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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.
Image via Yelp
Peter St. John has been working at GQ for the past year and a half in the creative services department, where he focuses on promotional brand development and integrated marketing. In other words, he helps build out GQ's voice and projects beyond the print pages of the magazine. While he's loath to admit it, he spends a fair amount of time at Ash, a Brooklyn interiors shop that's captured both his heart and his wallet.
Ash is actually a design firm that specializes in apartment-staging and setting to help real estate and development companies sell their properties. They do, however, have a retail location on Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, and I probably spend more time there than either my schedule or wallet really likes.
Because they specialize in interior design, and specifically in the art of making a home look enticing and appealing to a perspective buyer/renter, their collection of merchandise is second to none. Beautifully curated and selective in quantity, the shop is an eclectic mix of contemporary and vintage art, furniture, accessories and general treasures that makes you want to know the whole story behind each piece?not to mention have all of them on tables and shelves in your living room.
I'm not willing to admit how many things I've purchased from Ash, but one of my favorites is a (fairly) large orange oar that stands in the corner of my living room—random, and totally awesome.· Ash [Official Site]
· GQ [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked NY]
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