If sunglasses did yoga, they’d look like these new shades from Gucci, which fold down to fit in your palm (they’re hinged in five places). In black, charcoal, and bronze ($260).
Gucci
685 Fifth Avenue, at 54th Street
212-826-2600
Solstice
500 Fifth Avenue, at 42nd Street
212-730-2500
27 West 34th Street
646-348-6100
Can’t stand the smell of incense? Don’t write off aromatherapy. Our favorite alternative to those smelly sticks is Santa Maria Novella’s burning papers. They come eighteen to a pack and burn for about 30 minutes each (on a counter or on a plate), emitting a friendly, light musk smell ($16).
LAFCO NY
200 Hudson Street
212-625-1540
Move over, piggy, kitty, and all other banks. This dove, by Wingard, is the newest, coolest coin catcher in town. Unlike other birds, it won’t poop on your head. But it will eat your bread ($42).
Zipper
333 Smith Street, Brooklyn
718-596-0333
Room One
229 Mott Street
212-343-9188
Sprucing up your bedroom can be as simple as investing in a new set of sheets. Designer John Robshaw’s new cotton block-printed ones, in a pattern called Fern, are inspired by antique batiks from Java and have a casual-but-chic look that will work with most décors. Available in khaki, red, and brown (queen sheet set, $230; shams, shown here, $52).
ABC Carpet & Home
888 Broadway, at 19th Street
212-473-3000
Erica Tanov
204 Elizabeth Street
212-334-8020
Parents who listen to Nelly, OutKast, or Busta Rhymes may cringe at the thought of “On Top of Spaghetti” blasting on the car radio. So did new fathers Dan and Billy Cohen. The two set out to produce tunes they and their tots could love, and came up with the new Bust a Nursery Rhyme CD, made with Felonious, a San Francisco–based hip-hop band. Tracks include “Hickory Dickory Dock,” “The ABC Song,” “Humpty Dumpty,” and other favorites, rearranged and set to G-rated hip-hop beats ($15).
Planet Kids
247 East 86th Street
212-426-2040
Bank Street College Bookstore
610 West 112th Street
212-678-1654
Cozy’s Cuts for Kids
448 Amsterdam Avenue, near 81st Street
212-579-2600
Scholastic Store
557 Broadway, near Houston Street
212-343-5432
Black & Decker’s new BullsEye laser level is a super-cool double-duty tool: It’s a stud finder with both audio and video displays to let you know you’ve found a nail in the wall, and it’s also a level that emits a laser beam that makes, say, hanging pictures along a wall as straightforward as can be ($69).
Home Depot
550 Hamilton Avenue, Brooklyn
718-832-8553
1806 East Gunhill Road, the Bronx
718-862-9800
Target
1305 Twentieth Avenue, Queens
718-661-4346
blackanddecker.com
All photos by Eric Piasecki.