nyc nifty
new york report
on every corner in NYC
[above] American Apparel Soho. 121 Spring St.
KIOSK. simple, everyday, anonymous things #2
kiosk [part] products purchased featured above. I couldn’t resist. Please read the stories, they are the most interesting part of the KIOSK experience!
#1 FENNIA MARKING PEN, Artjärvi, FINLAND
Mark till your hearts content, stays on porcelain, moirror, metal, etc. Comes in handy when you least expect it. For instance, if you need to label your bicycle or write your husband a reminder message on the bathroom mirro, ‘put your laundry in the basket’ or on the refrigerator door [as long as it is not white] ‘please close the door and do your dishes’, etc etc. Made by a firm established in 1907, KIOSK visited their factory in the countryside; it was a small place their home was adjacent to. The mother and co-owner of the business showed us around, the top floor was where the goods were made. It was a pretty exciting operation, totally down to earth and very basic.
#2 KIOSK BAG
With every purchase.
#3 NYLON TWINE. Germany
A general purpose twine from Germany used by bricklayers and craftspeople. We think it is good for just about anything, general = everything. Will hold up to 35 lbs.
#4 KOOL KITTY HAND-HELD FAN
I picked this up purely because it gave us a giggle and looked like a bit of fun. This one doesn’t seem to have a story to it [that I could find anyway], but could be handy on a hot summers day whilst enjoying a pina colada
#5 MAP TACKS, USA
Still a family owned businesss, Moore Push-Pins was established in 1900 by Edwin Moore with $112.60. Like many inventors and entrepreneurs he worked day and night building his little business based on pins. Why pins? Not sure, but Mr Moore is credited with inventing push-pins as well as map tacks. With being a big believer in using things for anything but their ‘proper’ use, these tacks are really handy for prioritizing things around the house. At th start of every week each task gets a number. Hair needs cutting, number the scissors, change the shower curtain, number it, take out the compost, number it. Very hand and practical indeed.
#6 COCOA BUTTER STICK, New Jersey, USA
As seen on Oprah, good for chapped parts of the body, smells a little like chocolate, made in New Jersey. Prevents stretchmarks, although not scientifically proven, handy travel tube with tasteful packaging. Edible, contains natural antioxidants, diminishes scars.
#7 EMILIO BRAGA NOTEBOOKS, Lisbon
In 1918, when Emilio da Silva Braga was founded they were considered the finest stationers of the time. Almost a century later, Emilio Braga Lda., still a family business, continues to produce notebooks including the famous ‘galoche’, a distinctive notebook that is fully handmade. It is the true Portuguese notebook. The black and white cover pattern is called ‘cloud’; there is a matching pattern on the edge of the paper. People continually ask how the edges of the paper are printed with their own unique pattern; When KIOSK visited the factory, they were surprised to see the pattern is still hand-sponged.
#8 ON/OFF SWITCH, Mexico City, MEXICO
Whilst walking through the electronic disctrict of ‘Distrito Federal’ this was tracked down, without assurance it would work within the country. One thing KIOSK oes know it’s always ON, why be OFF anyway? If you need a boost just flick the switch!
#9 TAPE DISPENSER, Italy
The smart thing [besides it being a super-bold and beautiful dispenser] about this tape dispenser is the tape does not wind back onto the roll and the shape is much easier to hold than a tape gun. It has many more selling points but rather than ramble on, trust KIOSK, you will see!
#10 KIOSK POSTCARD
Fresh update. Next country of origin….ICELAND.
[product of origin copy obtained above via KIOSK supplied sheets with purchased items]
Note.: With each item purchased you receive a little notecard on its origin + ‘it’s story’.
KIOSK 95 Spring street, Soho, New York.
KIOSK New York #1
[above] The KIOSK street sign.
[above] The very street-cool-industrial stairfront entry.
[above] Sign-indicator, but couldn’t find the door entry….
[above] …Aahah, here it is!….
[above] Behind the silvery streamer curtain is KIOSK’s ode to America which displays all-American designers.
Ok. So I’m excited. After years of admiring this super-cool shop from afar [online that is] it was at the very top of my itinerary of things to see NYC. Finding this flagship store was a little tricky [the trickier the better, you know it will be a special find] for some reason I actually knew it would have an amazing shopfront flagship store, but what I found was something so entirely unique it went beyond my expectations. This will be a long [two] reports, on all things KIOSK.
A little bit about KIOSK. For those who aren’t in the ‘know’.
# They offer a curated collection of products from all over the world [Mexico, Germany, Italy, Portugal amongst others] in an exhibition format. All items are sourced during their travels. Each time, their collection builds.
# Every 4-6 months, new items are added, both new and vintage.
# Each time they focus/feature on a different country of origin. At this time it is currently AMERICA [of course!], yet they feature items from all over the world.
# KIOSK is not static. Each trip often decides where they will source particular products and some are usually one-of-a-kind, in limited supply.
# KIOSK is a travel story depicted through objects, a collection of interesting things from around the world, a study of material culture, a shop, several people’s efforts to preserve unique and indigenous objects, an installation, maybe just something other than what we are used to.
The most-admirable trait of this store is the ability by the owner who travels the world [what a horrible job!] to find each eclectic item, each with its own origin + story*.
* I spent a good hour or so reading the stories, and oh what interesting reads.
[photography + overlay design by lox+savvy]
hello new york. hello new paper blog
THURSDAY 12TH, 2010
We are happy to bring you our new paper blog.
It will be filled with things we really really like, interesting facts and well …just stuff. We will be building different aspects of this blog over the next few weeks, please be patient.
We thought it fitting, with launching our new paper blog, to bring you our own little ‘new york report’. It may not be precise, fact nor fiction but it will be fun, colourful and lend to you over the next few weeks, our own thoughts, [shopping tips, paper goods, quirky finds] on our newest venture [which we are currently undertaking - we've just landed] New York*.
For a steady time now, we have been engulfed in making the trek to the city which never [ever] sleeps. It’s every person’s [the ‘consumer’ person lets say] embarkable [we never said we were writers] dream. Advertising, street lights, movies**, people [more people], people, larger-than-life personalities, yellow taxis and much much more make up a mind-blowing city.
Inspiration from this city doesn’t even come close.
*New York. The most populous city in the United States of America and in fact the world [the most metropolitan area in the world].
** Not all movies are made in L.A. Most movies are now made within New York. That’s because it’s so bloody great.
very cool new york finds
[collage by lox+savvy]
