Because finding love, of course, is the easy part- I’ve curated a painfully tasteful and exclusively inclusive gift guide to help you show your love to anyone and everyone in your heart, featuring some of my favorite little shops in the borough.
For your leading lady.
Rose Gold, anything.
Commit this to memory: Roses are a bad choice. Rose gold is a good choice. And a great choice if you want to be thoughtfully romantic and devastatingly current. My favorites this season are this amazing Broadway watch from MVMT, anything from Brooklyn native Alexis Bittar, this skinny little chain evil eye that I found at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and this charming pineapple cocktail tumbler, because the only houseware anyone should get on Valentine’s Day are those made to be filled with alcohol and shared.
Brooklyn to Mars, by Markus Almond
Words that are this stunning, this personal, this heart-felt are meant to be shared and read aloud with a lover, or given and indulged in alone. Either way let her know that your heart beats and breaks to hear hers seek cadence with beautiful prose. Get one for each of you here.
A Handmade Dream Catcher
Because she believes in magic. and she harnesses it by weaving intentional webs of hope and desire, strung spindly-thin and impossible to find your way out of once ensnared. And why would you anyway, if thus meaning you are her dream, you dear lucky lad? Handmade in Brooklyn by Electric Love, price upon request.
The Wild Unknown Tarot
We all must play the hand we’ve been dealt but there’s always room for a little slight of hand, a little twist of fate, and more than a fair measure of the wild unknown. These hand-drawn, hand-painted (and reprinted, ok ok…) masterpieces double as decor, but will bring about some wild spirits into that delicate house of cards you’ve assembled, cozy love nest you’ve foraged, sturdy fortress you’ve built, dingey-yet-charming Bushwick apartment you’re renting. these, from maha rosa in Greenpoint. 97 Green St.
Pablo Neruda’s Love Poems
Among the most romantic ways to practice the most romantic of the romance languages, other than while making sweet sweet love. Romantically. Poet Laureate Pablo Neruda’s seductive book of love poems features each poem in Spanish, mirroring its English translation. the perfect instigation for pronunciation, enunciation, fornication, and plenty of inventive iterations. This one found at Spoontown and Sugar Sluts dammit! I mean Spoonbill and Sugartown, in Williamsburg. 218 Bedford Ave.
Stamps on Passport
No no, this isn’t some game or book or album or ‘zine. It’s actual permanent ink on the (ideally) weathered pages of a well-loved passport, to be earned only by crossing through that fateful TSA threshold, hand in hand, with the one you love, looking onward to the departures screen and to new adventures. Keep your eye on the flight deal for daily deals and book something. Trust me, it’s what she wants.
Jewelry is always a good idea.
And can also be quite contrived. Add a personal touch by taking a coin from your travels together, taking it to one of those charming and still-in-business polish jewelers on Manhattan Ave and then string it on a long chain. Or you know, go to Brooklyn Charm and put together your own personalized creation. 145 Bedford Ave.
For the man in your life.
An Engraved Compass.
What is it about men and antique brass compasses? Is it their inherent timelessness, their familiar-as-an-heirloom quality, the substantial weight they have as you hold them, their tendency to always be right when it comes to directions? Wait. Or is that what we love about men? Either way, this seems like a perfect fit. And besides, he’s your true north <—UGH kidding, If I ever say that, unsubscribe. (no for real.) This one found via Etsy (which is headquartered in Brooklyn, if you didn’t know)
A Bear Bottle Opener.
It’s your slow way of obtaining a permanent fixture in his home. A wall-hanging bottle opener. of the bear variety. Fierce and relentlessly giving but also unassuming. It’s everything you wish it would be, as long as you can bear it. This one from Burson and Reynolds in Greenpoint, 649 Manhattan Ave.
A Set of Hipster Toothbrushes
Show that not only can you cohabitate, but that even your hygiene’s got style. These toothbrushes by Binchotan with active charcoal to detoxify and deodorize. Best purchased at Need Supply, because just browsing their site makes you inherently cooler.
Lingerie. of any kind.
You know it’s for him anyway. And how you use it, of course, is up to you. But I highly recommend you use it to make bad decisions. Just add yourself and mischief, and maybe a little whiskey. Try anything from Shag or Brooklyn Fox, both in Williamsburg.
Deer Antlers
Natural. Found. Tough. One-of-a-kind. And more uses around the home than you initially thought! And again, I have just described your lover. Whatever. perfect as a paperweight (why do these even exist in the first place? how drafty is your office space exactly??), a nifty coat hook, a gnarly back scratcher, a decor piece that pairs well with a back story, real or fake. These pop up periodically both at Copper and Plaid and Dobbin St Co-Op, so go often. They’ve never steered me wrong (AH-HAA!). Or, leave a comment here and buy a set from me. I have a bunch. (for real).
For the woman you can’t live without both because she’s your best friend, partner-in-crime, and pseudo (or real) lover, and also because of course she knows too much.
Garance Dore’s Love Style Life.
For the creative, entrepreneurial, inspired woman who is moved by words, images, and traversing through all the noise in media to find and create something of substance. The way thatGarancee embraces every bit of life and communicates it is enough to move anyone to seek more- in love, style, life, and everything in between. (yes, this was the valentine’s gift I bought for myself.) Get. Her. This. And, of course, check out garancedore.com for daily musings and inspirations. Book found at Word, 126 Franklin St, Greenpoint.
The Novelty Necklace
If you want to get personal, choose a coin from your joint travels, or one that represents her family, her heritage, or her aspirations. Seen here, a Czech Koruna, drilled and strung by my local jeweler on Manhattan Ave. Or if you prefer something sassy for yourself or your best friend, this unassumingly blunt NOPE heart necklace requires that you have to get just close enough to read. I’ve had many a man say sweetly, “Oh, what is engraved there on your necklace?” and upon closer inspection and recognition of my smug smile, they get the message without saying a word. Found at in god we trust in Greenpoint. 70 Greenpoint Ave.
Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Hydrating Face Mist, by Herbivore
The perfect alternative to heavy moisturizers, this coconut water, hibiscus flower, and rose water magic spray will have her feeling so fresh, she’ll have to watch her mouth, and actively try not to wink at every young hottie in her path. (or you know, don’t hold back.) I get mine from The New Stand in Union Square, $16 (must be purchased in-store, but subscribe to their musings, audibly-inspiring playlists, and eye-opening news stories, daily.)
A Little Something Sexy
You already know she’s a fox- stop by my favorite little lingerie shop in Brooklyn that flawlessly combines seductive and sensual, tasteful and dangerous, intrepid and clandestine. And doesn’t require you to walk through a pink-polka dotted high school locker room to find what you want. I love this stunning pair for it’s sheer abhorrence to futility, just pure unadulterated aesthetic beauty. From Brooklyn Fox in Williamsburg, 132 n. 5th st.
A Sassy Little Ring Holder (and something upon it)
Simple, elegant, charming, these ring holders become a simple and unassuming little center of attention. Slip a little something extra on it from Brooklyn’s jewelry mavens at Catbird, animal ring holders at Burson and Reynolds, in Greenpoint. 649 Manhattan Ave.
Giles + Brother Railroad Spike Cuff
Made in new york, engravable, delivered in 2 days flat anywhere in the US. This solid brass means it’s strong, tough, unassumingly eye-catching and will only get more beautiful with age. not.un.like.your.love. My engraving of course stands for a secret club with my best friend (and we’ll never tell.) So choose something clandestine, unique, personal, and distinctively yours. Available at Giles and Brother and OAK, Greenpoint. 55 Nassau Ave.
Tom Dixon Copper Coffee Collection.
For the coffee lover-lover, wake her up with something pretty and European. Because mornings should start slow, fragrant, and with a rosy outlook. French Press or percolator- make it personal with coffee from your favorite roastery. I prefer local institutions Stumptown, Cafe Grumpy, and Brooklyn Roasting. Percolator, French Press, and other daily necessities elevated to objects of indulgent desire, visit Beam Brooklyn, in Williamsburg. 240 Kent Ave.
Now get to lovin’.
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