Alison Stewart: This is All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. Go Local is the name of our series about keeping your cash in the community this holiday season. We've partnered up with Caroline Weaver, aka The Locavore, whose new book, The Locavore Guide to Shopping New York City, is the perfect guide for city shopping. Each Monday, we're going to have Caroline on the show to share her thoughts about the five boroughs. Last week we did Staten Island. This week, we're talking Manhattan. Welcome, Caroline.

Caroline Weaver: Thanks for having me.

Alison Stewart: Listeners, get in on this conversation. Where do you like to spend your money locally? Is there a store that sings to you in Manhattan? What do you get when you go there? Our phone number is 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. This is for shoppers only, not store owners. Brian is handling that. We want to know where you shop when you shop in Manhattan for the perfect gift. Give us a call. 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC.

Caroline, I am going to give you a moment to shout out your store, which is in Manhattan, The Locavore, because you didn't mention it on your list, I notice. It's really a special place. Could you give me the elevator pitch for your store? Give me the elevator pitch for The Locavore.

Alison Stewart: All right. My shop is The Locavore Variety Store. It is on 6th Avenue between 9th and 10th Street in the village. I like to describe it as a wacky little general store. We sell everything. We have a barrel full of pickles. You can get a pickle to eat while you're shopping. We sell pantry items. We sell health and beauty. The thing about all of it is that everything in the store is made within about 100 miles of New York City by an independently owned brand. We stock- I lost track- probably about 200 different small businesses in our store, covering as many categories as I can possibly find. We even sell screwdrivers, if you can believe it.

Alison Stewart: [laughs] What gift would you like to get from your store?

Caroline Weaver: From my own store?

Alison Stewart: Yes.

Caroline Weaver: Ooh, that is a really, really hard question. Well, okay, I'm a cyclist. One thing that we sell that I love, that I don't personally own, which I should because it's perfect for me, there is somebody in Queens, a brand called Mug Shot, and it's owned by a man named Gene. He makes these valve caps that you screw onto your bike valve, like where you put the air in your tire, and they're 3D printed. There is one that looks like a Greek anthora coffee cup.

Alison Stewart: Oh my gosh, that's so great.

Caroline Weaver: They're amazing. He figured out a way to thread it for Presta and Schrader valves, so no matter what kind of bike you have, it will fit. I think they're $17.

Alison Stewart: That's a great gift.

Caroline Weaver: Yes.

Alison Stewart: Because Manhattan has so much to choose from, I asked you to put these into categories. Your best friend, your work spouse, your real-life partner, self-gifting, a few streets you might want to check out, but first, we're going to start with the kids. Young kids. Where do you go when you want to get something that's different than what's in the big box stores?

Caroline Weaver: There are lots of really special toy stores in New York City, and it is a dying type of shop, especially with tariffs. So much of this is made in China, so it's getting harder and harder to sell toys. There is a shop just west of Union Square called Kidding Around. It is a classic toy store. You walk in, and it is packed full of toys. The people who work there are so knowledgeable. If you don't have children and you're buying for kids, they can answer all your questions about what is age-appropriate, what is cool, what the kids will love. They have a huge selection of Calico Critters, which are my favorite. They're those little animals with the little outfits.

They have a great New York City section. There is a New York City bar Bingo set there that I have bought probably 10 times to give to a kid. It is just a wonderful classic toy store with something for everybody any age.

Alison Stewart: Is it a store where it's a fun place, or is it a store where you learn stuff?

Caroline Weaver: Oh, it is absolutely the most fun.

Alison Stewart: I remember when my kid was little, I spent a lot of time in Kidding Around. It's been around that long. They used to do free wrapping. Do you know if that still happens during the holiday season?

Caroline Weaver: That's a good question. I would bet that they do.

Alison Stewart: It was such a win-win: a new parent to have the package wrapped right then. It was a pretty great thing. Hopefully, Kidding Around still does free wrapping. Your other one, it's so new, it's not in your book. It's at 147 Sullivan Street. What is it?

Caroline Weaver: Spiral Books, I think it opened two weeks ago, maybe two and a half weeks ago. It's on Sullivan Street in Soho. It is the loveliest, tiniest little children's bookstore. It has natural wood shelves with a built-in nook that's like this tiny little nook with curtains for kids to hide in. They don't have everything, which I think is nice. It's a very well-edited selection of classics. Like I saw one called The Salamander Room, which I had not seen for 20 years. That was one of my favorites as a child.

Then they have more contemporary titles like this great book called Bodies Are Cool, that's about all types of bodies. A really wonderful selection of super clean, non-toxic art supplies. It's just nice to go into a store sometimes and just trust the good taste of the person who owns the store. It makes it easier to make decisions.

Alison Stewart: We're talking holiday shopping in Manhattan. It's part of our Go Local series about keeping your money in the community during holiday season. We are talking about Manhattan stores and where to find a great gift. If you have a place you like to go to pick up that gift, give us a call. 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC, and give it a shout-out. What is your favorite place to get a gift? Our guest is Caroline Weaver, the owner of The Locavore Variety Store on 6th and 10th. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok. What's your handle?

Caroline Weaver: @TheLocavoreNYC.

Alison Stewart: @TheLocavoreNYC. We're going into the harder group to shop for: teens and tweens. They're a tough group. You suggest a place on Mott Street?

Caroline Weaver: Yes.

Alison Stewart: It used to have an old name. It's got a new name.

Caroline Weaver: It was called like oo35mm or something. I don't even know how to say it.

Alison Stewart: That was it, I think.

Caroline Weaver: They became very well known because when sheet masks first became very trendy in the skin care space about 10 years ago, that was 'the' place to go. It's now called senti senti. They have a location in Chinatown, their original one. They also have one in Williamsburg. They specialize in Asian skincare. You can go there and find whatever the hot Korean skincare from TikTok is. They will have it in stock, and they will be able to tell you what it is. Teens love skincare. That was not what it was like when I was a teen-

Alison Stewart: I remember that.

Caroline Weaver: -so this is baffling to me. Teens love skincare and makeup, and so this is a great place to go. Even if you don't know anything, you can go there and tell them, "I'm shopping for a 14-year-old who is on TikTok. What's the thing that's going to make me look cool?" They can tell you.

Alison Stewart: I saw some really cool masks on the website that were like little zoo masks. They looked like a little giraffe you could wear. They were really cute.

Caroline Weaver: I've bought those ones for sleepovers before. Adult sleepovers.

Alison Stewart: What are you talking in terms of price range? The lowest, the highest. You go to a really high-end there, or what are you thinking?

Caroline Weaver: Even in terms of their amazing selection of sheet masks, you can get something for $4, or you could get something for $14. They really have something for everybody at any price range.

Alison Stewart: We have got a text that says, "You need to go to Magpie, Amsterdam, between 83rd and 84th Street. Great gift shop. Things for both kids and adults. One of a kind. Enjoy." Also on your list for our older teens is Mr. Throwback. It's at 437 East 9th St. A reviewer said this place. "Store is awesome. Fully stocked apparel. Most importantly, all teams are accepted. Go Jets."

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: That's all the review said.

Caroline Weaver: That's funny.

Alison Stewart: What kind of sports paraphernalia will I be able to find there?

Caroline Weaver: Well, the reviewer is correct. You can find something for any team in this store. It is such a quirky and cool vintage store because they really only have sports gear. It's organized by sport and then kind of by color. I'm a New York Mets fan, so I always make a beeline to the bright blue because I know I will find my team there. I even just bought an amazing shirt from the 1980s in mint condition with this crazy illustration of the whole team for the Oakland A's, for a friend who was an A's fan. They really have every team. No matter who you're shopping for, where they live in the country, you will find something really unique and cool that they can't get at the stadium shop.

Alison Stewart: Are they helpful? Is it the kind of thing that you need to know what you want to get before you go in, or do you need to talk to the guys?

Caroline Weaver: Oh, the guys there: Mike, Tony, and Jay, they are so cool.

Alison Stewart: Mike, Tony, and Jay.

Caroline Weaver: They are so fun and cool and just a total blast to shop with.

Alison Stewart: We're going to move on to the work spouse. This is a very specific relationship. It's a person at work, and you have a special, close, platonic relationship with. If you know, you know, right? You've got one. It might be something you get a little extra for them outside of the grab bag. You suggest SOS Chefs at 104 Avenue B. Who does the store cater to? SOS Chefs.

Caroline Weaver: Well, they do indeed cater to chefs. They also cater to people who just like to cook. They import and repackage all sorts of spices and specialty provisions for your kitchen. They all come in these lovely jars, so you can go there and buy whatever might appeal to the person you're shopping for. I chose this because I feel like with your work spouse, you probably know a lot about what they like to eat, what they like to cook, or what they aspire to learn how to cook. This is a nice place to start because there's something special that they've certainly never heard of.

I saw that they have a product that I think is new, called Spice Paint,-

Alison Stewart: Oh.

Caroline Weaver: -which comes in a beautiful jar, and it is a mixture of spices and oils, and it comes with a paintbrush. The idea is that you have everything you need to make something really well seasoned and flavorful in this jar, and you can just paint it on and put it in the oven.

Alison Stewart: That sounds awesome.

Caroline Weaver: Yes. Doesn't it?

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Eli from Manhattan on line 1. Hey, Eli, thanks for taking the time to call All Of It.

Eli: This has been a great show. I've enjoyed listening to it, and I made some notes. I think something you might not know about, because it's only been there for 40 years, is E.A.T. Gifts at 1062. I just looked it up. It's between 80th and 81st on Madison Avenue. It's a treasure trove. It's a large store of a million little things and big things. Things you'd find that you want to give new parents, all the way up to adults and intellectuals. It's an amazing place. It's in the neighborhood. It's a terrific spot.

Alison Stewart: Is there anything special that you want, Eli? This is your opportunity to let people know.

Ely: It's so seasonal. I haven't been in there in a week or two, so I don't know what Christmas looks like, but Thanksgiving was amazing, with bears and all kinds of things like that. It's hard to really describe, but put it in your book.

Alison Stewart: Thank you so much for calling. E.A.T. Gifts, are you aware of it?

Caroline Weaver: I am. You're right. I should put them in the book.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to George from Manhattan. Hi, George. Thanks for calling All Of It.

George: Hi, Alison. Thank you. I'm calling about my favorite shop, Maison 10 at 4 West 29th Street in Flatiron. It's run by Tom and Henri. They have gifts and art in 10 categories that they offer for 10 weeks by 10 artists, and give 10% of their proceeds to nonprofits, hence their name, Maison 10. They've got silver and gold, perfume, candles, and queer pride love. They're just terrific neighbors. It's a great experience. If you ask, they'll give you a glass of wine, between us.

Alison Stewart: That sounds great. I've walked by there. It looks amazing.

Caroline Weaver: It's gorgeous. Yes.

Alison Stewart: Before we leave our work spouse, there's one other place you wanted to mention. Nickey Kehoe, 49 East 10th Street. That's not one person, by the way.

Caroline Weaver: No, it's not. It's a big company. They do interior design. They have furniture. They have all sorts of things. They also have a shop called Household by Nickey Kehoe. It's in the downstairs of this gorgeous townhouse in the village. It's very aspirational. It feels like you're walking into the mudroom of your fanciest friend. Everything is extremely utilitarian. I use a pencil every day, and I always have pencil shavings all over my desk, so I would want a hand broom. They have lovely, lovely hand brooms.

They have my favorite Japanese rubber bands that come in a little tin. It's perfect for gifts under $50 that are so thoughtful, utilitarian, and specific. There's a product that's American-made that they sell there. It's one of the only places I know to get it, called Handyaid. It has very retro packaging. It is a rubber jar opener. That is so useful, and it really, really works.

Alison Stewart: Good to know. That's Nickey Kehoe at 49 East 10th Street. My guest is Caroline Weaver, aka The Locavore. We are doing holiday shopping in Manhattan. It's part of our Go Local series. After the break, we'll talk about real partners and best friends.

[music]

You're listening to All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. It is Go Local. Our series about keeping money in the community during the holiday season. We are going borough by borough. Today, we are talking about Manhattan. Our guest is Caroline Weaver, the owner of The Locavore. Her Instagram and TikTok is @TheLocavoreNYC.

We've broken this up into different categories. Let's talk about our real partners. We talked about our work spouses. Let's talk about our real partners. You have suggested Poetry of Material Things at 220 Columbus Avenue. It looks like amazing jewelry.

Caroline Weaver: It's amazing. What I like about Poetry of Material Things is that you feel very welcome when you go there. You don't have everything hiding behind cases. It's friendly. They have, oh, goodness, probably at least 24 designers at any given time-

Alison Stewart: Oh, wow.

Caroline Weaver: -in a variety of price ranges. You can get something really special by an independent maker for $200, or you can get a beautiful diamond necklace for upwards of $2,000. Thinking about buying for a partner, you probably want something special. I think a lot of people consider fancy jewelry a little bit of a cop-out, but I don't think that's the truth if you're going to a place like this, where everything is just so unique. There's something for every style. They also have little bits and bobs for the home, too, so there's other things, as well.

Alison Stewart: Are the owners on-site usually?

Caroline Weaver: I believe so.

Alison Stewart: I think one of the owners or one of the owner's good friends is on our Instagram. I see him everywhere. I'm so infatuated with him, so Hello, Luca, if you're listening right now. The next thing you suggest is Creel and Gow. Am I saying it correctly?

Caroline Weaver: You are. Yes.

Alison Stewart: That's at 131 East 70th Street. All I saw on its website, the word that was used was 'unique'.

Caroline Weaver: Oh, that is certainly the truth. This store is full of curiosities from the natural world, and really amazing objects collected on the owner's travels. It's almost like a little natural history museum.

Alison Stewart: Oh, interesting.

Caroline Weaver: I don't know if it's still there, but in the entrance, they used to have this articulated blue lobster in a vitrine that I think was definitely a 'price upon request' type of item. They have other, more accessible things. The sort of stuff that you walk into somebody's home, you see it, you ask where it is from, and there's a story. It's all that, it's that kind of store. They have 19th-century French apothecary jars that are hand-painted that are just stunning.

My favorite thing that they have are these silvered vegetables. They're silver-plated like cast metal vegetables that range from $50 to about $250. There's just this lovely to-scale chestnut. They have fennel, they have corn. They're just these amazing objects. They have crystal bowls. If you have somebody in your life who's a little bit woo-woo, but they care about interior design, that's something that you could get them. It's just a lot of fun to look around. It does feel like you're in a tiny little museum.

Alison Stewart: Those are for your real-life partners. Let's take some more calls. Rita from the Lower East Side. Hey, Rita, thank you so much for calling All Of It. You're on the air.

Rita: Hi, thank you for taking my call. I am calling for your chess-loving friends. This is Fred Wilson Chess Books at 41 Union Square West. Fred only sells chess books. Just chess books. Very knowledgeable guy. That is your place for your chess-loving friend, grandson, granddaughter, niece, nephew, buddy, or for you. Thanks for taking my call. Have a great day.

Alison Stewart: Thanks, Rita. Let's talk to Serena, who's calling from Harlem. Hey, Serena, thank you so much for making time to call All Of It.

Serena: Thank you for putting me on. I need to tell you guys about a shop uptown, so please come to Harlem. The shop is called NiLu. It's on Malcolm X & 1 20th. I'm not sure the exact address. It is a great shop. It's locally owned. It has so many gifts for people learning about Harlem or just loving authors and artists. I always get my James Baldwin gear there. Check it out. It has lots of fun postcards and posters. I'm sure they have new stuff for Christmas. I haven't checked. It's a lovely place. Also, Grandma's Place is also in Harlem on Lenox, about the same area. Locally owned again and super fun.

Alison Stewart: Thanks so much. By the way, the address for NiLu is 191 Malcolm X Boulevard. For our listeners, I'm talking to you, Eli. We are going to have transcripts of this segment so you can go back and you can find the names and the addresses of all the places we are talking about. All right, Caroline Weaver, aka The Locavore, you can't forget your BFF. You got to remember your best friend. You suggest John Derian. It's all over New York. It's a lot of little different locations?

Caroline Weaver: Currently, they have three storefronts next to each other-

Alison Stewart: That's what's happening.

Caroline Weaver: -on Second Street. They all have slightly different specialties, though. At Christmas time, they turn one entire store into an ornament wonderland. It is so much fun. I have a friend and her family, they go there every year. Each member of the family picks out one ornament at John Derian. That's the special thing that they do.

Alison Stewart: Aw.

Caroline Weaver: One thing that I love at John Derian are these decoupage plates, which is one of the things that he's known for. What's cool about them is that they are so specific. You can get a decoupage plate with a 19th-century map of a specific neighborhood in New York City.

Alison Stewart: Oh, cool.

Caroline Weaver: I've given those as gifts to friends who are moving away and I want them to remember their old neighborhood or something like that. They also have incredible, beautifully printed handbound notebooks and Japanese watercolors. There are all these wonderful art supplies that are sourced from a very special shop in London called Choosing Keeping. You get a little taste of that shop in John Derian. It's a really wonderful shop. It's on a street with great shops. There's an amazing record store. There is Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks on that same block. There's a shop called Salter House. Il Buco is there. If you want to just do some shopping, that's a great block to go to.

Alison Stewart: Mast Book, 72 Avenue A. Is it an art bookstore?

Caroline Weaver: It is an art bookstore, but they also sell books from many other categories of culture. There are a lot of great books on cinema. There are books on music theory. It's a really nice selection of newly printed small press books and rare and out-of-print books. If you have a friend who's an intellectual or they're into something creative, this is a wonderful place where you can go and probably find something that they're not going to find someplace else. There's an Agnès Varda book that I bought that's, I think, called Director's Inspiration for a couple of friends who are cinemaphiles. There's a really amazing book by the producer Rick Rubin that I think I've bought six times at this store. I think it's called A Way of Being.

Alison Stewart: Oh, it's so good.

Caroline Weaver: It's this little linen-bound tiny, tiny--

Alison Stewart: Tiny little circle on the front?

Caroline Weaver: Yes, exactly. That's an amazing gift for a creative person if you don't know what to get them. They always have them in stock at Mast Books.

Alison Stewart: Talk to Judy from Brooklyn. Hi, Judy. Thank you so much for calling All Of It.

Judy: Hi. Thank you. The museum in Bowling Green, the National Museum of American Indian, has a wonderful gift shop. Some expensive jewelry, but also stuff for kids. Very cheap worry beads necklace. If you remember, it's 10% off.

Alison Stewart: Thank you so much for calling. We appreciate it. We've gotten two texts for one place. I'll read Sarah's first. This is Sarah from StuyTown. "Irving Green is a gorgeous new homeware store in the East Village on East 9th between 1st and 2nd Avenue. They stock handmade Irish homewares that you can't find anywhere else in the city. Candles, throws, arts, utensils, really gorgeous Christmas decorations. It's run by Alison Doyle, an Irish woman and longtime East Village resident. Go in before Christmas. It is very festive."

Caroline Weaver: It is. I was just there the other day. It's new to my guidebook, Irving Green. That's also a great block that 9th Street between 1st and 2nd. Really great shopping.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Gail from the Upper West Side. Hi, Gail. Thanks for calling, All Of It.

Gail: Hello. Hello. Yes, hello, Alison. I'm calling about Pictor Gallery, which is at 547 West 27th Street. We have a thing that we do every December called Art for Grabs. It's all artwork. A lot of artists. It's a collective. You can just pick something off the wall. Everything is under $800. We have an opening on Thursday, December 4th. I think the show is from December 2nd until the 27th.

Alison Stewart: Thank you so much, Gail. I asked you to put on your list self-gifting because I think this is really important. Just have a little gift for yourself. Maybe you save it until January 6th. Till Three Kings Day. You open it when you're putting away your decorations. Where would you go for self-gifting?

Caroline Weaver: Well, I chose two of my personal favorites where I have bought myself gifts. The first one is called Stéle. It is a perfume shop. They have two locations. The one in Manhattan is in Nolita. It is stunning. Everything is marble. The owners of this store actually started as designers of marble objects, and they were using perfume to style their objects. Then they realized, "Oh, perfume is really interesting too," and so they started selling perfume. They only sell all of these smaller, independent perfume brands. There is one by a brand called the [unintelligible 00:25:02] Bath Of Gods, which is what I will be buying myself for Christmas.

They spritz all of the perfumes on these little clay chips that retain the fragrance so well. I don't know how it works. It's magic. You can walk around and pick up all the little clay chips and smell them yourself. It's very welcoming. It's very interactive. They have really special fragrances.

Alison Stewart: The next one, Big Night. Big Night just grew overnight. There were so many of them everywhere. The one we're talking about is at 236 West 10th Street.

Caroline Weaver: Yes, they just opened their third location on the Upper East Side. Katherine, who owns Big Night, is a friend of mine. I shop there often. One thing that I bought myself a couple of years ago there that I think is the coolest, most frivolous little gift, is the brand Sabre. They make cutlery and flatware. They make this butter knife that is so heavy, it just feels expensive when you hold it. It's $28. It's a good price for something that feels so luxurious and expensive. I don't need a fancy butter knife, but do I love using it every day? Absolutely.

Alison Stewart: We've got about a minute left. You and I talked about how certain areas are getting a glow-up. The Upper East Side is one of the areas that people have been shopping in. What would you suggest if you just want to window shop on the Upper East Side?

Caroline Weaver: Yes, there is a big boom happening with fashion brands, especially opening second locations there. Kallmeyer's there. Big Night is there. Susan Alexandra is opening there. One of my favorite old school shops up there is called Scully & Scully. They've been around since 1935. They have all sorts of trinkets, porcelain things, and silver things. If you have a fancy grandmother, that is where you go. It's fun window shopping on the Upper East Side these days.

Alison Stewart: On the Lower East Side, it's Orchard Street, which was named one of the coolest streets ever.

Caroline Weaver: I agree, if you are a young fashion designer in New York City, that is where you are opening a shop. There is so much happening, and it is so inspiring.

Alison Stewart: Caroline Weaver, you know her as The Locavore. She is our guide for our Go Local series. Caroline, thanks for joining us. We'll talk to you next Monday.

Caroline Weaver: See you then.

[music]

Alison Stewart: The holiday season means many bakers are raring to go. Coming up on tomorrow's show, we'll speak with Vaughn Vreeland, aka the Cookie Man. He's the author of the new cookbook Cookies: The Best Recipes for the Perfect Anytime Treat. Do join us.

I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening, and I appreciate you. I'll meet you back here next time.