If you are like me and stop whatever you are doing to hungrily inhale the latest Shoppe Object marketing email to hit your in-box, you are going to love part 2 of my meanderings through this can’t-miss Manhattan Market. This is a long post, so get comfortable!
If you think most personal care and home fragrancing offerings lack a certain something, look no further than this powerful Rhode Island apothecary. Every last offering is “handmade with magic for every body” by Kass Ferland Haroun with plant and color magic in mind, using fair trade and ethically sourced ingredients.
Those two black candles below are Protection from the Patriarchal Gaze Spell Candles II, while that spellbinding gold on gold design is the Venus II candle. Meanwhile the Evil Eye offerings are as visually strong as they promise to be powerful, ridding users of ill intention and jealousy from within and without.
This home and stationery range is named for the one-woman creative force behind it. Isatopia hails from France, but these days calls Maine home. Her work draws from earthy folk patterns and playful childhood vistas — and feels as refreshing to me as the cold-water swims she claims to love!
I know this Brooklyn house of design mostly for its party supplies, but its cards are something else too! Graphic, colorful and compelling, with smart copy, these are well worth a closer look.
Discovering a fresh letterpress range is always a thrill — this one is women-run to boot! It was founded by artist and teacher, Haylee Ebersole in October 2018 to teach printmaking to kids in her neighborhood. Meanwhile Kyrie Bushaw, with a background in design and business management, joined the budding venture in June 2019; an official grand opening followed shortly afterword. Together they make up the heart and head, brains and brawn of Meshwork Press based out of a tiny storefront in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania.
I was completely knocked out by the range’s color, craftsmanship and great messaging. These designs really illustrate the capabilities of the letterpress craft, and how young makers are truly owning it.
This fanciful range accordingly offered a slew of sensational summer surprises. The butterflies in the first image open up to reveal a hidden mirror and storage. I didn’t mean to capture the face of my walking buddy, Kate Morgan of Quick Brown Fox Letterpress, in that picture — that cute little surprise didn’t reveal itself until I was back in my office!
The next shot shows decorative rings on an equally dynamic base, followed by artisan paperweights featuring rich embroideries peeking out from under vintage glass, cuckoo clock-inspired birdhouses, and decorative hand fans. These are the kind of pieces that are so distinctive and different, once you begin to covet one, there is no turning back.
This Des Moines design and letterpress studio was alive with vibrant color, rich paint strokes, and seemingly endless design inspiration. From its mammoth card wall that momentarily took my breath away, to its fanciful Swirl Pads that are *almost* too gorgeous to use, there was, as always, much to marvel over.
Here’s a whole lot more dynamic color and pattern for your viewing pleasure, but in Priyanka Batra’s vision, it’s a mod, mod, mod world. New to this Brooklyn brand’s offerings are a slew of gift wrap styles, but even with a big expansion, every last SKU remains most distinctive — the mark of a brand that’s sure to endure.
The tagline of this avant-garde brand is ‘modernist journeys of ritual & reflection’ and maker Jennifer Lucey-Brzoza takes us on quite the journey! As you will see below, Jennifer has essentially anthropomorphized many of her cards — Noat designs are living breathing beings that go out into the world and physically touch those we can’t. As she presents it, it’s quite a heady concept. Sending one of these to a loved one elevates sending a card into a bona fide ritual act.
I am an enormous fan of this range — anyone up for some Gemma Correll? — but these Artful boxes really captured my eye. The packaging definitely does right by its name, and these all-inclusive craft kits put its mass-market counterparts to shame. Subjects include screen printing, lino printing, calligraphy, paint mixing, gouache, watercolors … all with an approach that is incredibly accessible and approachable, to say nothing of all-inclusive.
Pancake Paperie
If you remember those little round scratch and sniff stickers from the 70s and 80s, so does Rachael McArdle. These not only provide the inspiration from which all of her cards spring, they infuse the the card-sending experience with an unexpected olfactory element.
New at this market were candles in holographic glass vessels. These small-batch offerings are hand-poured with natural soy wax, feature very high reality quotients for candles, and are only available wholesale for now.
Oh my goodness, are we done already? Not quite — I still have one more Shoppe Object post to share soon. Again, all funny angles, shadows and such are mine. Also, being human, there are a few notable booths I somehow missed photographing completely. My hope is that as I get more comfortable doing these market reports in this crazy time of COVID-19, I’ll get more and more thorough in my photography. If I did miss you, please give me a shout so I can make it up to you.
If you are not yet registered for winter Shoppe Object, running February 5-7, 2023 at Pier 23, what are you waiting for exactly? Get started here.
