[music]

Brian: Brian Lehrer, on WNYC, and for our last minutes today, some more calls for Shop Listener 2022. This has been so much fun the first two episodes, we're going to do it again. What is it? With the holidays just around the corner, Hanukkah starts Sunday night, we want to keep supporting actual people in our WNYC listening community who sell gift items. Why not pass along those holiday dollars, everyone else, to a fellow listener? We've had so much fun with our first two Shop Listener call-ins. As I say, so many of you are selling cool and creative things, so let's keep going.

I'm going to remind you in a second of some of the things that people have called in with so far that are gift ideas that besides being from our listening community, are things that maybe most of you would never have thought of, and they're just good ideas. If you are another listener who owns any kind of business selling gifts for the holidays, give us a call. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Tell us what you're selling and where.

Of course, it can be a physical brick-and-mortar store, or it can be online, but if you're on the buying side of the holiday shopping equation, maybe you'll also feel better knowing that you're giving some of your shopping money to someone who shares in the public radio values of this listening community and we're getting great gift ideas, like I said, from this very creative community that we know makes up WNYC listeners. If you own a business that you want to shout out on the air-- I don't have to say it again, the lines are already full, huh.

As people finish their turn, you can get in at 212-433-WNYC. I want to remind you again before we go to your calls that yes, we only have a limited amount of space on our call board, but never fear, you can enter your business online. Shoppers, you can also look at our website because we're building a map of all the people who check in with us, either on the phones or just on the web. We have this Shop Listener gift guide now that you can post to as a seller or just look at as a potential buyer at wnyc.org/shoplistener. wnyc.org/Shoplistener.

So far, we already have over 150 listener-owned businesses listed there on a map that you can use to see where they're located when they are physical brick-and-mortar businesses. There's also a searchable database. Let's say you're looking for candles or kids' toys, or you're looking specifically for people of color-owned or women-owned, or LGBT-owned, small businesses. You can search for whatever you want and it'll show up if people have listed it that way, making your holiday shopping that much easier.

I said we've gotten a lot of fun stuff, so how about business improv? Somebody wrote in with a business improv product, that would make an interesting holiday gift. A couple of improv schools that is, that have submitted, you have improv lessons options, some community bookstores. Always good to hear that those exist at all anymore. Some jewelry makers, some handcraft art makers, a furniture maker, at least one soap maker, a blacksmithing and bladesmithing school. That's cool.

Harp lessons, herbalist, CBD products, quaint essentials, pet, sculptures, ceramics, businesses specializing in things like Christmas ornaments, clam openers, believe it or not, African dance lessons. Wow. It just goes to show the creativity and diversity of our listeners and the businesses that you run. Again, everybody, you can check them out or post your own @wnyc.org.shoplistener, and we'll take today's crop of Shop Listener calls at 212-433-WNYC, right after this.

[music]

Brian Lehrer on WNYC, Shop Listener edition 3. Lucy in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Lucy.

Lucy: Hi. Thank you. Longtime listener, multiple caller. I'm here to promote the Brooklyn Women's Exchange. It's the oldest of its kind, started in 1854. It's crafts made mostly by women, many local. It's knitted items, handmade children's clothing, doll clothes, jewelry, pottery, beautiful items. It just relocated to a-- It's a nonprofit, it's a volunteer space. Just a really special place. My mom used to work there. They're just lovely people helping to bring arts and beautiful crafts to the community. Really nice space.

Brian: It's a [crosstalk]

Lucy: On Montague Street in Brooklyn.

Brian: On Montague Street in Brooklyn. That's the location. Lucy, thanks. Posted to our map, Holly in Ridgewood, Queens, you are on WNYC. Hi, Holly.

Holly: Hi, Brian. I'm a longtime listener, second-time caller. I am a queer licensed massage therapist. My practice is called True Bearing Bodywork, and I specialize in working with folks moving through discomfort or change. I specialize in prenatal and postpartum massage. I work with queer and trans folks, people experiencing chronic pain, and those at end of life. The holidays are a very stressful time, especially for folks with chronic illness or folks in the LGBTQ community. Gifting a massage is a gift for your friends, your family, your chosen family, and their nervous systems when they need it most.

Brian: A gift for your nervous system. You said the name is True Bearing Bodywork. What does true bearing mean?

Holly: True bearing is a nautical term. I grew up sailing, and so it's like your true direction, all other things taken out of the equation, in reference to true North. It's bringing your whole body and your whole mind together, and it's true itself. Bearing is also how your body holds itself in space, or we talk about getting your bearings back.

Brian: Nice. Holly, thank you very much. Mark in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hi, Mark.

Mark: Hey Brian. Thank you for including me in this in this annual event. You're my favorite journalist, I just want to let you know, I listen to you every day.

Brian: Thanks so much. What do you got?

Mark: I am the owner of Sullivan Street Tea & Spice Company in lovely Greenwich Village. We've been open since 2010, and we are here offering tea, spices, and handmade gift sets.

Brian: Sullivan Street Tea & Spice Company. Got you. Posted to our map. We're going to move from the tea aisle to the coffee aisle now, I think, with Josh in Brooklyn. Hi, Josh, you're on WNYC.

Josh: Hello, Brian. I'm another super fan. Thank you very much.

Brian: What are you selling?

Josh: We have over 120 flavored coffees and two dozen specialty coffees all available online at newyorkgourmetcoffee.com. We're not a brick-and-mortar yet, but we hope to be so shortly. As much as our coffee is roasted in Brooklyn, we are actually located in Mineola.

Brian: You got some, let's say, different parts of Long Island represented since Brooklyn is geographically on Long Island. You have a favorite you want to shout out?

Josh: Yes.

Brian: One of you blends. [crosstalk] Go ahead.

Josh: Coconut Jalapeño, one of our--

Brian: Coconut Jalapeño.

Josh: Believe it or not, it's really a great flavor. I'm a little on the shy side so I don't over-spice the Jalapeño. Another one is Sumatra. We have an amazing Sumatra. As most of our high-quality coffees go, that one really ranks a distinctive note.

Brian: Josh, thank you very much. New York Gourmet Coffee, that's your name?

Josh: Yes. newyorkgourmetcoffee.com. It's all spelled out. We will have specials coming up next week for any WNYC listeners, so please stay tuned as they say.

Brian: As they say. Josh, thank you very much. Tom in Astoria, you're on WNYC. Hi, Tom.

Tom: Hi, Brian. Thanks for taking my call. I'm an artist, who has been painting on the streets of New York since about 2001. People that have seen me might have noticed the Flatiron, the Chrysler at night, and some favorite images. I sell soak screens as I'm painting a new piece. This is going to be my last season. I'm alongside the New York Public Library main branch on 42nd, and I'll be at Union Square Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

Brian: Do you need a permit from the city to do that or how do you get to locate out there?

Tom: Well, it's tricky. Alongside Brian Park where I used to sell, they've recently asked me to leave. You're not allowed to set up a table, which I don't, but you're not technically supposed to sell in certain areas, especially along parks. Brian Park allows it on days that the green market is not there. I work from an easel and people can watch me paint and pick up some pieces before I get to Sotheby's.

BrianLehrer: [chuckles] Before you get to Sotheby's. I think I may have seen you a few times near the main branch of the library over there. I love the fact that you called in and you can put yourself on the map in any way that you think is appropriate as a street painter. Where can people find you, let's say today if they're out and about?

Tom: Well, I'm going to leave in a few minutes for Brian Park sorry. Union Square. I'm at Union Square Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Brian: Tom, thank you very much. Good luck out there. Kathy in Ocean Grove, you're on WNYC. Hi Kathy.

Kathy: Oh, hi. How are you? I just want to give a shout-out for my product. It's called Noblo, and Noblo is a simple-to-use beach umbrella anchor. You can [inaudible 00:11:58] Noblo @thenoblo.com.

Brian: The Noblow. N-O-B -L-O-W?

Kathy: No, N-O-B-L-O. Com.

Brian: The noblo.com. Beach umbrella anchor. Is it just like a weight that goes in the sand so your umbrella doesn't blow away?

Kathy: You know what it is, it's amazing. It's this nylon bag and you fill the bag with sand and it weighs about 35 pounds when it's filled with sand and then you velcro it to the beach umbrella. You point it into the wind. It's almost like a ship's anchor. At the end of the day, you just dump all the sand out and it folds up small enough to fit in your hand and you can just use it over and over again.

Brian: Huh. You just go out there with the bag basically and you fill it up with the sand on the beach.

Kathy: Exactly. That's the way it is an amazingly simple product and it's manufactured in New Jersey and we donate to the United States lifeguards and it's packaged by people with special needs in New Jersey. It's a great product.

Brian: That's great. My producer who lives out on Long Island right sounds very needed based on the number of umbrellas flying across the beach on any given windy day. All right. One more Sharee in Holbrook Long Island, you're on WNYC. Sharee, you got to do it in 15 seconds. Hi.

Sharee: Hi. This is Sharee. I'm so excited. I got through. We are locally owned-- No worries. I'm a big fan of yours, Brian. We are locally owned, woman-owned custom closet company, and we are @symmetrycloset.com, S-Y-M-M- E-T-R-Y closet.com. We also manufacture, so if anybody needs to have closet parts manufactured for a project, medical office filled out what have you, we're here for you too, with beautiful CNC manufacturing right here in Long Island. Thank you for taking my call, Brian, and for doing this segment.

Brian: Thank you very much. How about a closet system for Hanukkah, Christmas, or [unintelligible 00:14:11]? All right. Everybody else keep posting your wares or go shopping at wnyc.org/shoplistener.

Copyright © 2022 New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use at www.wnyc.org for further information.

New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio’s programming is the audio record.