Shopify Brooklyn Theme Review: Features, Pros & Cons

If you are currently in the process of selecting a theme for your new Shopify store, you have likely come across Brooklyn. While I recently reviewed every single free theme on the Shopify Theme Store, this specific theme deserves a dedicated look.

In this post, we will break down the features, design aesthetics, and functionality of the Brooklyn theme to help you decide if it is the right foundation for your e-commerce business.

Overview: Don't Sleep on Brooklyn

Brooklyn is arguably one of the strongest contenders among the free Shopify themes. While Shopify describes it as being tailor-made for modern apparel stores, I have found it to be incredibly versatile. It works effectively for a wide variety of industries, not just clothing.

With a 70% positive rating and a high volume of reviews, it is clear that this theme is battle-tested and widely adopted by merchants compared to other free alternatives.

Key Features Breakdown

1. The Dynamic Product Grid

The standout feature of Brooklyn is undoubtedly its Dynamic Product Grid.

On most Shopify themes, if you have five products in a collection, the theme will force them into a standard grid (e.g., five across, or a row of three and a row of two), often leaving awkward negative space.

Brooklyn handles this differently. It dynamically adjusts the layout based on the number of products to create a pleasing, collage-style aesthetic.

• Layout Logic: It mixes large feature images with smaller ones to break up the visual monotony.
• Responsiveness: It automatically rearranges elements to look professional without custom coding.

2. Header and Slideshow

Brooklyn is well-known for its transparent header menu and massive full-screen slideshow. This design choice is excellent for establishing brand identity immediately upon landing on the site.

• Slideshow Controls: You can set the hero images to switch automatically or allow users to toggle them manually.
• Navigation: The theme supports a hover drop-down menu, which is one of the most requested features by merchants looking to improve user experience.

3. Slide-Out Cart (AJAX Cart)

Instead of redirecting customers to a dedicated cart page every time they add an item, Brooklyn utilizes a slide-out cart drawer.

When a customer hits "Add to Cart":

1. The cart slides out from the right side of the screen.
2. Customers can view their items and adjust quantities immediately.
3. They can proceed directly to checkout from this drawer.

Note: By default, this theme often bypasses a dedicated cart page entirely, streamlining the funnel from browsing to checkout.

Visual Experience and UX

The theme is designed to be highly interactive. When hovering over product images, you get a semi-transparent black overlay and a slight zoom effect. These micro-interactions help highlight the product and encourage click-throughs.

The Product Page

The product page layout is clean and "sticky."

• Stacked Images: Product photos are stacked vertically.
• Sticky Description: As the user scrolls down through the images, the product description and "Add to Cart" button move with them, ensuring the call-to-action is always visible.

Limitations: The Collection List Logic

While the dynamic grid is a pro, it can also be a slight limitation if you want strict control without coding. The layout changes automatically based on the count of items.

For example, in the Collection List section:

• 7 Collections: Organized into a unique collage layout.
• 6 Collections: Reverts to a standard grid.
• 5 Collections: Reverts to a row of three and a row of two.

Ideally, Shopify would offer native controls to toggle between "collage" and "grid" modes regardless of item count, but out of the box, the theme dictates the layout logic.

Final Verdict

I would rate the Brooklyn theme as S-Tier among free Shopify themes.

It offers a feature set that rivals premium themes, including dynamic grids and sticky product details. While it is marketed toward apparel, it functions as an excellent, clean enterprise-level theme for almost any store. With a little bit of custom coding (HTML/CSS), you can take Brooklyn from a great starting point to a highly functional, professional storefront.

If you are looking for a modern, responsive, and free theme to launch your brand, Brooklyn is a solid choice.