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Schooled in the Art of Gift Giving

Is your gift the one that’s always being traded away at the holiday White Elephant gift exchange? If that’s something you’re proud of, then keep doing what you’re doing. But if you’re determined to have the gift that everyone wants, then here’s your first lesson: change where you shop. Don’t go to those giant, commercial gift stores. You’ll just end up with the same old, same old. You need to go local. And I mean Williamsburg local, to Brooklynski.

Two years ago, husband and wife duo Douglas Friedmutter and Basia Grocholski, opened their well-edited gift shop in Greenpoint. Basia has a background in graphic design - specifically in building brands, and Douglas has a background in business. After building brands for other companies, Basia and Douglas decided they wanted a brand of their own. Drawing on their Polish backgrounds, they named the shop Brooklynski, meaning “Of Brooklyn.” The shop first opened in Greenpoint, but has since moved to Graham Avenue in Williamsburg. 

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Brooklynski has some gifts you may have come across before–the Agelio Batle graphite pencils, Archipelago candles and home fragrances, and Snow & Graham Stationary. Then, there’s a selection of gift-worthy books including czech artist Miroslav Sasek’s This is London, The Art of the Slow Cooker, and The Printmaking Bible. Frankly, in my opinion, you can’t go wrong with any of these items, especially if you need a nice gift for someone you don’t know well. But the real gems in the store are those that are true to the store’s name–the variety of accessories from Brooklyn designers. Basia and Douglas are loyal to their Brooklyn neighbors and sell a lot of local designer’s products on consignment.

First up, the Good Ship fold up tote bags from a local textile designer, Julie Maclean. Made of vintage or recycled fabrics, each bag is a limited edition that is perfect for your eco-friendly friend. 

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For the ladies, pick up a fascinator or hat made by Diana. And for that man in your life check out the silk screen ties from The Fair School or the glass cufflinks and belt buckles from Scarlett Hot Glass.

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Finally, for the little ones in your life, how can you resist the Manuella Doodle Dolls? They’re more worldly rather than local, but equally unique.

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Photo Credits: Jason LaFrenais

Feeling confident now about your gift-giving abilities? If you still feel a little shaky, just drop on in and the lovely staff will help you pick out the perfect gift.

Class dismissed.

Brooklynski
351 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11222
718-389-0901
http://www.brooklynski.com

Posted in Accessories, Baby and Kids, Books, Brooklyn, Gifts, Jewelry, Williamsburg. Tagged with , , .

By AshleyR
January 26, 2009

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Take time to Smell the Rose Red and Lavender

It’s the perfect love story…boy meets girl, boy buys girl flowers…except the boy buying the flowers was extremely dissatisfied with the standard flowers he found in every corner market in the city. He wanted  to find something special…and something that wouldn’t die right away. So the boy talked with the girl, who happened to have a background in horticulture, and they decided to open a shop of their own.

Such is the (much paraphrased) story of Enrique and Kimberly Sevilla, and their nearly one-year old daughter Lavender. Enrique and Kimberly, long time residents of Williamsburg, opened their store Rose Red and Lavender in November of 2008, after discovering there were no flower shops to speak of in the area. Both Enrique and Kimberly have a background in retail and retail store design, so their standards were high. They set out to create a modern, rustic environment that would showcase the natural beauty of the plants and flowers.

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Novel gifts abound in the store and each item seems to have been selected to gratify the senses. There’s absinthe supplies, Appalachian folk art dolls, Saint Parfum home fragrances, and beloved garden gnomes. And there’s a fair share of whimsy with the unique container arrangements Kimberly puts together using found items like the sweet porcelain girl container with Hen and Chicks succulents.

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A large part of the store is filled with unusual potted plants and flowers, including the carnivorous Pitcher plant, staghorn fern, and amaryllis (both planted and bulb kits). There is also a selection of beautiful cut flowers including anemones, the new and rare “trick” dianthus (the green, whispy carnation), thistle, colorful spray roses, esperance rose, flowering quince, and…the icing on the cake…hard to find miniature orchids. Oh, and how can we forget…Lavender. Kimberly even grows some of the plants and flowers in her garden behind the store.

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Photo Credits: Jason LaFrenais

Fearful that you’re black thumb will get the better of the nice plants you purchase? Come spring, Kimberly will be offering classes in container gardening. So, head on down and whatever you do, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.

Rose Red & Lavender
653 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-486-3569
http://www.roseredandlavender.com

Posted in Brooklyn, Garden, Gifts, Williamsburg. Tagged with , , , .

By AshleyR
January 23, 2009

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CityGirl Shops: NYC by Ashley Reardon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.