Daytrip Society

by Tim Yu

by Pamela Liou

When homeward-bound couple and former record executives Jessica Jenkins and Andy West set up shop in their native Kennebunkport, Maine, they brought back NYC’s high-end design sensibility and blended it with their love of nature and travel. The open white interior of the shop is accented by warm wooden beams and the railings leading into the back of the store line up exactly with a trompe l’oeil footbridge in a floor-to-ceiling photograph of the nearby Rachel Carson preserve, giving the illusion of standing in the middle of the woods.

While they carry a few design giants like Normann Copenhagen, West and Jenkins embrace independent designers from Brooklyn, Manhattan and Maine. Some showcased items include Emily Sugihara's Baggu, a line of re-useable grocery bags that fold to pocketsize, Nikki McClure’s painstakingly intricate paper cuts, and Maine-based Insect Labs' antique gear-fitted beetles and cicadas. Also check out home goods from Angela Adams, Sweet Bella Bird Calls, Orla Kiely, Birds by Toikka, and Deadly Squire. Aside from providing high-end gifts and travel gear, Daytrip Society supports the eco-conscious community by collaborating with local Conservation Trusts and providing a platform for discussion about nature walks and yes, day trips.

Not to worry if you can't make it up to Maine, their webstore is opening any day now. Continue reading.

Daytrip Society
4 Dock Square
Kennebunkport, ME 04046 map
tel. +1 207 967 4440

Cody Hudson for GoodShape Design

by Tim Yu

Multimedia artist Cody Hudson is the first to take part in the GoodShape Design artist series run. The limited edition series consists of silk screened 18x24 prints made on heavy stock acid-free paper and t-shirts printed on the trusted American Apparel tee.

GoodShape founder and designer Wayne Pate isn't going for a high-level concept here, he's simply including artists that he finds inspiring personally. Rather than capitalize on current fads or who's popular at the moment, we appreciate how the collection is a more honest curation of timeless and fun design.

The next artist on deck is Tyler Askew of Rude Movements. Wayne comments, "besides Tyler I have a few people in mind but I will keep that under my hat for now." We'll just have to keep checking back.

The prints go for $50 and are limited to an edition of 50 and the t-shirts cost $30. Pick up both at the GoodShape Online Shop.

Thirst Wine Merchants

by Tim Yu

Specializing in hard-to-find wines from small vintners out of California, Germany, Italy and mainly France, Thirst Wine Merchants is a carefully curated wine shop. Located in the historic Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, they also carry a small collection of elusive whiskeys, bitters and other hard liquors.

With a welcoming environment, there's none of the attitude, snobbery or intimidation at Thirst that unfortunately accompanies most fine wine establishments. In fact, an absence of tags and wine ratings encourages visitors to converse and ask for recommendations. Owners Michael Yarmark and Emilia Valencia are extremely knowledgeable and always seem to know exactly what I'm in the mood for. In fact, they hand-select every wine in the shop. Take the Louis De Grenelle Saumur Rose Brut NV made from 100% Cabernet Franc and sold for $18. "A dry rich and transporting wine," notes Yarmarck, "like champagne, this wine undergoes it's secondary fermentation in the bottle."

The shop also has an amazing selection of Beaujolais. Come this 15 November—the same day the French can legally drink new wine— they will be selling Dupeuble's Beaujolais Nouveau. Unlike other feeble, sterile or cold-stabilized quasi-Nouveaus, this one's made from grapes that were hand-harvested at peak ripeness. "This is the honest-to-goodness, real-deal Beaujuloais Nouveau", at only $13.

Knowing that most don't pay as close attention to wine as they do, one of the best features of this little local wine shop is that you can store your purchasing history in their system for when you don't remember the name of the last wine you loved or simply to document what you've tried.

A well-designed interior houses all the great wines. Thirst commissioned fellow Brooklynites and design firm previously featured on Cool Hunting, 4 Pli, to collaborate and design the interior. I like the curvy wine racks and rock counter top which has a carved-out indentation for loose coins or business cards (below). Materials are eco-friendly and strategically placed in the triangular space. A mirror cut to resemble a vineyard (above left) placed on the back wall tastefully elongates the space and a display case of corks (above right) from Yarmark and Valencia's favorite wines greet visitors at the door.

Most Saturdays, Thirst hosts a wine tasting and because it's hard to find their wines elsewhere, they deliver for free to Brooklyn and Manhattan. Make sure to stop by if you're ever in the area.

Thirst Wine Merchants
187 DeKalb Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205 map
tel. 1 718 596 7643

Leo Dog Toy

by Ami Kealoha

by Passa Chattra

Face it, any dog owner will tell you they have the smartest dog in the world. Well here"s a toy that's fitting for those canine prodigies. Made by Canine Genius the "Leo" (in honor of Leonordo da Vinci) is like legos for dogs. The individual Leos can be fetched, tugged, and stuffed with treats like other dog toys.

What makes the Leo different is that it can be linked to multiple other Leos. You can create puzzles and shapes that also allow treats that are stuffed inside to move around inside one piece to the other. Looks like its creative problem solving for both humans and animals. Available in original ($19) and mini ($13) from Canine Genius.

Faces in Places

by Lost At E Minor

We love the Faces in Places site. So if you've been missing out on the fun, it might be time to get involved. It's a photographic collection of faces found in everyday places. If nothing else, the serendipitous discoveries will induce a smile. Or two.