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NYC's tiniest store is packed with eclectic antiques!
Inside New York City's smallest store, Dr. Silkman's at 401 W. Broadway in SoHo, you'll find a few quirky items like a sink from an old penitentiary, shelves from a 19th-century church, and a taxidermy monkey. Occupying a total of 50 square feet, the eclectic store is meant to feel like an early 20th-century doctor's private study, and you, the customer, are one of his most exclusive clients. The shop is so small that if you stand in the center and stretch your arms out, you are likely to touch both walls at once!
Dr. Silkman's was founded in 2003 by Zack Alper. After selling his goods at various markets in New York City, like the Bryant Park Winter Village, Alper opened his first brick-and-mortar store in October 2024. Situated between an eyeglass store and a coffee shop, Dr. Silkman's sits inside a small space formerly occupied by a smoke shop and short-lived pizza place.
The store is stocked with a variety of self-care products like "jumbo handmade soaps, lip scrubs, deluxe shaving sundries, incredible beard care supplies," and their signature body lotion candle. The goods are handmade in small batches using natural and organic ingredients sourced in the United States. Even the packaging is made from recycled or recyclable materials.
Throughout the store, there are a variety of personal touches that transport the customer to another place and time. The face of Dr. Silkman's, the man with a cigar and bowler hat who appears on all of the packaging, is the founder's great-grandfather. The photo, which Alper found in an attic twenty years ago, dates to around 1910. A mirror and vintage suitcase on display in the store hide evidence of modern utilities, old books help fill the shelves, and wood from an up-cycled church pew still has gum on the bottom. Exposed brick walls, ornate wallpaper, and a reclaimed tin ceiling complete the turn-of-the-century aesthetic.
"Being the tiniest shop is really fun," said Dr. Silkman's Sales & Marketing Manager, Amy Foster. "I love to see people's reactions when they first see it. It also comes with its challenges. Every piece of furniture and item placement is intentional because there is such limited space. We utilized a lot of wall space to keep the shop as open as 50 square feet can be!"
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Next, check out 15 Quirky NYC Superlatives: From the Oldest Building to the Deepest Subway Station
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