September Roundup
September 22nd has come and gone, which means it’s -officially- fall now. Having lived in New England my entire life, the transition from summer to fall is always bittersweet — every year I simultaneously feel like I could do with another month of summer, and yet there is a coziness and feeling of settling down that I welcome with the turning of the seasons. I suppose time can’t be stopped (I can’t believe it’s already time for another monthly roundup) so let’s get into it, shall we?
(01) REPAIRING THE OLD > BUYING THE NEW
One of the exciting parts of fall’s arrival is getting to bring out colder weather clothing. The item I always look forward to pulling out, and probably the most worn item I own, is my pair of R.M. Williams boots. They were an investment purchase I splurged on back in 2019, and I remember wincing at the final charge at the time ($431.15). In the five years since then, however, I honestly think I’ve worn them more days of the year than all of my other shoes combined. We love cost-for-wear economics/justification!
One of the other reasons why I felt okay with purchasing such an expensive pair of shoes was because with boots of this quality, I knew I would be able to have them repaired and restored for many years to come. Living in NYC I clock a LOT of steps, and after five years of stomping around the city the time finally came for me to get them serviced (see pic below).
While R.M. Williams no longer offers refurbishing themselves, they referred me to Jim’s Shoe Repair, a family-run leather repair business that’s been in operation for over 89 years. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t cheap — the leather uppers of my boots were pretty beat up and I’d worn the heel down a good half-inch, so the full repair cost $135.
One could argue that I could have used that money to buy a completely new pair of boots, and this is true. But I doubt that pair would be of the same quality or longevity as my original pair. I also believe that there is value in mending and reinvesting in the things we already own — if we did this instead of tossing our belongings at the first signs of wear, how much emptier would our landfills be? Perhaps only a little bit, but a little bit is still better than no progress at all.
I also do have to include — I had a wonderful experience with Jim’s! They did an incredible job with the repair and even recorded their own before and after pictures that they shared with me, which I found very charming. They repair handbags and other leather goods as well, so I have a feeling this won’t be the last time I pay them a visit.
(02) MARKET PRICE
While most people associate oysters with summertime, oyster season actually runs from September to April — which is great timing for my friend Willow, who earlier this year left her job as a chef at Place des Fete to start her own oyster venture called Market Price.
Market Price is a mobile oyster bar and educational initiative, taking the form of private event catering as well as a pop-ups throughout NYC. I’ve stopped by a couple of them (the menu shifts from event to event) and if you go, Willow is always happy to talk you through the oyster selection — like an oyster sommelier, if you will.
Follow the Market Price Instagram to keep up to date with where they’re popping up next — I also hear there are some other things in the works for the holidays… think curated baskets, perfect for gifting 👀
(03) DELICATESSEN.DEV
If you like pop-ups (and your life revolves around food like mine apparently does), then @delicatessen.dev is another Instagram account you should follow. They also have a website, which acts “kinda like a yelp for food & beverage pop-ups and a linkedin for pop-up operators, venues, and brands.” While I can’t speak to the LinkedIn-esque arm, I do love any resource that helps me find new NYC food experiences.
(04) CHANGING COURSE WITH BEC MAPES
I’ve admittedly been meaning to post about Bec Mapes’ episode of Creative Juicy for a couple months now, but late is better than never — especially in the case of this particular interview. Perhaps now is an an even more fitting time to write about it, during a time that is not only shifting seasonally but also a time when a meaningful amount of my friends seem to be going through large career and life transitions.
Bec is one of those talents whose breadth of work makes it difficult to summarize in one sentence — she’s an artist, designer, and entrepreneur whose work spans jewelry, glass, and hair accessories, among (many!) other things. In Bec’s interview, she speaks candidly with host Michelle Wainwright about building her hair care line — developing new products, attempting to fundraise, and finally launching — only to realize she’s not the right founder for the brand, and in fact wanted to walk away from it all.
Michelle and Bec’s conversation is a hugely refreshing listen in the sea of founder content that seems to focus primarily on brands that have gone viral and found success quickly or “made it.” Bec is super transparent about her struggles with fundraising, things she would have done differently if she could do it all over again, and how her creative practice continues to evolve. It’s not a story tied up with a clean bow.
I have so much respect for Bec — not only for the talent that she is (I was a fan of hers for years before I met her), but also for her willingness to share and be so open about her experience. We live in a society that encourages us to share our highlights while sweeping our struggles under the rug, and it takes a lot of courage to share the latter. I think this conversation is so important, and I know people will benefit from listening to it.
You can listen to Bec’s episode here. I also highly recommend subscribing to Creative Juicy if you like podcasts and are interested in creative entrepreneurs (I promise I’m not just saying that because I’ve been on it!). Michelle is an incredibly thoughtful interviewer and I take away at least one poignant nugget each episode.
(05) LA CABRA ROASTERY
Since my interview with Michelle back in January, she’s become a friend of mine and we recently caught up over coffee at the new La Cabra in Bushwick. If you’re not familiar with La Cabra, they’re a Danish coffee company with two other locations in Manhattan and a few other spots around the world.
The first time I went to La Cabra (at their East Village spot), I was blown away by two things: 1) the attention to detail of the space and overall beautiful aesthetic, and 2) the cardamom bun. The Bushwick location, which is not too far from my studio (I am ecstatic about this), delivers these same two things and does not disappoint. This location is serving as their North American roastery and flagship and is much bigger than the Manhattan spaces; they even have an area where you can post up with your laptop.
There is definitely a lot of “hype” around La Cabra, which I was conscious of the first time I went (you’ll often see a long line out the door at the Manhattan locations), but I have to say it really lives up to it. From the interior design to the hand-blown glasses, each detail is carefully considered — and the coffee is great, too.
(06) CHOCOLATE SALAMI
Speaking of sweet treats, I went to my friend Gabi’s birthday party last week where she served homemade chocolate salami alongside her cake. If you’re not familiar with chocolate salami, it is my immense pleasure to introduce you to the concept — imagine a log of salami, except the log is actually a long hunk of chocolate with bits of crushed cookie and nuts rolled in confectioner’s sugar. When you slice the log up, the cross-section is reminiscent of the cured meat — hence chocolate salami!
I’ve had the dish at a restaurant before but never homemade, so I asked Gabi to share the recipe with me — and now I’m sharing it with you. She used Pati Jinich’s recipe but added pistachios to her own version, which I’m also going to do when I attempt to make this myself. In fact, it seems like you could experiment with a lot of different substitutions: various nut combinations, different crackers types, maybe even toffee or peppermint bits. Depending on how arduous the process is, I think they’d make for some really cute holiday presents!
(07) ICYMI: ABEL AT STEVEN ALAN
In case you missed it, Steven Alan has opened a new store in Chelsea after a five year break from NYC brick and mortars — and you can shop Abel there, too!
Steven including me in his shop is one of those huge “pinch me” moments — his name has been synonymous with NYC men’s fashion for almost three decades, and I’ve greatly admired his attention to detail and curation for years. Long before Abel was even a glimmer of an idea, I have distinct memories of peering into the jewelry displays of his former Soho store and admiring his selections. Imagine if I could tell my younger self that my own jewelry would one day be in those cases…
In addition to jewelry, the new Steven Alan store carries a mix of vintage clothing, his own eponymous label, accessories, and home goods. The space is located at 511 West 20th Street in New York City. Let me know if you go check it out!
