cherrypatter nyc

i have been an auto fan since it opened in 1999, just when pastis became a sensation (and when it wasn’t a tourist destination) and really at the time that the meatpacking district had started to transform but was still really interesting and quirky (and florent was still alive).  although i feel that much of the area has just become way too high end, a mini 5th avenue and soho put together, i will always love those cobblestone streets and the great new public amenity that is the highline, and of course auto.  

auto describes itself as a mini department store with little bits of everything all infused with a great sense of design.   auto has something for everyone, they usually are right on the current design trend (if not ahead of the curve), and though some of their goods are quite pricey there is a range and they have decent sales.   i have been obsessed with their missoni towels (really the absolutely perfect gift for my very hard to buy for mum), their john robshaw bedding and pillows, plover organic bedding and soof rilli quilts from pakistan.   auto often has some excellent toys for kids that you would be very happy to have in your home like the wood animals pictured below by david weeks studio.  auto is often a good place to shop for men too.  this fall they had in stock a few clocks by areaware, some very cool pens, little wallet holders and a few good design books.

auto carries a well curated but small selection of clothing accessories.  they currently have some great scarves by judy ross and recently had some really cute tracy watts wool caps (not sure if they’re still available).   auto has an excellent selection of jewelry at all price points.  some of my current favorites include these number pendants from house of leifer and these very affordable charm bracelets from apsaras (might be moving up very high on the list for the upcoming birthday!).

for more of a sense of the aesthetic of the store and its owners, who live above the shop, see this new york times video(ooh, i would love all those furnishings, well except for maybe the billy shelves — i love ikea but not enough for any more of it).  auto has an excellent, always updated website and frequent specials so if you can’t go visit you can certainly take a look online.   auto, 805 washington street near gansevoort street, manhattan, new york, .

note: just found out that auto closed in january 2010.  very sad news.

i am addicted to acorn toy shop, my definite all-time favorite toy store ever with its focus on beautiful handmade toys.   acorn makes me wish that my kids will never grow up so i will always have an excuse to buy wooden cherries, whimsical dolls and gorgeous clothing.   since i love the aesthetic of the shop so much, i was very excited that the women behind acorn, karin schaefer (pictured above) and diane crespo, agreed to share their favorite places to shop and eat in brooklyn and beyond.   in addition to owning the store, these two are just a wee bit busy.  karin is an artist (i love the mapping projects), and diane is a filmmaker.  thanks so much karin and diane!

shops:

top places for clothes?

layla for jewelry and clothing, shoes from eva gentry and its consignment store (we both have a thing for fiorentini and baker boots).  makie  for jackets and tops, martin for jeans. 

hostess gift ideas?

khadi towles from layla, bananagrams from acorn, moroccan market basic from grdn filled with goodies from sahadis  or wine from the heights chateau.

for stationery?

postcards from john derian, coral & tusk and foxy & winston notecards from acorn.

for flowers?

we buy flowers at grdn, seaport  or the borough hall greenmarket.

kids’ gifts (in addition to acorn, if there is anywhere)?

we like the city blocks from muji,  and antique toys and furniture from wellfleet flea market in cape cod, massachusetts and daisy drygoods in arcata, california where we go each year when we are in humbolt county to visit our boy kaya who is in college there.

favorite spot for the women in your life? 

diane just bought me a beautiful gold victorian bead necklace from erie basin.  we both buy gifts for each other and our mothers at layla, erica tanov, book court  and swallow.

what about the males in your life?

clothes from hollander and lexer.  gifts and books from darr.

click here for more: interview: karin schaefer and diane crespo from acorn toy shop

environment 337was probably my first real shopping find in brooklyn about six years ago when we were trying to figure out if we should make the move from the upper east side to park slope. i had no idea that smith street was this happening place, and definitely didn’t expect to find great, affordable design shops. as an added bonus, and what i continue to love about environment 337,is that they are perfect for christmas shopping.  with a  good range in terms of price and style, environment 337 seals the deal with the best, simplest wrapping of anything. 

environment 337 carries some of my favorite designers like john derian, as well as a number of lesser known stars (at least to me) like these insect art pieces by christopher marley.   the shop has lots of antique bottles (most are more than 100 years old) as well as prints with stamps, birds and owls.  this fall, they’ve been carrying some new beautiful dishware with bowls and plates in gold and silver from cascada that is well priced for gifts at $100 or less. they have diptyque’s new gift candle votives which are perfect for the difficult grandma/mother-in-law types.   i have always loved ceramic guinea hens called la pintade from france that environment 337 continues to carry — they are so cute.   a few years ago, i convinced j. that we must have it for christmas (our’s is spotted blue with a red ribbon), and sometimes i feel like he just might need a friend one of these days (maybe one of the guys in mustard).

environment 337 has ingrid cusson photo albums in beautiful silks with oriental prints in greens, pinks and golds.  tucked into a relatively small space though the store feels spacious, they also have lots of other odds and ends like cute totes, those now a bit ubiquitous wall stickers, lots of cutlery, a few kids items and always a few great cards by the likes of litchfield graphics and hello lucky.

the owner of environment 337, loren adams, is a jeweler as well, and she often showcases other local designers works.  some best sellers include marian maurer’s18-inch necklaces.   i just stopped in again last week for a bit of holiday cheer, and this shop is very cheery this time of year, so i cannot wait to pick up a few things for christmas and check out more thoroughly her new shop retrospect just a few doors down.  environment 337, 337 smith street between carroll and president streets, brooklyn, new york, .

 

i couldn’t help myself this year and have put together some mini gift guides. i felt like i couldn’t pass up this chance since i have been collecting shopping ideas for ages and i always want another chance to improve my photoshop skills (they’re getting better but sorry they are just not perfect, hopefully with more practice!).    for the next week or so i should have about one guide a day.  many gifts are from local shops though i have found some really cute items at places like anthropologie as well — it’s just a great all around store these days.   hope these ideas help fill in the holes on your shopping list. 

for men, from the top: (1) this adorable plaid messenger bag which i found via i love it a lot (the shop is out right now but will design upon request) (; (2) stylish earbuds from aiaiai; (3) groovy wooden sunglasses; (4) for someone who might want to learn how to butcher there is a very new butcher shop with a pig butchering classin january by the brooklyn kitchen; (5) for the bearded ones, bluebeards is a must buy; (6) his own do-it-yourself brew kit; (7) and this super cute book for new dads from cup of jo; and last (8) these globes are just fun.

for the best noodle soup i have had so far in new york, i would head straight to lan zhou handmade noodle.  no atmosphere, but the fresh noodles are excellent. pulled right there of course (very entertaining), and they are chewy and just a little fatter than spaghetti.  the broth and the green veggies they put in there are also excellent. super flavorful, hearty, with just the right seasonings for the dish to be perfect just the way it is. the lan zhou soup was so steamy it was hard to get a clear picture of it (sorry) but we didn’t want to wait till it cooled down.   we had also ordered some beef and pork which i would not recommend.  the meat’s a little scary looking and taste-wise it really doesn’t add much to the meal.  

we also tried some of lan zhou’s dumplings, but as we had just been to prosperity dumplings so they really didn’t hold up (not fresh enough and the filling was not as delicious) to the competition.     this winter, lan zhou is a must visit spot for filling, spot-on extremely affordable soup (i definitely liked it better than the lan zhou handpull noodles in sunset park — i don’t think they’re related).    a bit out of the way in the eastern section of chinatown, but worth it.   , 144 east broadway between pike and rutgers street, manhattan, new york, . 

bedford cheese shop has been around since 2003 (might they have marked the beginning of williamsburg) offering a great selection of cheeses as well as other high quality food stuff.   they have a great, well-edited selection of high end interesting cheeses, and are known to be quite generous with the sampling.   while it’s not murray’s in terms of price or range (there is a bit of tax for crossing the east river), if you’re out in williamsburg this is really the only place to go.  i especially like that bedford cheese shop offers a cheese subscription where for each month you get three surprise cheeses delivered to your door — perfect for those relatives who really don’t need any more stuff.

bedford cheese shop also finds the best of the local food goodies — seeking far and wide those small producers who really have something special to offer. for pickles, they have mcclure’s pickles as well as pickles from brooklyn brine co. where they’re experimenting with all sorts of veggies including fennel, yellow wax beans and beets.   on the sweet side of things, bedford cheese shop carries the beautifully packaged mast brothers chocolate bars, maple syrup and candy from vermont’s pumpkin village foods.  and of course, bedford cheese shop has a great selection from my current obsession liddabit sweets. 

on the meatier side of things, in addition to a great selection of salamis and chorizos, bedford cheese shop also carries pâtés from fabrique délices, a californian traditional french charcuterie company.  bedford has mustards from raye’s mustard out of maine, and whitney’s castleton crackers (maple, rye and wheat flavors) made in vermont.   it’s hard not to stop by bedford cheese shop when i’m nearby, and usually i’m not just there for the cheese.   bedford cheese shop, 229 bedford avenue between s. 4th and 5th streets, brooklyn, new york, .

here’s part two of my four part series on where to go shopping in new york for the holidays.   this post is focused on midtown and uptown, and sorry everyone but i just couldn’t come up with enough great spots on the upper west side for ideas (though new york magazine had some good suggestions).    earlier today i put together some ideas for downtownand next friday i’ll be covering brooklyn (south and north).  and starting on monday, i’ll be rolling out some gift guides too for those homebound. 

midtown:

museum of arts and design: i still haven’t been but the reports on the shop are good. i just have to get over what has happened to my beloved lollipop building.  2 columbus circle at broadway, midtown, .

takashimaya: absolutely beautiful things. most are priced exhorbitantly but there are some finds and the wrapping is exquisite.  693 5th avenue between 55th and 54th streets, midtown, .

lee’s art shop: great art supply shop as well as some home design (we get all our light fixtures there). kind of like a more interesting kate’s paperie, and more affordable too.  220 west 57th street between broadway and 7th avenue, midtown, .

click here for more: holiday shopping: midtown and uptown manhattan

i love giving gifts and sometimes i get a little carried away in my hunt, but really, i think it’s the most satisfying thing to find that perfect present.  so i will, on occasion, make certain members of my family crazy as i visit shop after shop for this person and that person.  so that you all don’t have to endure that process, i have put together a list of my favorite go-to shops  — mostly small ones with some craft fairs and a few of my favorite chains.  visiting just a few of these places should get you through most of your shopping list.   as for electronics and books, i think you all can figure out where to go for that (though i do have my favorite book shops).  and if you don’t have time to go out and about, i am rolling out  a few gift guides next week too.

my first shopping guide today is focused on downtown, and later this afternoon i’ll have some ideas for midtown and uptown.  next friday i’ll hit brooklyn’s highlights.  if you are downtown, do be sure to stop by chelsea market. it’s a little insane, but the food gift ideas are pretty great there right now (lucy’s whey, jacques torres, dickson’s farmstand) and there’s even a future perfect pop-up if you can’t make it out to williamsburg.  a real highlight is to then mosey down to the marc jacobs at bleecker and west 11th where they’ll take polaroids of you with their adorable polar bears and penguin helpers (pictured above).  you even get to take a print home. how sweet is that.

downtown west:

auto: a great design shop packed with what is in right now like the phaidon color library series, missoni towels, stylish hats and often great wallets, pens and toys.  805 washington street near gansevoort street, meatpacking district, .

mxyplyzyx: little bits of everything here - always cutting edge but affordable and fun (good things for pets too). the shop can get packed so be wary or visit early in the day.  lots of ecofriendly items too. 125 greenwich avenue between horatio and jane streets, west village, .

flight 001: perfect all those items for travel you cannot believe you lived without for so long,  and especially good for that “hard to buy for” guy.  96 greenwich avenue at west 12th street, west village .

greenwich letterpress: one of my all time favorite stationery shops. these girls have style. 39 christopher street between waverly place and 7th avenue, west village .

kiosk: these creative shopkeepers collect goodies from around the world and bring them back for all of us. the current exhibit is “portugal: we are the world.”  95 spring street, 2nd floor between broadway and mercer streets, soho, . click here for more: holiday shopping: downtown manhattan

i have never been an “antique” person, or someone who likes to go to flea markets and i really don’t like sorting through lots of mediocre stuff.  i am sure i grew up way too obsessed with newness and bright shiny plastic.  or maybe it was because in salt lake there really wasn’t much in the antiques department.  however, somehow, for some reason, my views towards vintage furniture are slowly changing.  in my current obsession with vintage glass, i think that the upper rust has a lot to do with my new found appreciation for the old and lovely. 

since i first visited the upper rust this summer, i have not been able to stop obsessing over their goods.  i am particularly entranced with all the glass apothecary jars.  i have been wanting containers for all my sugars, flours, salts and things, and am just not so happy with the standard plastic stuff i’m currently using and which i’ve had for ages (this is a very large hint by the way!). and the upper rust’s collection of jars is so lovely that i would be more than happy to have at least a few of them out on the counter even though i tend to like sparseness.  it doesn’t hurt that the prices are not bad at all ranging from $25 for the smaller ones to maybe $50 or $75 for the biggest sizes (and those are the ones with such great detailing).

the upper rust is packed with goodies both inside and out on the sidewalk, but somehow the shop feels very organized. it’s easy to see all the tags, and the costs, and there are nice groupings of frames, ceramics, and silver items.   in addition to the jars, the upper rust carries some vintage cooking gear including star cake molds and pie wooden cooking racks.   on my recent visit, they had an asiatic pheasant plate set, and a number of other sets of dishes as well as plenty of votives and other lighting.

other more random items included vintage wooden spools for $2 each (it just seems i should come up with a use for those), as well as those ceramic balls in the top photo.   they also had a vintage juggling set for $235, a set of 15 jacks for $15 and my favorite — child’s spectator cowboy boots which were so cute.   and if you’re in need of christmas decor, the upper rust has some beautiful amber etched ornaments and a fantastic kitschy pink frosted christmas tree from the 1960s.  even if you don’t buy anything, it’s worth a visit this time of the year as this place is seriously decked out in holiday decor.  the upper rust, 445 east 9th street between 1st avenue and avenue a, manhattan, new york, .

jilian dichiaro opened up madison rose, a new high quality resale maternity shop in carroll gardens this past summer with her husband.  the shop, which is named after their daughters riley madison and stella rose, offers super stylish maternity clothes at deeply discounted prices in a really lovely space.    despite her extremely busy schedule, jilian was willing to share her favorite places to eat and shop, and it looks like she sticks pretty close to home in carroll gardens.   in terms of her eating preferences, it’s a really good thing that frankies is right nearby – one of my all time favorite restaurants too. thanks so much jilian. 

shops:

top places for clothes and shoes?

the one thing i love is to shop. with a busy schedule it doesn’t give me much time. i try to shop local whenever possible. soula is great for shoes, neda has a great dress selection but when it comes to denim i go to bloomingdales. nothing beats their sizes and selection. it may not be cool or hip, but when you have limited time you need to go straight to the source.

for house gifts what do you like to get?

when we are local i always like to tap into my local resources for gifts for hostess or for the party. i stick with the basics like italian pastries. they are always a hit.

for stationery?

i am the worst card picker. i pour over cards for ever trying to find the best one. but the prettiest and nicest (not necessarily the funniest) come from papyrus.

click here for more: interview: jilian dichiaro at madison rose