From Factories to Trendsetters: Williamsburg’s Evolution

Sunsets are highly photogenic on Williamsburg’s waterfront. Photo Credit: Olivia Wang

By NICOLE RABKIN-BEKKER

Look, and you’ll notice small restaurants and shops lining the streets, graffiti on every once-empty square of brick, but also tall residential buildings lining the waterfront and chain stores like J.Crew and Apple. Listen, and you’ll walk by a couple talking about pottery painting -- but you won’t hear the rustling of plastic bags because everyone is saving the Earth with fashionable totes. Inhale, and the faint smells of coffee and salt brought upwind from the waterfront will reveal themselves to you. Reach out, and the energy of old culture and new money will touch your inner senses. Some may call it hipster heaven, others may call it a tourist trap. Or maybe it’s simply yet another gentrified neighborhood on New York’s fast-growing list? Welcome to Williamsburg.

When Williamsburg first became a part of Brooklyn in the early 1900s, it was combined with its neighbor Greenpoint to form what was known as “The Eastern District.” Its primary industry was unloading and distributing goods that came from the Brooklyn Eastern District rail-marine terminal. Today, East River State Park still holds some signs of its history where rail and steam once came at a crossroads.

The playground at Domino Park is made to resemble parts of the factory that once operated there. Photo Credit: Olivia Wang

Where there once were factories and warehouses, there are now independent stores and establishments, each with their own mission. 

The Brooklyn Art Library, located at 28 Frost Street, houses The Sketchbook Project, which is “a crowd-funded collection of sketchbooks by artists around the world,” Ellie from Bed-Stuy said. “They can be professional or amateur and of any age. It’s more like an archive than a traditional library. Art, especially sketching, is an intimate look at a moment in someone’s life and it lets you look into the creative process of an artist.” All visitors are welcome to check out and explore the sketchbooks in the library.

Literature as well as art is a part of Williamsburg culture. McNally Jackson is an independent bookstore at 76 N 4th St, which is where the Eastern District railway began. Now, it prides itself in its ability to be an interactive neighborhood location.

“I think something that’s fun about this store is that we can stock things based on what we as employees want to see as well as what the people are most stimulated by,” said Rebecca, an employee at the store. “So if one particular book sells fast, we can get another one by the same author, or another one in the same genre. This freedom that we get in terms of what books we bring in allows us to cater directly to the neighborhood.”

The waterfront park and the buildings are not the only things that have changed about Williamsburg since its deindustrialization. This neighborhood has actually gone through a complex demographic evolution. Usually, hipsters come to mind when one thinks of Williamsburg today. But Sanel Kucharski, a resident of Williamsburg for forty-five years, has a different story to tell.

“I’ve watched this neighborhood change,” Kucharski said. “It’s gone through three stages of people. Before hipsters, Williamsburg was part Polish immigrant, part black and Puerto Rican, and of course, Orthodox Jewish. The first hipsters were attracted to its proximity to Manhattan, without the high rents, and with lofts to do art in. They raised the rent prices and changed the energy of the neighborhood, they opened cafes and produced art and culture. They really paved the way for gentrification. Even though they were definitely more well-off than the previous communities living here, the gentrifiers and ‘professional families’ came more recently. The hipsters were like that middle stage.”

So who does the neighborhood cater to today? Are the independent booksellers, art shops, and thrift stores still attracting the same hipster crowd it was built for in the 80s and 90s?

Domino Park offers views of the Manhattan Bridge and the East River. Photo Credit: Olivia Wang

“It’s a very diverse mix,” said Ellie from the Sketchbook Project. “We get many people who live in the neighborhood, with some local artists. Demographics-wise, we definitely get a lot of college-age and up people. Not many teenagers come in here.”

Garrett, a worker at record store Rough Trade NYC, said, “A lot of grunge hipster kids like the vibe of our store and come in to buy records. Not a lot of people appreciate the unique sound of records enough to spend money on them when nowadays YouTube is a both portable and free option, but the people who come in here appreciate the authenticity of our records.”

Williamsburg’s reputation now attracts visitors from far afield. Tooth, another local resident and employee at Supreme Brooklyn, believes that Williamsburg’s category of people has gotten more complex. 

“You never know who’s gonna walk through that door,” Tooth said. “In general, as you would expect from Supreme, we get a lot of kids, tourists, hypebeasts, swag lords, stuff like that. This store has a different vibe than most of the neighborhood because we’re the only store that sells Supreme and there are only two on the East Coast. You’ll never find our products in another store.”

Gentrification has raised prices of rent and food in Williamsburg, making it hard for the authentic hipster and skater crowd to remain in the area, but it’s not impossible, said Tooth.

“Living in Williamsburg can be expensive, but you have to do it right,” he said. “Make lunch at home; don’t buy prepared food. Enjoy the old-school sights more than the new tourist stores. I’d say it’s the most gentrified neighborhood in New York, but it’s a lot of fun.”