Essentials/Blog

Hey folks! A quick note to let you all know that Essentials: Northampton has marked down all the floor model furniture by 25-75%. This includes all the awesome environmentally friendly pieces from LEE Industries, EDGE, children’s furniture, vintage, and more. This floor model sale only happens once a year, so act while you can…

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Found these during a recent buying trip. Very cool and weird all at the same time.

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So, there is this small organization in our small Western Massachusetts town of Amherst known as Family Outreach. It, like so many other small groups in the area make a real, substantive, and immediate, difference in the lives of families. It is one of just a handful of nonprofits that Sydne and I support and [...]

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After a long absence, we finally received our shipment of Mighties. These magnets are coveted by our regular Essentials shoppers and rightly so. So small and powerful, these little guys can secure up to 12 sheets of paper on to a metal surface. We have limited stock online now, and much much more in the [...]

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A mall in Seoul, South Korea. Not a bad idea… This photo comes by way of the Superlocal blog.

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Ok. I know this doesn’t qualify as “Japanistic”, but it is just too cool not to share. This photo comes by way of the Superlocal blog.

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At Japanistic, we’re nothing if not troopers, and we had to be for our latest adventure.
At the gorgeous Brooklyn Botanic Garden, May 2nd and 3rd was the Sakuri Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival.
Two days of activities and attractions, in addition to their fabulous cherry blossom
We went on Sunday, and we pleased to see that the pouring—POURING—rain [...]

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Father’s Day is a notorious day in the calendar. It is a special event that brings dread to most children who have NO IDEA what to give dear old dad. A tie? Cologne? UGH!
Now, while Essentials is not known for carrying too many products for men, this year I think we have a good collection [...]

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Check out these amazing manhole covers from Japan. The blog, Pink Tentacle, has the most amazing collection I have ever seen. Perfect combination of art, craft, and public policy.

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