To be fair, I am giving this one-star review not having ever set foot in the physical storefront of "The Thing." BUT: They also operate on Amazon.com under the seller profile "book_shelter" and they royally screwed up my order from them (and, from their recent reviews on Amazon, a couple of others as well). And it wasn't for a $2 paperback, it was for a $40 CD. That was supposed to be a Christmas present. Bad time to grossly violate policies on shipping times, man . . . From reading the other Yelp reviews, now I think I understand why: sounds like they are a veritable junkyard of stuff: fine for a thrift shop, not so great for an e-business. read more

so stupid, this place should obviously be rated 5 stars becuase the type of person that goes in here is the type of hopeful junk finding junkie that would love the thing. This place is not Saks, its not Caldor, its not Barnes and Noble, its not The Wall or The Gap- Its better. I love it here- Today i got a Newsweek mag from '74 with my favorite musical genius on the front -STEVIE wonder, and, AND it has a complete story of him inside-wow! picture on front AND a story on the inside?? "what are the odds"- for 2 yes count them 2 bucks. It can be messy at times- but today was clean. The basement will give you agita. Some people are down there for days wearing gas masks. I usually get a sinus infection for a couple of days after looking at records for more than an hour. Today I found a electric guitar version of Gustav Holst's The Planets- really good. hint- to get the workers mad try to bargain with them to get them even madder- ask them what a weird object is and they will invariably answer " I dunno, its a THING" 5 stars (-1 for the sinus infection b.c they dont pay for my zpack) read more

The Thing is completely out of order in every possible way, stacked to the brim with records, books, and cd's-- so much so that many crates of records are completely blocked by additional crates of records. It would take a lifetime to comprehend everything in this store, and you would be covered in 6 inches of black dust after the first few hours. Stock tends toward 12" singles from 15 years ago, including lots of house and Hip hop on local labels. Quality ranges from pristine and unopened to totally unplayable. There are also lots of regular junk store oddities and some valuable pieces of A/V equipment for anyone willing to clean them deeply before use. I hope this place stays here forever. Maybe a must see? Go decide for yourself. read more

Dirty, messy, items are really difficult to reach, almost impossible to walk inside the store. I would only recommend this store for LPs. Other than that go some place else. If you are looking for a junk store with good prices and better organized go to the vortex. read more

Vintage vinyl heaven. Very dusty though. Get prepared to wash and sanitize your hands afterwards. And Dont forget to clean the products you buy. I like this place for the cheap books and vinyl records. Clothing&shoesand other stuff are pretty old and dusty.. read more

Incredible vintage/thrift/junk shop. Lots of kitsch, music gear, and far more records than you can go through in a single visit. Rides that sweet spot of price, not cheap enough to have all the good stuff cleaned out, but still pretty cheap considering it's NYC. Will make a point of coming back every time I'm in NYC. read more

I visited NYC and "the Thing" was high on my list of 'must see places' . (Being a vinyljunkie .......)The nice owner told me , there were problems in the back of the store , water came from the appartment above and that the vinyl-section was closed. But when I told him I came all the way from the Netherlands, he could'nt refuse. So I went down stairs into the basement and saw what so many others before me had seen and had written about in their reviews! Where do I start? Where do I start? I kept asking myself. But after an hour or so I came out with 6 albums! Satisfied ...... but a pity I didn't have enough time to dig some more. I paid 10 bucks and then posed with the friendly owner in front of the store. Love the place!!! So if you're just curious or in doubt wether you should go or not, I say : just do it!! You won't regret it, it's a great experience ! read more

The Thing - A great experience . Diggin' and finding a few records and on my way out,the sympathic owner poses with me in front of the shop. - Music & DVDs Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

1.Cool Staff-yup 2.Endless crates of lp's 12' singles and crates filled with 45's - yup 3.Fresh stock that is constantly being rotated-check! 4.Comics,books,photos,adult mags,graphic novels,dvd's,vhs tapes etc etc -Yes! No attitudes,cool peeps and killer piles of vinyl-what more do you want son/sonette? If you put in the time you will find something for almost nothing here. It's a daunting task and you need to devote some hours to grab the gold.but it's in there....waiting for you,buried next to a firestone xmas special lp. There are more records here than anyone will EVER be able to dig thru so it is a psychologically challenging task,but in the end if you put in the work you WILL be rewarded with some gems at a really fair price way below normal retail. Aside from the voluminous crates of doom there are great books,art,vintage photos,comics and other ephemera to be had...go ahead..get down with your bad ass self and prepare to get dusty fingers kid! Do "the thing baby" you will not regret it. read more

Pros: - Huge record collection at $2 a pop - Vintage porno magazines! - Hilariously cramped isles Cons: - Cluttered beyond comprehension - Rude staff - G train - Again, extremely unorganized Verdict: The Thing could be great, but it's so unorganized that it has reached a level of mess that's simply intolerable. Then again, if you have several hours (or days) available, you might find some gems in the enormous vinyl-ridden basement. Good luck. read more

This store sells a little bit of everything, but mostly records. You can find almost anything you are looking for here. Mind you nothing is organized in any meaningful way, so you absolutely must have time to kill if you set your foot in the door, also everything is covered with about 2 inches of dust. read more

When I first heard about The Thing, I thought it was an elaborate joke. (Played just on me, of course, because I'm that egotistical.) But no. It's real and it's hawt. Stacks and stacks and shelves and shelves of ever-multiplying records (how do they do this? Should I have paid more attention in class when they talked about asexual flower reproduction?) at $2 a pop that you're "forced" to go through. Yeah... please don't throw me in the briar patch. Best conceivable waste of an afternoon on the planet, that's for sure. read more

Dirty. Dusty. Musty. Crusty. But oh how I love this place. Give me more. Give me more! I usually like to go there wearing an old shirt w/ handiwipes and my portable record player in tow. For $2 a pop, regardless of rarity, this is one of the best record stores in New York City. You'd think it will be over-dug...but Larry & Co. seem to just keep adding more boxes/crates to the overflowing pile. read more

Its not an easy task finding anything worth while in this place. The cd collection is made up of mostly rap from the 90s id prefer to see some more rock or alternative. Although when you have been in there for more than 20 minutes rummaging u will find something that you are in love with. The service is very laid back and cool , and plus the guy who works there or possibly owns the store charming boyish good looks , so its sure to keep the ladies coming back for more , i give a 4 read more

Place is amazing a true hidden gem! Make sure you take the day off because you will be digging for a while!

What a gem! From floor to ceiling, literally leaning towers of stacked vinyl in the back room and basement all for 2 bucks each! I could spend hours in here! You Must experience this place. read more

Some people may not like to dig through endless crates of records, in confined spaces or dusty places. The thing may not be for everyone. But you can't beat the price or the amount of records anywhere located in one spot! There are so many records there, you may not know where to start. The price is right too! I have found some really nice gems, in really good condition! Keep in mind these records are used and dusty. You will have to clean them. I would suggest you wear clothes you don't mind getting dust on, and don't be crunched for time when you go there. Maybe bring some wipes and hand sanitizer. Happy digging! read more

Sadly, I only made it by the shop on day 7 of a 7-1/2 day trip to Gotham from Seattle. I arrived at 1 PM on a Friday and left about five minutes before they closed at 7:30 PM that evening. I picked out 75 LP's and 12 inch singles, all were priced at two dollars each and they gave me a bit of a discount, and even threw in a roller suitcase so I could get all this crap back to my hotel room. Amongst my haul were some fairly valuable Mike Oldfield 12 inch singles, extremely rare No-Man singles and albums (featuring Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree) and about 65 other cool items including lots of great test pressings and hip-hop singles. Like everyone else has said, my only regret was that I didn't bring gloves and a mask, and even forgot to bring any Sani wipes to clean my hands which were CAKED with filth by the time I was done. In my six hours, I was able to go through one very small corner of the upstairs record area, which was about 1/6 of the entire upstairs inventory. I never even made it to the basement which i was told has 30-50 times more records than what I looked at! I will be back again in December, and I will make sure that I set aside a couple solid days to go through the shop, but this time with gloves, Sani wipes, and maybe even a mask. read more

Best place in Brooklyn for Vinyl hands down! Make sure you bring some gloves and a disposable face mask. Your portable record player and a cannabis vape pen will be mando! read more

this place is just ike a hoarder's squalid attic. there is undifferentiated crap everywhere, everything is pretty filthy and gross and its really difficult to even have a look at the "merch" because its so very jammed into random nooks. these ugly facts would be forgivable if the prices were low enough, but I really resented paying as much as I did for some grimy gems that I had to dig out of a trash heap. the dude at the shop was very unhelpful, sketchy and rude and snappy when I proposed a slightly lower price for my purchase. On the other hand, though, there are definitely neat knicknacks, homewares, clothes and especially records and old photos there for the rifling-through if you can stand the ambiance and are a skilled and persistent thrifter. read more

The thing is great! The pricing can be strange though. There's total junk that's mad expensive, and then there are also great deals. I actually bought four Waterford champagne flutes here for $10 and flipped them on Ebay for $50 a piece. read more

This place is completely unique and a real Greenpoint original. More records here than in any place in NYC. Take a Xanax before attempting to shop the basement. You have been warned. read more

Love this place. It kind of reminds me of my friends basement growing up. There is all kinds of stuff here from old photos, to porno magazines, to records. The owner is always super nice and accommodating and willing to haggle with you a bit. If you can, make sure to buy stuff the day you see it. Chances are it won't be there if you come back another day. Cash only but there is an ATM outside. read more

This place is great. And by great I mean nuts. I'm not sure if you want to buy anything here. But in these trying times, who cares! It's a fun way to spend an hour or ten. read more

The Thing is an audiophile's wet dream. They have hands down the most epic vinyl collection. One could spend weeks in here digging for buried treasure. There is quite a bit of redundancy, but with this much inventory organized the way it is, it comes with the territory. Thank god Brooklyn doesn't have earthquakes. read more

Guy on the counter today was just a rude jerk. I've been here before with some success, but today was a total let down. Not likely to go back any time soon. Overall, dusty, dirty. Very disappointing. read more

This place is crammed full of crazy crap. It's completely disorganized. I would never go in here looking for something specific. I pop into this place pretty often because it's near my house and I've found some pretty cool stuff in there, everything is really cheap. Good for books, VHS tapes, shoes, old magazines, and sometimes clothing. Don't bother going through the records though. read more

If you come here thinking your going to stay for a few, think again this place will consume a lot of your time because of all the rare Gems. read more

I came across "the Thing" while yelping record shops to visit while on the east coast. The reviews seemed to have a consistent theme....which was how do you describe "the Thing"! My experience was of amazement followed by shock and eventually confusion. I've never seen so many records in my 15 years of collecting records. You definitely need a day to thoroughly dig. I'm sure there are some finds to be had, unfortunately we were short on time as they were getting ready to close. They also had cool furniture, clothing, videos and whatnot. Will def be back to dig again. read more

My favorite local place for random finds like kitchen glasses, knick knacks, and they also have the best selection of vinyl around, if you dont mind digging. I used to go to this place every day, and the guys working there are really cool. I once bought Time magazines from the landing on the moon for a buck. Cool. read more

This is a fascinating junk store that have mostly disappeared from New York. The Thing has lots of personal photo albums, crappy beat up comics from the 90s, and thousands of disorganized records that no one wants. There's other stuff there too. It's not a place to show up with expectations but it's an interesting place that is both weird and fun and dusty. read more

I usually stop in every time I visit my family in Brooklyn. We don't have places like this in Connecticut, that's for sure. Just picked up two Atari 2600 video game consoles with 36 games for thirty dollars. They were dusty as all hell, but it's nothing a little Clorox wipe couldn't fix. Find that kind of deal on EBay and I'll bow before you. The guys that work there have always been friendly to me even though I may look like a tourist. It may look like a tornado came through, but trust me, if you are looking for something you can find it here. As a matter of fact, when I was packing up the Atari in a crate, a guy walked in and asked if they had a dictionary for sale. The clerk knew exactly where to find it. AMAZING! read more

I wanted old national geographic magazines. And they had them, so it was worth the trip. Super disorganized, smelly, and dirty - just how a store like this ought to be (it's what keeps the prices low, which is the most important thing). read more

The Thing was awesome... The guys working were so helpful & welcoming - they made my 6-yr old's 1st comic book buy a special thing. It was fun perusing the eclectic mix of stuff, and overall we were glad we made this one of our stops on our trip from Canada. read more

I love the Place but its not a place for a "Quick stop" If you look hard you'll find treasures :)

Very cool place with a ton of 'junk' to sort through. Always new things for all types of people with quirky interest from records to knick-nacks. If you're in greenpoint and want to dig a little, this place has some gold. read more

you might want a respirator.... thousands and thousands of records, mostly in the basement... you gon be in here all day. nothing's sorted, any record's $2. it might take a while but you'll find something. found a handful of al green promo joints here once. lots of house/trance/bleep bloop music, too. word up. read more

can't get enough of this gem! your go-to place for all things vintage, one of the REAL thrifts shops in brooklyn...great (cheap) prices and an even better selection...will be back :) read more

This junk store is enough reason to live in now-trendy greenpoint. I have practically furnished my apartment and dressed myself in extraordinary haberdashery from daily scouring the place. Mind you, this place is not for the "refined" and finicky who want organization, service and cleanliness in their shopping surrounding. Go to Louis Vuitton or Madison or Park Avenues. But at The Thing, when you hit the jackpot, you find the exact same items (bought from estates) that you would at the high end stores at miniscule prices. For example, I have bought both nearly new and fairly used leather bags there, easily costing over $100 from other second hand stores, and at nearly $1000 if brand new at fancy stores, for, say, $3 to $30. The place is squalid, the owners are brusk and not the most well mannered. But that is why it is extraordinary, because amidst all this, you find the most special items. I have found handmade British leather shoes costing several thousands of dollars paid by the original owners for $5 a pair. Or phenomenal Japanese or Italian silk ties for $2. Most people know The Thing as DJ mecca for the obscene amount of used LPs. Frankly, for those of us interested in music that isn't for djing at dance clubs, the findings are limited. There is absolutely no organization to the place. But it has everything to fill your place in style and quality, from cookery to books to clothing to furniture. My great moutain bike was bought there for $30. I paid $60 to overhaul it and it rides great. The repulsive appearence of the place is a blessing, a great deterrant to the upscale (except for those upscalers who actually do have taste and a sense of adventure). This place is New York City's best kept secret and consumerist oasis. read more

Great vinyl ! but place is dirty! just make sure you can handle it !

i live a few streets down from the thing. i am about to go there now, in fact. which brings me to the one thing about the thing that really REALLY bewilders me. an exchange upon my entry one fine sunday morning: crusty: NO DOGS ALLOWED me: Wait, what? seriously? are you afraid my DOG might get your STORE dirty? crusty: well, we don't want to get fleas. um. yeah, okay. it's probably all of the neighborhood's ten pound dogs coming in here who made this place the dirty sty it is now. i guess that means my chihuahua is staying home this afternoon. oh well, it will be worth it to be able to look through the dozens of bins of surreal found photographs, ancient sewing patterns, 70's cookbooks, scratched up hip-hop promo albums and fake African masks. I always leave with at least five inexplicably alluring objects, and there's a pet store nearby so i can get a pig's ear on my way home to make it up to Stick. read more