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New York City has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around our fantastic city that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.
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Image via Shelter Pop
As one of the co-founders of Alex & Eli, a line of sophisticated suiting for the modern woman, Anna Zeman spends her days running around New York City making sure every aspect of her locally-made line is on point. The Parsons-graduate rarely has a minute to spare, but when she does (and it's very rare), she can often be found digging through Michele Varian, a Soho shop where she finds the perfect gift for her friends "who have it all".
So, one of my favorite hidden gems in the city is Michele Varian, which used to be located on 35 Crosby Street, but has just recently moved to 27 Howard Street. The store is one of my secret spots for picking up special gifts and rare oddities for friends. The little shop specializes in housing all sorts of perfectly charming objects for someone with an elevated and eclectic taste, with the best part being that the well curated pieces fall right within that sweet spot price range. I just adore all the random findings from beautiful ceramic goods, unique jewelry, carefully crafted figurines and other random gewgaws. Really, it's the perfect place to shop for someone who has everything, but didn't realize they were missing out on, say, a porcelain beaver skull. And with that 'voila' you are now the friend who always gifts that perfect little something.
· Michele Varian [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked NY]