THRIFTING IN NEW YORK 

photograph courtesy of maps.google.com
Housing Works Thrift Shop, 10th St. New York City

Thrift stores, while seeming to operate at the periphery of the commercial world, have always been a staple for seekers of lost treasure, unusual finds or simply affordable used items. And now it seems they are enjoying a renaissance in New York, probably a reflection of the distressed economy but also proof of their enduring charm as an alternative shopping experience and useful recycling option. Still, even thrift stores need to change with the times and enhance their appeal, which is why the people that run them now pay closer attention to making them attractive retail spaces filled with salable inventory culled from donations which, these days, often include brand new or hardly used items and even one-of-a-kind designer clothes.  While consumers are looking for bargains, they certainly don't want to spend money on hopeless junk.

Take the Goodwill Store that opened last year on 8th St., between Sixth Ave. and Fifth Ave. Its presence, a welcome addition to this popular Greenwich Village corner, more than makes up for the closing of a Salvation Army store that operated up the street out of a run-down, dingy locale where, alas, everything seemed perennially coated with a mantle of dust. The Goodwill Store occupies a roomy bright space that is pleasant to shop in. Inside, everything looks neat and well organized: Clothing hangs on racks at the front of the store (during a recent visit all t-shirts were sorted out by color like a rainbow); household goods, neatly arrayed on white shelves, and furnishings can be found in the back. The store is operated by Goodwill Industries of Greater New York & New Jersey, Inc., a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization serving people with mental and physical disabilities, the unemployed, new immigrants, ex-offenders, mature workers and underserved youth.


Angel Street Thrift Shop, located on 17th street, has spruced up in recent times enough to look almost like a boutique. Inside, the bright lights of the store allow customers to size up the mix of goods typical of most thrift shops, from clothing and house ware to books and furnishings; here, however, the focus seems to be on apparel and accessories, both for men and women.  Quality of merchandise has improved and it's not unusual for the store to receive large caches of unsold designer goods such as the large collection of beautiful and well-made hair ornaments it sold out during the past holiday season. Proceeds from sales at Angel Street benefit programs for individuals and families affected by substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, and mental illness.

And then there is Housing Works, one of the most stylish thrift store operations in New York city and among the most visible thanks to its growing number of locations. Out of 12 shops manned by volunteers, 11 are located in Manhattan with one lone bastion in Brooklyn. Housing Works, which is devoted to helping people with HIV/AIDS, seems to have a knack for finding terrific locales. Its stores have a homey and casual vibe.  The store in Chelsea, for example, occupies a ground floor loft space with beautiful wooden floors and handsome furnishings which are for sale but double as decorative props while awaiting for discerning customers to snap them up. The store at West 10th St., in Greenwich Village, is small and inviting: going in is like stepping into someone's cozy apartment.

Merchandise sold at Housing Works stores is a standout: The high quality and quantity of donations make shopping an ever changing feast for customers on the look out for bargains and special finds. To be sure, not everything sold in Housing Work stores is cheap but it is rare not to find a steal, whether it be regular or designer clothing, accessories such as bags and shoes, house ware or furnishings. Open seven days a week, stores feature regular discounts: one day it might be 50 percent off of everything while another day it may be a percentage off for particular items, such as books or household goods. Turnover is fast, which can sometimes lead to amazing offers at the end of the day when store staff need to get rid of particularly bulky but fabulous pieces of furniture in order to make room for new donations. (As part of a busy fundraising agenda, Housing Works holds regular online and store auctions featuring top of the line donations. Check out the organization's website to participate in upcoming auctions.)

The Goodwill Store  44 West 8th St.   212.472.7024
Angel Thrift Store  118 West 17th St.  212.229.0546
Housing Works   housingworks.org
       143 West 17th St.  718.838.5050
                            245 West 10th St.  212.352.1618
(Caveat Emptor: There are plenty of things to buy in thrift stores but certain items pose lurking dangers as noted in a recent post at sammydvintage.com/thrifting/thrift-store-shopping-not-buy-used/)

"Be yourself and the world is your oyster."
Emerson

DavidsTea 
or Starbucks turned coffee into a must drink and now it's DavidsTea time....
Tea a boring drink?  No way! And it's not just the available varieties of this ancient soothing brew, beloved by so many cultures: think black tea, and white, green, red (rooibos), oolong, pu'erh, maté, not to mention all kinds of herbal teas. Nowadays, tea purveyors sell teas infused with unique flavors or floral essences and one company that seems bent on popularizing tea in the same way Starbucks advocated coffee is DavidsTea, a Canada-based chain that recently opened two outposts in Manhattan, one in the Upper East Side and the other on Bleeker St., in Greenwich Village.

The Bleeker St. outlet is a candy-colored shop with shelves lined up with chic-looking silver tins sporting color-coded labels for easy identification. There are plenty of tables to sit at, unless you prefer standing at the long counter to sample any of the profuse selection of teas with tantalizing names and ingredients such as: some velvet morning, coco chai rooibos, jungle ju ju, midsummer night's dream, chicory dickory dock, la la lemon, and so on. Have a cuppa or buy a 2 ounce packet of loose tea to enjoy at home. Tea for sale, packaged in loose leaf form, is priced between $4.50 and $13 though there are also more expensive blends.

davidstea.com

275 Bleecker, between Jones St. & Morton St.  212.414.8599
1124 Third Ave., Upper East Side 212.717.1116

Photograph by Denise Blasor

“I've got nothing to do today but smile.”
--Simon & Garfunkel

Copyright 2012 © Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved










davidstea.com

THE JOYS OF THE GARDEN

BY DENISE BLASOR

 AT A RECENT friends' dinner, one of the guests contributed the bounty of her garden: a  cornucopia of cherry tomatoes, small round orbs of bright red color, some still attached to their wispy green shoots.  Once  you popped them in the mouth, you were met with a glorious explosion of intense flavor.  THE REWARDS of the garden: A small but memorable harvest. Not to mention the satisfaction of growing something  with your own hands and the delight of watching tiny seedlings burst out of the earth to make their way upward  toward the sunlight.  ANYONE with a little time and interest can start their own vegetable garden though, truth be told, some people seem  to be better at it than others. Still, it is an effort well worth trying and resources abound to help you get started. FOR ONE, there is the internet. A visit to any number of websites is sure to provide helpful advice. For example,  thegardenhelper.com suggests that you pay special attention in choosing the site location for planting. It should be a spot in your patio or garden with plenty of sunlight -- at least six hour's worth  of sunlight daily -- and it should have good soil, which one can also improve with compost and organic fertilizers. 

" Planting is only the third step of the three 'P's.                

         Planning your garden, Preparing the soil, Planting your vegetables."                                  

the gardenhelper.com                      

 OR, if you are really serious about the whole enterprise, you might want to get the advice of an expert. Agronomist  Lucas Noble, who trained at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez, provides just such a service through his company Siembra Sustento which, in addition to selling organic compost and holding workshops on organic gardening islandwide, also makes house visits. He will not  only teach you how to start a garden but will even build it for you, if you prefer.  The visit, he said, is $30 while building a basic, four by eight-foot orchard comes to around $160 which includes materials, soil and plants.  NOBLE said gardening is an activity for people of all ages. As for gardens, they come in all sizes, it just depends on  what one wants to plant in it.  Easiest to plant are basil, oregano, cilantrillo, parsley, green beens, radishes, peppers and eggplants.   THOSE without a patch of green need not feel left out. In fact, Noble said people can set up a garden on their terrace or roof. The essential elements for success in growing anything, he said, are "sunlight, water and compost."  Siembra Sustento ( Sow Nourishment, in English) is now expanding its reach to hotels and restaurants. 

   siembrasustento@gmail.com or contact by phone: Metro area/East 787.203.0480; Central area/South 787.983.6474; North area/West 787.633.7951. 

By Denise Blasor

          Every life needs a little fiction in it. Too much reality   

                             is a very nasty thing."   -- Woody Allen  

                                                  

CONCALMA GOES BIKING

ConCalma, the old San Juan-based retailer whose company name is an invite to live life with calm, is branching out into fashion. Add men's bikewear to the company's colorful line of cotton handbags, totes and messenger bags with the distinctive striped handles.

El Rayo Spoke is a line geared to men, especially men who are cycling buffs. "The line grew out of a suggestion from a client who had been following the development of ConCalma and liked its vibe," said Matilsha Marxuach, who started ConCalma as a business that would be easy on the environment and provide work plus a fair living wage to the women of the Utuado sewing cooperative that produces her products.  The new line, primarily manufactured in Puerto Rico, includes sporty polo shirts, jerseys, and button down shirts. The short-sleeved polos look cool and can be customized with reflective patches for night riding, Marxuach said.  Low on the back, a single pocket is perfectly situated to allow one to carry that ubiquitous water bottle and easily grab hold of it. Prices range from $45 to $85.The new line officially launches Thursday night (June 23) at the store with music and videos rounding out the activity which will run from 7 to 11 p.m.  (Photo: courtesy of ConCalma)

ConCalma  #207 San Francisco St. Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm

Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm.  www.concalmalinea.com

Artwork by Lorraine Blasor

Every spirit builds itself a house;
And beyond its house a world;

and beyond its world a heaven.    

Know then, that the world exists

for you; build, therefore, your

own world.  -- Emerson

                                                                             

          

Copyright 2011 © Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved