we’re a little bit gritty. There’s something creative about Brooklyn that just felt right for us.” 

Williamsburg is the center of rapid gentrification and commodification, adding nearly 18,000 new housing units between 2010 and 2020 and becoming the tenth largest neighborhood in the city, according to the New York University Furman Center.

“Williamsburg is the ‘Bedford Soho’ — that’s what most Williamsburg people call it,” said Mackenzie Talbot, a Williamsburg resident and loyal Haricot Vert patron.