New York - July 05, 2006

Petticoat Junction

Petticoat Government Shop

You are what friends and family affectionately call The Shopper (yes, capital S). Meaning, you’re willing to jab (or side-hook) if someone gets in the way of Your (capital Y) deal.

But there’s no room for such behavior at Petticoat Government, a tiny, peaceful East Village boutique filled with racks and racks of Japanese and French designer pieces. Owner Kenichi Nishida finds them on his regular Tokyo sojourns, which allows him to cut out the middleman and sell merch at 40 percent lower than retail. (Capital B bargain.)

Instead of the usual sample sale insanity, there’s one-on-one service, so you can put down your dukes and pick up labels like Senso-Unico, Dupre, and Chacok, while Nishida waxes on about shapes and cuts and gives you small gifts like Japanese washcloths and Hello Kitty candy.

He really knows how to make a gal feel special. Including his mother, for whom the store is named. Apparently, she wore the pants in that family.

Now that’s capital C cute.

Petticoat Government, 206 Avenue B, between 12th and 13th Streets (212-673-4156).