One of my first adventures when I went into business for myself 13 years ago was a trip to New York City. Victoria Magazine was hosting a conference entitled “Business of Bliss”. Janet Allen and the Editors of the magazine had written a book by the same name. It was an enlightening look at various women who had developed their passion into profits by opening their own business. For me and the several hundreds of other women who attended it was an inspiring event. Attendees represented various stages of opening their business from romanticizing - to the first year - to time to take the next step. Regardless, we were all living within the infinite possibilities of where our "business of bliss" could take us. I have thought about the conference a lot this particular week, even though it was some time ago. The conference took place specifically at the Marriott Hotel @ 3rd World Trade Center. The Hotel was nestled between the twin towers and therefore nestled in the tragedy 10 years ago. New York is a FABULOUS place to travel and spend time. In honor of New York I wanted to highlight a couple of my favorite places to stop in.
“I do not seek I find” ~ Pablo Picasso
ABC Carpet & Home ~ Open Mon. – Wed. & Fri. & Sat. 10 am– 7 pm; Thurs. 10 am – 8 pm & Sun. 11 am – 6:30 pm. There are an infinite number of places to go in New York City when it comes to designing, decorating, art, fabric shops, and furniture stores. It seems to me if it isn't there then it isn't anywhere. One of my favorite places to go is ABC Carpet & Home. Tell the cabby to take you to 888 Broadway @
east 19th street in Manhattan. The location has been there since 1897. The ten floors showcase rugs, furniture, vintage & antique pieces, home textiles, accessories, and sustainable furnishings. Each floor is specific in what it offers. Some customers work their way up floor by floor. Others who might have a limited amount of time select the floors based on priority of what they are looking for and or what they want to check out. My recommendation: go alone because a friend will distract you. Set aside a couple of hours so you can visit each floor. They allow you to take pictures. Anything you need to ship already has been calculated by weight and size and there is a chart depending on where the item would be shipped to let you know the charge.
"Let your heart guide you, it whispers, so listen carefully"
~ Little Foot's Mother
The emphasis is on the vast selection vs. bargain pricing. Many of the pieces look like they are what is pictured in those dog eared pages in your favorite decorator magazine and or infused in the photos of the latest hard bound interior designer's book. Recently at an open house at my Tallahassee Art of the Find shop, a customer making purchases shared with me a specific piece she was looking for. She asked me if I have ever seen… and proceeded to describe a spectacular blue/green glass chandelier. She was shocked when I showed her a photo of what, up until that time, had only been in her mind's eye. I had taken the picture the last time I was shopping @ ABC Carpet & Home.
MY FAVORITE FLOOR ~ On the Vintage and Antique level there was a good selection of Made in Italy Florentine items. This style of furniture and accessory have been a staple of my shop. I easily gravitate to tables, magazine holders, plaques, jewelry boxes, shelving, trays etc. with the made in Italy/Florentine marking. I have bought and sold and placed a good bit of these style items. I love the LOOK especially when combining to offer something unexpected in a contemporary space. The items offer a little history and bold gold. I especially love the pieces that pair the gold with another color such as aqua, orange or black. The hand carved and painted pieces are a favorite.
1.41 miles away- Start out going south on Broadway toward E. 18th St. – Broadway becomes Union Sq. W. – Turn left onto E 14th St.- Turn right onto Broadway-Turn right onto Broome St. – 462 is on the right
Ochre Store - www.ochre.net – 462 Broome St., N.Y., N.Y., 212-414-4332 - I had read about Ochre in a Traditional Home Magazine article. Two friends who met @ a London art school successfully combined and cultivated their talents to create wares. A taste of their contemporary feel mixed with vintage pieces found in the UK, France & Italy had resulted in decorators/designers identifying them as a source of furnishings, lighting and accessories for their clients' projects. The inclusion of a third friend, one from New York, resulted in the store front opening on Broome St., which I was now happy to locate.
The rustic patina of the wooden door invites a feeling that you are entering somewhere special. Maybe a home in the European countryside. The store has an incredible mix of simplicity and vintage. You quickly forget you are in a store. The shop's display puts you at ease and emphasizes a “less is more” mentality to the extent that you feel like you should take a seat, a cup of coffee will soon be served and you can just relax and have a conversation. Although Sophie, the pleasant young lady that kept shop @ Ochre that day, didn't really serve me coffee, she did allow me to experience a stress free environment. The experience reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. ~ Leonardo Da Vinci
2.97 miles away – Start out going northwest on Broome St. toward Greene St.- Turn right onto 6th Ave./Avenue of the Americas – Turn left onto W. 14th St. – Turn right onto 8th Ave. – Turn left onto W. 39th St. You should see the pop up tents and assembled vendors.
Hell's Kitchen Flea Market – West 39th St. & 9th ave. on the street between 9th & 10th- Open 9 am – 5 pm every Saturday & Sunday all year round (weather pending). I LOVE the STUFF! 
You can find at Hell's Kitchen Flea Market and I LOVE the characters of the vendors and how they will haggle with you. There are a lot of olden golden smalls. Pottery, statues, brass keys, ornate, industrial, clothing and jewelry. This particular time yielded:
- A copper overlaid bust statue of St. Beatrice~ `1900– 1920s,
- A statue of a well featured German pointer~ 1940s,
- A metal 1880's angel wall hanging,
- A pair of small majolica vases and other vintage pottery pieces,
- A stunning robin's egg blue Fenton vase,
- Various block print letters and an entire block print set in a wooden case,
- A brass railroad key, an ornate Victorian Skelton key, and
- I found a terrific well made hounds tooth designer blazer with beautiful leather buttons.
1.32 miles away – Start out going northwest on W 39th St. toward 10th Ave. – Turn right onto 10th Ave. – 10th Ave. becomes Amsterdam Ave. –look for 62nd St.
The MET ~ Metropolitan Opera House~ Upper West Side between West 62nd & 65th and Columbus & Amsterdam Avenue. It goes without saying that the city offers a great many entertainment opportunities, plays, art shows, music. In all my NYC trips my best experience that has spoken to my heart and sense of inspiration would have to be the recital debut of Andrea Bocelli at the Metropolitan Opera House. Andrea was born with poor eyesight and as a child experienced a football injury that resulted in his blindness. Somehow what he cannot see he can feel and he expresses it to me in his voice. In turn this allows me to feel beyond what I can see. The venue is spectacular and dinner after the performance was what anniversaries and celebrations are made of. It was the concert itself that was so great that it cannot be measured. If there was a glass slipper, it was under my seat that night and when I slipped it on, it fit.
