Find out a little more about a block, a building, the city—maybe even your neighbors—when you get your daily SmartMatch recommendations.

In the 'hood: Fashion Co-ops
Retail fashion co-ops first hit the scene in the '60s swinging London and New York, with boutiques like the King's Road Bazaar shop and later versions at major department stores offering young customers a chance to check out what was new before it hit the big time. Fashion co-op boutiques are making a streetside comeback, and the trend is giving shoppers access to more diverse fashions and giving designers more access to shoppers.

Destinations like Hillary Flowers Designer Collective in the Lower East Side gives a crop of mostly local designers their own shelf space and complete control over the pieces they choose to sell. Flowers recruits the designers herself, and the shop is fully stocked with everything from bikinis, dresses, coats, men's and women's apparel, and vintage pieces as well as accessories and jewelry.

The Dressing Room Boutique and Bar, launched by East Village fashion designer and stylist Nikki Fontanella, was created to provide “a place for emerging fashion and accessories designers to create and showcase their collections, providing an innovative shopping experience.” The shop is innovative indeed, with three floors of underground designers’ wares and a cocktail bar for the shopping-weary.

A downtown veteran of the co-op concept, The Market NYC—formerly the Young Designers’ Market and now with two locations—offers brilliant, high-quality creations from local jewelry, accessory and fashion designers at affordable prices and with something new and different to covet every weekend.

Hillary Flowers Designer Collective
40 Clinton Street
http://hilaryflowers.com/

The Dressing Room Boutique & Bar
75A Orchard Street (between Broome & Grand Streets)
http://www.thedressingroomnyc.com/

The Market NYC
268 Mulberry Street
Open weekends 11 AM-7 PM
490 Hudson Street
Open Saturdays 12 PM-7 PM
http://www.themarketnyc.com/