NEW YORK — With just days to go until the general election, Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams was stumping on the streets of Sunset Park on Monday, speaking to small business owners at small bakeries and cafes — even if it meant denying himself the pleasure of baked goods along the way.

"The croissant, is there any butter in it?" Adams asked a shop keeper during a small business walk along a commercial corridor in Brooklyn.

"No, it's natural," the shop keeper said.

Adams, a vegan, paid for the pastry, put it into a brown paper bag and handed it off to staff as he walked out.

"I wanted to spend some money, we're here walking and we should spend money, as much as possible, at the small locations," Adams said.

During the walk, Adams stopped short of fully endorsing Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to bring back metal detectors to some city schools after the discovery of five guns at schools last week.

"He's not doing every school; he's going to pick certain schools," Adams said.

Adams, a former police captain, said he would work with local community groups, parents and students to find a new solution.

"I have been meeting with a group. They have the technology that you don’t need a metal detector," Adams said. "We don't need to dehumanize children. There's new technology out there where you don't need that visible presence."

Despite a significant advantage over his Republican opponent, Curtis Sliwa, Adams is defending himself from criticism by Sliwa, who in recent days has released several ads and videos raising questions about Adams.

"And the suits! Woo! Tailored suits, thousands of dollars — where did he get money like that being a borough president?" Sliwa said in a video recently posted to social media.

Adams dismissed the criticism.

"While he's talking about these childish, silly things, we're dealing with crimes in our schools, we're dealing with housing, we're dealing with all these major issues," he said.

In the last days of the campaign, Adams has dismissed Sliwa as a colorful character with little in the way of actual policy proposals.

"When he's finished talking about what clothing I wear, he should talk about those who can't afford clothing," Adams said.

Sliwa says he agrees with the mayor's plan to beef up security in schools. He also said he would hire more school safety agents in response

"The detractors who want to remove metal detectors are hopelessly naive," Sliwa told NY1. "The metal detector not only protects the children, the workers, the custodians, the teachers, but it also protects gang members who may want to settle scores within the schools themselves."

The candidates will face off for a final debate Tuesday night.

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