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…

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

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 we are happy to help them when we can. On Friday, June 12, Family Outreach is hosting their annual Light Up the Night event. It is a fundraiser for their programs and we hope that if you are in the area you can attend. If you can’t, then you should donate, or bid on one of the items they have up for auction. For our part, we donated the picnic basket, laguioule cheese knife and corkscrew you see below. You can place an offer on the basket, or on many other items by clicking here.

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 Northampton store.

Have fun shopping!

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

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.

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 had done little to dissuade the crowds who were in attendance. Sure it required some re-organization, but everyone was in good spirits, patient, and in awe of the garden, even in the rain.

A few highlights for us:
Max Kitano, who made amazing creations out of sugar. Origami cranes, the Hokusai Wave, and gorgeous cherry blossom branches. (Of course, my little boy is a great fan of any art form which involves a small blow torch!)

The adorable Sushi Pillows (find them at sushipillows.com). So cute, even in the rain. And talk about troopers—their tent was leaking, they were standing in a puddle, and still smiling.

Taiko Drumming while we ate Bento Boxes, sitting on the not quite dry ground. Noodles so yummy, my guy has asked if we can find the restaurant that made them so we can go there next time we’re in New York! And a delicious seaweed salad.

Of course, the festival did bring out all sorts of fans of Japanese culture, whether to hear music spun by a JPOP dj, or to have a chance to dress as their favorite Anime character. Either way, there were many photo ops for everyone!

We left with our pants wet to our news, ready for the nearly 4-hour ride back to Massachusetts, but satisfied that we had appropriately honored one of our favorite flowering trees!

Whisky Stones for Dad

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 of Father’s Day gifts that are interesting, fun, and affordable. Check them out here. We are adding new product everyday, so keep checking back for great Father’s Day ideas.

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.