Good Morning and Hello Friday.

Amazing week. Met a few super cool fashion folk (pic above) at Frank Ocean’s jewelry pop-up (#2, #3 below).

Also had a great FaceTime with Makensey Gates during which she filled me in on the booming equestrian biz and her newly launched Mountain Mercantile brand (#9).

And major thanks to curator Aurelie Bernard Wortsman for giving us a wonderful behind the scenes look at the upcoming show at Andrew Edlin Gallery. It’s going to be EPIC. A seance is involved – need I say more? If you got the spiritual chills at the Hilma Af Klint show at the Guggenheim, you will be want to see the mediumistic artist about to be shown at Edlin. (#10 below).

1. [watch] VIDEO: Trend Update

2. Frank Ocean’s jewelry line in Chinatown — but Talk about misleading headlines (Design Boom?)

1. Based on Design Boom’s headline, I busted my chops getting down to 70-74 Bowery (in a heatwave) expecting to be wowed by a new “luxury store.” Instead, Frank Ocean’s Homer line is showcased in a small booth near the entrance to the Jewelers Exchange Building in Chinatown. In other words, zero luxury.
2. That said, the line has luxury pricing, e.g., bracelets go for $220K and some items are listed at $1.9MM. Purchases are handed to you in bright green boxes (see pic above) that do double duty as the back display of the booth.
3. LOTS of security and NO booth photography allowed (but they were extremely gracious in telling me to put my camera away so I can’t complain too much).
4. And finally, very impressed with the young streetwear fashion crowd stopping by the booth and mix-and-mingling outside (see #3 below)
5. If you do want to check out the Homer shop, it’s currently by appointment only, Or you can take your chances, like Dean and I did, and WAIT!

Bottom line: Kudos to Frank Ocean for continually providing creative surprises. I first wrote about him in 2016 when he did an AMAZING pop-up for his album launch at a bodega in my neighborhood. It was absolutely genius in terms of planning and execution. Link here. With the Homer line, he’s done it again.

3. denim skirt by Delicate Porcelain

1. While waiting to get into Frank Ocean’s pop-up on the Bowery, this stylish group caught my eye. LOVED that denim skirt.
2. I did get to meet the designer while we were hanging out afterwards but he prefers to keep a very low profile.
3. There is a website involved, delicateporcelain.com, but it provides zero info.

4. Unedited by Solely tea: the only sneaker and boba store in NYC

1. Amy Zhang opened the second location of Unedited on the Lower East Side (the first is nearby on Eldridge Street). She co-founded the brand with her 16-year-old brother Kenney, who came up with the concept and is a bona fide sneaker head.
2. They serve boba in the store and make it each morning at the shop.
3. Address: 95B Canal Street, between Eldridge and Forsyth (grand opening was August 8th)

5. Trendspotting: Everyone upping their style game!

After being stuck at home for a year, people are not just dressing up, they’re COSTUMING. They not only want to be seen, they want to BE a scene! What I’ve been especially happy about is people’s willingness to have their photos snapped. Super grateful!! 🥰🥰🥰

6. Billionaires Row Champagne and Cognac launched by two Miami entrepreneurs!

1. Billionaires Row was created by Miami residents Patrick Ductant and William Benson.
2. Billionaires Row brut rosé ($110) and Cuvée XO Cognac ($65) are available for sale online at ReserveBar. The brand can also be purchased locally at Nobu Miami, LIV, Total Wine & More.
3. I especially appreciate how the two founders align entrepreneurship with their brand positioning, i.e., they aspire to a billionaire mindset because it means “anything is possible.” (Source: Miami New Times)

The “Billionaire” concept’s positive message about success and wealth is such a refreshing change from the current trend of demonizing anyone who has managed to make it to the top of their field and become rich in the process. We’ll see if this switch in narrative about billionaires gets any traction or whether the negativity prevails. One has to wonder what billionaire celebrities like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Oprah, Jay Z, George Lucas, etc. feel about having the AOC, Sanders, Warren crowd constantly tarnish their achievements and name call them for their billionaire status.

7. Shout-out to the Bowery Group for Shukette (and for lessons on their success formula)

Shukette has gotten rave reviews since it opened in July

1. I had dinner there last week and was blown away by how good it was – from food to service to ambiance. It was so exceptionally good, I am having dinner there again today (Friday).
2. Restaurants rarely operate this well one month in so I did some research and found that Shukette’s parent company is the Bowery Group, owners of Cookshop and Vic’s, two extremely popular neighborhood mainstays with a loyal local clientele.
3. Here are 5 important takeaways from the Bowery Group’s success: i) all their restaurants are moderately priced, ii) their menus are uniformly appealing vs. challenging, e.g., I always find at least 3-5 things that I absolutely must have, iii) each of their concepts stands alone, e.g., Cookshop is seasonal American, Vic’s is Italian, Rosie’s is Mexican and Shukette is Middle-Eastern (Levantine to be precise), iv) the ambiance is stylishly casual and fun, and v) the vibe is high-energy but without the LOUD music that detracts from conversation.
4. See pics below from last week’s dinner.
5. And here’s my review of Shukette on Google Maps.

8. The Food Truck Scene is revving up again — and in more remote locations

1. The Hangry Dog in Casper WY opened August 4th and has been slammed with customers ever since. The owners were inspired after a visit to Vegas where they first tasted “elevated, specialty” dogs. They’re now already booking dates at breweries and businesses around town. (Source: Oil City News)
2. SunDial is downtown Bozeman’s newest food truck, specializing in Vietnamese food, e.g., bahn mi sandwiches. SunDial’s shiny, vintage 1954 Airstream trailer is owned and operated by the Lark Hotel. (Source: Explore Big Sky)
3. Harkins (in Phoenix) debuted its new Popcorn Truck, available to supply movie theater popcorn to private parties or events. Details below. Brilliant idea!

• Earlier in the pandemic, Harkins offered curbside popcorn sales where drivers could pull right up to the outside of the theater and purchase a “party bag” for $10.
• They also offered private movie parties. You could rent an entire auditorium for you and up to 20 guests for a cost of $99 to $149, depending on the movie.
• The Harkins Popcorn Truck is available for private catering including birthdays, weddings, fundraisers and corporate gatherings. The truck will also be “popping up” at events in Phoenix and around the state throughout the year.

Bottom Line. People are being more adventurous with their palates (banh mi sandwiches) while those in the restaurant and food business are pushing their creativity with new concepts, e.g., popcorn food trucks.

9. Big shout out to Makensey Gates for schooling me on the Horse biz.

1. I touched on this last week when I wrote abut Tractor Supply and how important the horse segment is to their business.
2. Makensey Gates followed up and confirmed that the horse business has been on fire since the pandemic. Anecdotally I’ve heard of people doubling or even tripling their business from training riders, boarding horses, buying/importing/selling horses, investing in horse embryos, and of course, the fashion and lifestyle retail opportunity which Makensey is tapping into with her Mountain Mercantile Shop brand.
3. But what’s really booming in the horse biz is “second hand.” The opportunity for digitalized resale of horse tack and supplies has many in the biz believing this will revolutionize the equestrian industry.

Bottom Line. While riding horses is not a mainstream sport like basketball or soccer, there are 8MM riders in the US spending between $7 billion – $18 billion. The equestrian industry is worth tracking for lifestyle inspiration and influence. (Source: Wonder Equestrian Market Analysis 2019)

10. Andrew Edlin Gallery: Agatha Wojciechowsky’s “Spirits Among Us” opens with a seance! It’ll be MAJOR!!

1. Andrew Edlin has long been one of my favorite galleries. He represents primarily outsider artists – many of whom I initially discovered in the Midwest, e.g., Eugene Von Bruenchenhein and Henry Darger.
2. This past week, Edlin’s curator Aurelie Bernard Wortsman gave us a preview of their upcoming show (Sept 8) of mediumistic artist Agatha Wojciechowsky’s works on paper along with a selection of her automatic writings and artifacts from her life. If you’re in NYC and are interested in art, put it on your calendar!! It’s going to be epic.
3. Another discovery while at Edlin: Karla Knight!! Wow love her work! She has a show coming up at the Aldrich Museum in CT. If you’re in that part of the country, check it out. Pic below of her work in Edlin prep area.

And that’s a wrap for this week my friends!

Big birthday week ahead – both mine and a few other friends. I’m really looking forward to celebrating this year. Not going to let this pandemic (Delta or otherwise keep me down). And with that, wishing everyone a great weekend!