Looking for something quirky, out-of-the-box or local to give your family and friends this holiday season? Untapped brings you our holiday gift guide featuring products from the Lowline, the Impossible Project, Tuthilltown Spirits, the Evolution Store and more.
Over a period of three years, between 1938-1941, Evans took photographs of fellow subway riders with a camera hidden in his coat. Despite the surreptitious hiding place, many of the subjects seem to stare directly into the lens as if they are totally aware that they are becoming subject matter. If you like Walker Evans’s subway portraits, consider gifting his monograph to someone with an appreciation for 1930s New York photography. From $94.95.
Thomas Rinaldi’s book New York Neon, recently released by Norton, tells the story of New York’s neon signs based on his five-year quest to photograph and document them before they succumb to the ravages of time and perhaps disappear entirely. Rinaldi’s book offers a fascinating account of the neon signs’ history, as well as information about how they’re designed and produced. Finally, the book contains an exhaustive catalogue of both the lost and remaining signs. To get this information, Rinaldi visited the proprietors of shops that still have neon signs, sometimes traveling to the farthest corners of the city. Read the whole review here. $17.97 on Amazon.
The Impossible Project is a mission designed to save polaroid film and the analog era from being extinct. It was believed that it would be impossible to produce the film without some of Polaroid’s materials and there would not be enough demand for the products to really keep the project going. Yet, The Impossible Project was able to hire several of the old Polaroid scientists to help revive the project, which has been going strong for two and a half years now. Read our Urban Profile: The Impossible Project for the full story. They offer cameras from $84.99 and up, film from $19.49 and up, accessories from $8.99 and up, and books from $10.90 and up.
Tuthilltown Spirits in the Hudson River Valley is the first whiskey distillery since Prohibition. In September, we went behind the scenes to show you the microbrewery and tell you the incredible story behind this local business. You can buy a range of their products online, including their barrel aged cocktail kit ($12.50), barrels ($72-$166), barware ($2.50-$35), gift certificates and more. Ask for their whiskey, bourbon and gin at your local liquor store.
A box with ingredients for three meals arrives at your house each week. The ingredients are measured exactly, along with recipes prepared by a top chef, and step-by-step visual instructions. Delivery is free and everything is packaged beautifully. Blue Apron’s suppliers aren’t the local grocery stores, but they’re using the same suppliers that serve restaurants like Jean Georges and other high-end restaurants. Everything is sourced locally too. $9.99 per person per meal. Read more about Blue Apron and sign up for a membership here.
Whether you’re staying local for the holidays or flying back home, we’ve got a holiday gift package just for you! Featuring purveyors from our artisanal share and a few additions from the neighborhood, Local Roots’ Holiday CSA share is a curated bag of goodies made by New Yorkers. Place your orders by Monday, December 17th at 2pm and a gift bag will be ready for you to pick up at 61 Local [61 Bergen Street, Brooklyn] on Friday, December 21st between 6pm — 7:30pm. More info on your holiday purveyors can be found here. $25-$85.
Self titled “NYC’s premiere retail outlet for science and natural history collectibles, artifacts, gifts, and home furnishings,” the Evolution Store is one part natural history museum and one part some collector’s musty attic, the kind that’s the opening scene to some heartfelt children’s adventure movie about a board game coming to life. Read more about Soho’s Little Shop of Curiosities and check out their 50 Newest Gift Ideas for the Holidays, including stocking stuffers like jewel beetle earrings ($15), an alligator head ($15 small / $39 large), an anatomical snap-together horse kit ($34), and lots more.
Laura is the managing editor of Untapped New York and a freelance writer based in Rome with a passion for covering travel, arts and culture, lifestyle, design, food and wine. Her writing has also appe
