Mercantiles
A curated selection of mercantiles for adventurous people.
Climb trees.
Mercantiles
42.0409º N, 74.1182º W On Tinker Street across from the village green—the heart of charming Woodstock—set among tie dye and tarot, yogis sipping green juice and sampling artisanal chocolate, Woodstock General Supply is a cabin-esque outdoorsman’s haberdashery and outdoor woman’s port of call. It has an expertly curated collection of clothes and bags, candles, notebooks made from stone instead of trees, and grooming products for you and your bearded comrades. The first time I came across this shop was several years ago,…
Salty and Bitter.
Mercantiles
45.5231º N, 122.6765º W Portland is a gem in the West, a familiar hipster haven with an affection for the outdoors. Artisanal crafts, coffee, and cocktails enliven the quadrant city, all to the rhythm of the entrepreneurial flow which emboldens such creativity and ambition. It’s where intellectuals find themselves in sleeveless fleece zip-ups trail running America’s largest urban forest. A floppy hat with low Frye boots will get you everywhere else you need to go — that and a rain…
Grab the blanket.
Goods and Brands, Mercantiles
44.2950º N, 93.2688º W Faribault Woolen Mill was founded on the banks of Faribault, Minn. in 1865. World renowned for quality blankets and throws, the mill endures as one of the last vertical woolen mills in America. Fifth generation craftspeople continue to dedicate themselves to creating beautiful wool and cotton goods with century-old methods and machinery. The company’s flagship store is onsite at their Faribault headquarters. It’s beautifully curated with an entire section of discounted excess or compromised materials. We…
Scene One. Sunny. Daytime.
Goods and Brands, Mercantiles
34.0522º N, 118.2437º W At the intersection of Lincoln and Venice Boulevards, Deus Ex Machina is effortlessly cool in its indoor-outdoor combo café and motorcycle cum surf shop. This Australian-born fuel factory fills the coffee cups of its patrons, offering light fare and ample shared tables. Take a break from your latte and screenplay to test out motorcycle helmets or better yet, your own Deus-brand motorcycle or surfboard for the freeway and those Pacific swells. Did I mention they produce…
Talk to nature.
Mercantiles
67.2090º N, 93.2923º W It was a bright and unseasonably warm day. Eagerly waiting to be seated for a busy Sunday brunch, we wandered the strip mall—of course, the architecture of a strip mall is not terribly charming, but the shops inside truly were. The window of Flora and Fern caught my eye, filled with vibrant plant life. The inside of the shop is playful and even more spirited, with a swing built into the ceiling and an actual greenhouse…
The weather is about to change.
Mercantiles
64.1265º N, 21.8174º W At the end of the long pier-like stretches off of Iceland’s capital there is a rock wall, not taller than me. On the other side of it, it’s a deep plunge to the Faxa bay—only a moderate bulwark from the mid-Atlantic. On this wintry day, the waters were low, winds calm, and the high noon light was soft and violet. As I neared the rock face a large sign of reclaimed wood with the words written…