I’m so excited about this posting because Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year! It is an excuse to eat endless amounts of candy, wear ridiculous costumes, and eat more candy. This year I’ll be showing off my mad Martha skills by cooking up some bone meringues and carving the most wicked pumpkins you can imagine. Speaking of which, you should take a brief history lesson and learn why we carve pumpkins in the first place: lesson of the day. Of course your festive party wouldn’t be complete without a pumpkin drink cooler!
Make yourself a homemade costume and head to your local Halloween parade – I hear Greenwich Village has an amazing one! If you’re feeling extra brave, head to one of the most haunted places in the US to get your kicks. You can even be festive all month long with a San Francisco (#10 most haunted) or New Orleans (#1 most haunted) Maptote. You will definitely have the best trick or treating bag in town!
Have a happy and safe Halloween! From all of us here at Maptote!
This week’s store spotlight takes us to Portland, Oregon! Canoe opened in downtown Portland in 2005 by Craig Olson and Sean Igo. While I’ve never had the chance to grace the brick and mortar store, I can say that I’m obsessed with all the items that Canoe’s online store has to offer! It’s right up my aesthetic alley. How awesome is this Tivoli Model One radio!??
Q: Please describe your store aesthetic:
A: Simple, everyday modernism with an emphasis on natural materials and functionality.
Q: Fun or interesting store fact:
A: The building we’re in is about 100 years old. The store space itself is bright and modern and was profiled in Remodelista (design blog), but the basement looks like the set of the “Saw” films. It is quite a contrast.
Q: Tell us about your neighborhood. Why do you love it?:
A: We are in the West End district of downtown Portland. It was definitely off the beaten path when we first opened, but the neighborhood has filled in around us and now has a lot of great local stores and restaurants.
Q: When not in your store, where is the next most likely place you’d be?:
A: The Oregon Coast.
Q: Favorite restaurant in your city/neighborhood:
A: Grüner restaurant right across the street—they serve Alpine cuisine in a modern setting.
Q: If there is 1 thing someone “must do” when they visit your area, what would you recommend?:
A: Walk up to the Portland Japanese Garden high in the hills above Portland–it’s considered one of the most authentic outside of Japan. On clear days you get a view of the Cascades (with Mount Hood filling in as Fujiyama), but the mood is deeper on cloudy, misty days.
Q: What was your inspiration/motivation to open your store?
A: Small shops in Northern Europe and Japan that take an everyday–rather than rarified–approach to design.
Q: How did you come up with your store name?
A: A canoe is an object with a form that looks beautiful and is perfectly suited for its function. It is essentially unchanged for hundreds of years because it can’t really be improved upon. It reflects our approach as we put a high value on function and don’t really follow fast trends.
Q: What’s next for you/your store…. any upcoming sales/events?:
A: We will celebrate our sixth anniversary with a party in October.
Q: What blogs/magazines do you follow?
A: Monocle, Inventory, Remodelista, From the Desk Of, The Brick House
Q: Where do you find all of your products?
A: We go to a couple of trade shows in the US and Europe but most of products are found while traveling around. It’s a pretty organic process which is fun but no small amount of work.
Check out Canoe at 1136 SW Adler in Portland, OR or at their online site.
Be sure to vote for our next city! As you already know, Charleston won our last Poll and will be up on our site shortly. Now we have Melbourne, Nashville, Rome, Maine and Orange County (CA) battling it out for the next Maptote locale!
The votes are in and Charleston, SC is the winner of our summer online poll. Be sure to keep a look out for when Charleston will be available for purchase! Thanks to everyone who voted!
Our next poll will be between Nashville, TN; Rome, Italy; Maine, USA; Melbourne, Australia; and Orange County, CA, so be sure to vote for your favorite on our website!
We’ve been showing lots of West Coast love in the past few installments of Store Spotlight, so this week we journey back to our neck of the woods on the East Coast. Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store was opened in 2007 by Ann Cantrell and is located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Boerum Hill. Today marks four years to the day that Annie’s Blue Ribbon opened its doors and we can’t be anymore excited for them!
Q: Please describe your store aesthetic:
A: A fun & functional modern general store with a whimsical touch.
Q: Any fun or interesting store fact(s):
A: Usher just was in and bought some funny mustaches (he’s also ordered online from us).
Q: Tell us about your ‘hood. Why do you love it?:
A: Brooklyn rocks. Our neighborhood, Boerum Hill, is a wonderful community – lots of creative, cool and caring customers/friends.
Q: When not in your store, where is the next most likely place you’d be?:
A: All over the place! At home with my new babe and wonderful husband…
Q: What’s your favorite restaurant in your ‘hood:
A: Oh, that is tough. There are soo many good ones! Fisherman’s Dawta for jerk chicken for lunch (or Bedouin Tent’s chicken platter). And for dinner – Bacchus for French-y food or Building on Bond for macaroni & cheese.
Q: If there is 1 thing someone “must do” when they visit your area, what would you recommend?:
A: Besides visiting the shop? Check out Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Q: What was your inspiration/motivation to open your store?:
A: I dreamed about opening an urban general store for years. I used to love visiting old timey general stores in Vermont/New England, and wanted to bring that same idea to modern city living.
Q: How did you come up with your store name?
A: Blue ribbons symbolize “best in show;” our shop’s vision is to provide the best that life has to offer, all under one roof
Q: Whats next for you/your store…. any upcoming sales/events?:
A: We are very excited for the amazing holiday items we have coming in! Join our mailing list to learn more.
Q: What blogs/magazines do you follow?
A: I wish I could say I read tons of blogs, but I rarely have time to read them in depth (love checking out all the cool photos though!) I love writing my own – Annie’s Treasure Trove. As far as mags, I love New York Magazine, Real Simple, House Beautiful, etc. and MANY MORE!!!
Q: Where do you find all of your products?
A: We look everywhere for cool new products. Friends, customers, travels – you name it – we find inspiration everywhere.
Visit Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store in person at 365 State St. in Brooklyn, NY or at their online store.
