This roundup of things we liked this week originally appeared in the November 9, 2023, edition of the Secret Strategist newsletter, a weekly email where we share the stuff our staff — plus a rotating cast of writers, design-world people, and various others with very good taste — would otherwise keep to themselves. If you want to get our picks straight to your inbox each week, sign up here.
This week, we’re handing our newsletter over to downtown designer with good taste Nick Poe. He broke down his favorites in four categories: New York businesses, antiques (two items), things to buy on Amazon, and stuff from his friends. A very useful list for walking around and gifting both!
This Week’s List
Favorite New York businesses
* TK Name: TK quote.
* Chess Forum’s triple-weighted chess set & roll-up board: Chess is an international language more useful than Esperanto. Buying anything from this fragile NYC institution supports their great cause. Chess reigns, but they even carry backgammon and other such lesser games. Every home should keep a chess set, and there is no shame in rolling up with a roll-up board. No need for a hard board, but spring for the heavyweight pieces. This complete set will only set you back $30 all in, and it is timeless and beautiful.
* Spa Day gift card: Zu Yi, Keisy, Great Jones Spa, Aire, or Russian and Turkish baths. Nothing like a steamed-towel foot rub or a piping-hot sauna on a bone-chilling winter day. Depending on your mood, I recommend the intense foot rub at Zu Yi spa.
* Nanamica insulation jacket: My all-around favorite brand — and my accountant’s least favorite. Truly refined simplicity, great cuts and materials. Highly recommend almost all of their product line. This is a great gift for a spouse, a treat for yourself — or for your favorite NY Mag gift-guide author, if you feel so inclined, dear reader. Designed in Japan, but visit their New York store on Wooster Street.
[Editor’s note: Nick Poe’s original Nanamica jacket selection is no longer available, but we’ve linked to another nice jacket from the brand above.]
* Lee’s private dining room: Experiences over things, it’s said. We built a private dining room in a loft space on Canal Street where people host private dinners and cocktail parties. Nice thing is that it is decidedly not a restaurant, so people can cook for themselves, order food, or work with professional chefs and catering teams. Book a night and host a proper dinner party for your people.
Favorite antiques
* Antique brass candlesticks: You can never really go wrong with a beautiful quality candlestick or have too many. I prefer secondhand solid brass candlesticks. Local antique shop or eBay is the way to go, but there are also many retailers online. (Pair with the beeswax candles below.)
* Antique silver eggcup: I love these silver eggcups because of their ready-made sculptural quality. They also function beyond just soft-boiled-egg usage; I use them as salt dishes.
Favorite Amazon items
* Exacompta FAF desk pad: My desk is wherever my FAF notepad lives. Elegant and useful. Tear-away pages and reloadable. Everyone should have one. It will give you better ideas.
* Hyoola 12” beeswax taper candles: Beeswax candles are better for indoor air quality than paraffin candles. I keep a steady supply of these. Pairs well with the antique brass bases I mentioned above.
* Aoshima Range Rover classic toy model: A sculpture in a box. This is one of my favorite car shapes, and without any of the upkeep or maintenance costs. This is good for the man immature enough to appreciate a toy car but old enough to not swallow its small parts, like me.
* Umbro checkerboard shorts: As a rule, grown men should not wear shorts; nobody needs to see a man’s calf. However, there is a time and a place to wear a short, such as when playing sports, visiting the tropics, or vacuuming shirtless. This is my choice for all-around sport shorts. Classic design, and pockets are key, for say, keys.
* Tonka steel dump truck: This ready-made sculpture is a great gift for any human, large or small. The classic silhouette is easy on the eyes, and thanks to industrial outsourcing and shipping innovations, the enameled-steel truck is also easy on the pocketbook.
Favorite gifts
* Medea short handbag: If you need a gift for a sexy person with a leather kink, my hilarious/ly talented Italian friends, the Venturini sisters, make incredibly chic and fun/ny accessories that you should definitely buy. Best campaigns too. Made in Italy.
[Editor’s note: The exact Medea back Nick originally recommended is no longer available, but we’ve linked to another bag from the brand above.]
* Elara Pictures Super 05 pen: Looking for a thrifty gift for a cinefile near you? Fear not. My heroic and neurotic friends of Elara Pictures drop occasional merch that mostly gets gobbled up fast, but you can still grab their micro penis — I mean, micron pen.
* Gohar World baguette candle: For those of us who like to play with food, my brilliant and unstoppable friend Laila along with her sister Nadia are quickly dominating the world of home décor, one surreal dinner party at a time.
* Online Ceramics tee: My chakra-aligned amigos at Online Ceramics consistently deliver art-as-merch that’s perfect for kids and retired hippies alike.
* Fluffy’s mint ice cream and a lottery ticket: Live in or visiting L.A.? If so, I’m sorry to hear it, but at least you can buy a scoop of mint ice cream and a Powerball ticket from my friends at Fluffy’s and bask in the glow of my Saturn chandelier. If you win Powerball, not only will you statistically ruin your life with the onus of immense wealth, but Fluffy’s will also get $1 million, so that would be nice for them, and maybe we can make more giant lamps.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
