New York Design Shows: Full of Courage and New Gifts
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Every August thousands of gift shop owners and buyers travel to New York City to ready for the upcoming holiday season and to discover new gifts, home goods & design books to stock up their store. The two major events of the season, Shoppe Object at Pier 36 in Downtown Manhattan and NY NOW at Javits Center in Midtown gather hundreds of brands and makers from around the world who eagerly showcase their latest products.
Shoppe Object
Pier 36, August 14-17
Created to service progressive retail and design community, the show curates around 450 brands and makers and by this edition has become a real buzz of the town for discovering tasteful and innovative gifts and home goods.
The show is located at Pier 36 in the Seaport district of Manhattan. An hourly shuttle bus conveniently transports visitors to and from Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan where the other show, NY NOW, takes placeEach visitor to the show gets a handbandCandles by Voyage et CieCandles by LOHN (meaning “scent” in Estonian)Reversible glass vases by Block DesignAn island of vendors focusing on brands from JapanPortable wireless Table Lamp Ichi by FujitaWooden telephone by Kiko & ggBlockitecture, a architecture game by AreawareConfetti Cup by AreawareHappiness Pillar Candles by AreawareFlor de Maria presenting CDB-infused chocolateRechargeable USB lighters by The USB Lighter Co. Onyx Coffee, a coffee roster from Arkansas who I’ve been subscribing to for the past few yearsWhimsical creatures by UK designers Donna WilsonPlates by Donna WilsonAn array of colorful and curious brooches by Belgian-based brand My BobElevated kinds scooters by BanwoodElevated apothecary by Hudson Made from Upstate New York
NY NOW
Javits Center, August 14-17
First NY NOW gift show with masks off in years was planned to be a blast with hundreds of brands and thousands of visitors. While the show remains large in scale and has been making some buzz, many of the important brands and tastemakers that I expected to see, were not there.
Co-creator of wholesale gift marketplace Bulletin Ali Kriegsman shows how the service allows shop owners to connect directly with the brandsArchive fragrance and apothecary collection by Margot Elena inspired by readingA stapler by Cornervery designed to staple corners of a boxLöv, air purifier by Korean brand Komma is designed to fit on the floor or on the wallHumorous porcelain objects for the home at Candy RelicsDesk organizers by 100 PercentPeggy, free-standing portable pegboard system by King JimLuxury garden tools by Garden Glory