New Niche
Joining the wave of pint-size shops is the just-opened Deth Killers, co-run by tattooist Scott Campbell.
64 sq. ft.:
Deth Killers
348 Bowery; dethkillers.com
Graphic tees, “Deth Killers Support” patches, and abrasion-resistant biker denim.
106 sq. ft.:
*Share With … at the Broome Hotel
431 Broome St.; 212-431-2929.
Recycled-leather pendant necklaces.
109 sq. ft.:
Smallhome
770 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg; 347-599-0672.
Vintage clocks, balsam-fir sachets.
125 sq. ft.:
Sabah House
By appointment; email thedealer@sabah.am
Hand-sewn Turkish leather slippers, produced in batches of 200 per month.
136 sq. ft.:
Hullabaloo Books
711A Franklin Ave., Crown Heights; 917-499-3244
Fiction, poetry, and a weekly David Foster Wallace book club.
4x4
Canes
The new monocle?
Well-Priced/Playful: Sport cane, $35 at sabi.com.
Splurgy/Playful: The Chatfield, $129 at topandderby.com.
Well-Priced/Genteel: Rosewood stripe tourist handle cane, $39 at incrediblecanes.com.
Splurgy/Genteel: Nanna Ditzel, from $1,000 at Wright (auction preview through April 27; 980 Madison Ave.); similar styles, $230 at sticks.org.
First Look
On May 9, veteran dress-maker Jill Lindsey will launch a mini department store in a former Fort Greene glass studio (370 Myrtle Ave.).
Back patio and herb garden: Includes benches for café overflow, birthday parties, and barbecues.
Apparel: Upstate tie-dyed garments; Lindsey’s own ruffled dresses; menswear.
Wine bar: Urban Farm coffee in the morning, rotating micro-winery selection.
Custom wedding gowns: From $3,000.
Home goods: Lindsey’s hamam blankets; wooden cutting boards from Nicaragua.
Quick Hits
Khalilah Beavers, stylist to Carmelo Anthony and owner of vintage shop Shirley & Alice (434 Marcus Garvey Blvd.), picks her Bed-Stuy go-tos.
1. Marcus Vineyard: Tapas on the patio (417 Marcus Garvey Blvd.).
2. House of Art Gallery: Hip-hop exhibitions (408 Marcus Garvey Blvd.).
3. Bread Love: Small-batch banana loaves (375 Stuyvesant Ave.).
4. BedStuy Fly: Screen-printed sweatshirts (287 Ralph Ave.).
5. Bed-Vyne Wine: Sparkling rosé, delivered (370 Tompkins Ave.).
6. Peace & Riot: Painted Dutch chairs (492 Nostrand Ave.).
Side by Side
Two new shops cater to guys of a certain size: those under five foot nine, at the just-opened Peter Manning, and the big-and-tall crowd, at the DXL flagship set for June.
DXL
699 Sixth Ave.
Backstory: Founded in 2010 by a multi-brand megaretailer.
Space: 12,000 square feet; leather couches, ESPN on flat-screens, an in-house tailor.
Wares: Extra-large and -tall Brooks Brothers, True Religion; in-house sport coats (from $178), denim (from $60).
CEO Wisdom: “Flat-front pants are more slimming than pleated ones. And don’t be afraid of color, whether it’s a rust-tone blazer or bright socks.”
Peter Manning
20 Jay St., Dumbo
Backstory: Founded in 2012 by a fit-challenged five-eight real-estate developer.
Space: 1,500-square-foot loft; Oriental rug, vintage Gentry issues; appointment-only.
Wares: Manning’s entire range of Greenpoint-made trousers ($198), pocket tees ($28), V-neck sweaters ($88).
CEO Wisdom: “A too-long tie, one that hits below the belt, makes a man feel like he is 13 years old. We’ve taken four inches off the typical length.”
Trend Spawning
Why are neon typography lights in so many living rooms these days?
1967:
American artist Bruce Nauman’s The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths appears in the shop window that fronts his San Francisco studio.
1997:
“Tracey Emin: I Need Art Like I Need God,” at the South London Gallery, features early examples of the artist’s signature handwritten neon signs.
2005:
Brooklyn’s Lite Brite Neon manufacturing studio builds artist Glenn Ligon’s Warm Broad Glow, popularizing typewriter font.
2009:
Manhattan interior designer Bradley Stephens’s clients start commissioning neon typography for their homes.
September 2012:
Italian brand Seletti introduces its Neon Art Collection($68 per letter at Michele Varian, 27 Howard St.).
May 2013:
Aha Life partners with Lite Brite’s Matt Dilling, offering custom installations for the home (from $2,200 at ahalife.com).
Winter 2014:
Instagram becomes an increasingly popular meeting place for neon typography artists and enthusiasts (see @petrafcollins, @coil_recoil, and @precisionneon).