Photo: Capsule

Along with its trade show, Capsule is pulling together a side market filled with quality vintage finds and new wares at the Donut Shop. The list includes an impressive lineup of dealers and companies like Orange Crush Exports, Heller's Cafe, and Strongarm Clothing & Supply Co. Brooklyn favorites In God We Trust and Kings County Salvage will round up the vintage goods. Other participants include Terrapin Stationers, Izola, Bellocq, and others. The Donut Shop will only be open for two days, January 16th and 17th from 10am to 7pm.

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Photo: Staff

Detroit has been revving up for some time, with the hum of young, creative entrepreneurs finding opportunity amidst the much lamented urban decay. On a recent day trip there, we just scratched the surface of Detroit's sprawling neighborhoods, museums, and public art — but we did stumble on a particular block in the Corktown neighborhood that's been rebuilt with a serious dose of local pride. In the shadow of the once grand Michigan Central Station is a cluster of activity. SLOWS Bar BQ was one of the first to open on Michigan Avenue, with patrons now willing to wait two hours for their dry rub baby back ribs. A new cocktail bar in the vein of NYC's Milk & Honey and Angle's Share recently opened, by the name of Sugar House. A few other businesses are taking root, mainly under the guidance of Phil Cooley and a close knit group of family and friends. Meghan McEwen is part of that circle. She is also the proprietor of Honor & Folly — a small-scale inn with a focus on design a few storefronts down from Slow's and Sugar House. She has been writing and documenting her obsession with travel and design for some time on Designtripper, and prior to landing in Detroit she was editor-in-chief for a Chicago design magazine. Her expertise and passion came together with brick and mortar when she opened Honor & Folly. The inn has a large open living room and kitchen space and two bedrooms. Exposed brick and antiques create a warm, textural backdrop for beautiful and functional objects by local designers (all available for purchase.) In addition, cooking classes and events are hosted in the space. It's a cozy home base, from which to explore Detroit's grand architectural relics and wide open avenues. Next time you're passing through the Detroit area, stay a little longer. There are sure to be more undiscovered gems waiting.

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Photo: Tuukka Koski

Chefs Walker Stern and Joseph Ogrodnek have found their sweet spot—it's a delicate balance between meticulous control and creative improvisation at Battersby on Smith Street in Brooklyn. The first come, first serve restaurant focuses on cooking to the highest standards in an utterly unpretentious space. From their pocket-sized kitchen, Stern and Ogrodnek preside over sumptuous dishes, and challenge themselves to constantly reinvent the menu. Read about our visit.

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Photo: Gianluca Fellini for Aesop

Jeremy Barbour, founding principal of Brooklyn based architecture firm TACKLEBOX, recently wrapped up three NY retail spaces for Aesop, the Melbourne based skin and hair care brand. Barbour worked closely with the company to aligning certain guidelines while exploring his own concepts for the interiors. Like the signature sink in all of Aesop's stores, a central element where customer can learn about its products. The University Place store is outfitted with an antique trough sink that came from the main factory of Bethlehem steel - "arguably one of the most important steel factories in the history of the US" states Barbour. "We sought to find a sink with a history that could add to the narrative and overall experience of the store." Another key design TACKLEBOX developed is the 400,000 individual strips of the New York Times that line the walls in the Nolita store and are used as counter space for the Grand Central Terminal kiosk. The result of the design is clean and minimal which is synchronous with Aesop's branding, but the texture from the use of materials is inviting and gives warmth to the space. See more photos after the jump.

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Photo: Michael Williams

Michael Williams and Randy Goldberg return this holiday season with Pop Up Flea #IV. It gets bigger by the year with a list of established and independent labels. Over thirty brands will be participating including L.L. Bean Signature, Red Wing Heritage, Levi's Vintage Clothing, Billykirk, The Hill-Side, J.W. Hulme, Oak Street Bootmakers, Terrapin Stationers, and many more. They've changed location and moved over to 159 Bleecker Street. Pop Up Flea opens today from 3-9pm, Saturday 11am-7pm, and Sunday from 11am-6pm.

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Photo: Warby Parker

It's the season for temporary retail spaces and bazaars. An old garage in Soho, yurts, glasses, and a rotating list of products, that's what Partners & Spade came up with for Warby Parker's Holiday Spectacle Bazaar. The garage opens this Friday from noon to 8pm seven days a week through January 8 and is located on Grand Street between West Broadway and Thompson Street. The Brooklyn Night Bazaar held it's inaugural event at the DeKalb Market back in October. They're coming back for more this December for three nights. From December 15-17, the Bazaar will take over a 40,000 sq ft warehouse in Williamsburg. Independent vendors, music and food will occupy the space. Read more about the participants and what they plan to do. Blackcreek Mercantile and Trading Co. will be at this weekend's CRAFTED. "CRAFTED is a holiday craft sale featuring the work of a dozen local makers and is held in a 113-year old white country church in Ulster county between New Paltz and Woodstock, two hours north of New York City." Missed the Geoff McFetridge show at Heath Ceramics in LA? Here's your chance to purchase the work he created for the exhibit. From pottery to original artwork, it's all for sale. Call the LA store to make a purchase.

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Photo: Apartamento

Speaking of Apartamento, issue number 8 is out now. Featuring: Marcelo Krasilcic, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Beda Achermann, Faye Toogood,Rafael de Cardenas, Brian Janusiak and Elizabeth Beer, Pilar Benitez Vibart, Cosimo Bizzarri Michael Stipe, David John, Victoria Camblin, Julie Cirelli, Thea Slotover, Ben Rivers,Patrick Parrish, Athena Currey, Alexander Heminway, Makoto Orui, Valentine Fillol-Cordier Plus: everyday life kids supplement with Olaf Breuning, Phillipe Parreno, Javier Mariscal and Mike Meiré

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Photo: Wilder Quarterly

The odds of running a successful and profitable magazine is stacked against you. Yet we continue to see publishing thrive despite its challenges. With a unique angle, beautiful art direction and photography, new magazines stand a better chance. Wilder Quarterly is just that. It's been a long time since we've seen a magazine of this caliber - Kinfolk and Apartamento come to mind. Wilder Quarterly is a horticulture magazine with an emphasis on culture. It destroys the notion of what a gardening publication is and encompasses wider and cooler topics. The inaugural issue includes a visit to Vinegar Hill House, instructions on how to build a modular cold frame, Jonathan Caouette's Secret Garden, and much more. Wilder Quarterly is out now.

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Photo: AMMO Books

Alexander Girard is a hero of ours. The Mid-Century Modern designer stands on the pedestals of many other great designers of that era, Eames, Nelson, and Saarinen being among them. As important as he is to American design, there has only been one notable book published on Girard, until now. Ammo, the publishing house responsible for the oversize books on Charley Harper and Wayne White is set to release a tome on a similar scale. The 672 page book measures 16" x 12" and weighs 15 pounds. It covers every facet of Girard's career from textile and furniture design to typography and illustration to so much, spanning seven decades. Alexander Girard by Todd Oldham & Kiera Coffee is set for release early next month.

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Photo: Partners & Spade

In 2009 while struggling to complete the second screenplay to her movie, The Future, Miranda July would procrastinate by reading the classified ads in the weekly PennySaver. She found herself compelled to contact the sellers, not necessarily about the items they listed but to find out more about them, a lot more. She would interview them about their lives, their hopes, and their fears. This exercise helped July in completing her screenplay as well as her latest book, It Chooses You. In celebration of the release of the book, Miranda July is opening a store inside Partners & Spade based on the same concept. Items have been purchased from local classifieds, interviews were conducted and the items will go back on sale for the same price it was purchased for. The store's "grand opening" will be this Thursday from 6-9pm.

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Photo: Paul & Williams

AETHER, the outdoor sportswear, is taking their latest collection on the road and setting up temporary residence in different cities. After a month in LA, the AETHERstream is traveling 3000 miles across the U.S. and stopping in NYC. For a month and a half the mobile retail shop housed in a 34' PanAmerican Airstream will be parked on the corner of Prince and Mulberry. AETHER partnered with designer Thierry Gaugain, Philippe Starck's former right-hand man, to reconfigure the airstream from leisure to retail space. Gutting out all the essentials for modern living and styling it into a workshop / lodge. Planks of reclaimed oak secure the floors while a hanging fireplace sits comfortably in the back of the trailer, almost every component of the AETHERstream was custom made. The mobile store will open its doors this Thursday, November 17 from 11-7pm, 7 days a week till December 31st.

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Photo: Staff

You don't survive four generations in business without evolving and innovating. Maharam, the 110 year old textile manufacture started as a business to business operation, selling to theaters and retail outlets for window displays. It wasn't until 1997, when Michael and Stephen Maharam took over creative reins and the family business that consumers started to notice its line of fabrics. For the most part their clients were architects and interior designers, but partnering with well know designers from the past and present exposed Maharam to a wider audience. Maharam Agenda, a new book published by Lars Muller, covers the history and takes you inside the operations of the company. The book explores the different parts of Maharam from print and textile, to environments and exhibition. And as we are always interested in the inner workings of a successful creative company we were pleased to read about the relationship between the designers and Maharam and the evolution from inception to execution. Maharam Agenda comes in at a hefty 232 pages with a cover designed by Hella Jongerius. The book is now available through Lars Muller.

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Photo: © Per-Anders Jörgensen

There was a time, not too long ago, that chefs didn't have a connection to their suppliers. And it's still true for many restaurants. But the relationship between supplier and chef is growing. Farmers and butchers are getting their recognition. And why wouldn't they? They are the source and the beginning of what goes into a great meal. A group of young, but well established chefs are taking this relationship to the next level. They are the future of British cuisine and they call themselves The Young Turks. Comprised of three chefs with experience in the world's best kitchens including, Noma, St John, and the Ledbury. James Lowe, Isaac McHale and Ben Greeno have been working together since 2010, setting up shop in temporary spaces that will give them the freedom to do exactly as they wish. They focus on strong relationships with small producers, transparency into their cooking, and the importance of eating your greens. For the fortunate ones living and visiting London in the next month, The Young Turks will be taking over The Ten Bells in Shoreditch for three months. The temporary restaurant will be open starting tomorrow. Visit their site for more information and reservations.

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Photo: Michael A. Muller

In the heart of the Meatpacking district, at an Italian Steakhouse called Macelleria, we met Chuck Miller; a master distiller of a pleasing, clear corn whiskey called Original Moonshine. As we sat down to talk with Chuck for a tasting, he shared the history behind his liquor. A story that goes all the way back to his grandfather who made and sold the illegal substance during the Prohibition-era to the present day of how he came to the recipe that now makes Original Moonshine. Read more about our visit.

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Photo: Michael A. Muller

The Corsillo brothers (Emil and Sandy) are the tandem behind the highly-trafficked online shop Hickoree's. With their pop-up style "Hickoree's Outposts" housed in several J. Crew shops around NYC, several collaborations with such brands as Heritage Leather Co. and Field Notes, not to mention their beautiful Hill-Side brand of scarves, ties and pocket-squares which are available at finer retailers all over the world, it's at long last that Hickoree's has opened up a storefront in Brooklyn. The second floor space in Williamsburg is just below the company's office and the clean-up and build-out they did on the shop space is impeccable. Leaving exposed brick and the long-plank wooden flooring in place to house their keen collection of fine clothing, luggage, grooming accessories and miscellaneous nostalgic items such as Slinkies, Big League Chew, wiffle bats/balls and sling shots. Open daily 11-8 except Tuesdays. 109 South 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

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