aboard the mary whalen

on saturday b, pamela and I had the great fortune to tour the retired oil tanker mary whalen, which is docked in red hook. carolina salguero, who conducts the tours, is the ship's caretaker and founder of its corresponding nonprofit portside ny. her goal is to educate people on the important role shipping has played in the shaping of nyc, and how it's still a vital part of everyday life here. while on deck carolina pointed out two types of barges as they were tugged by. one was carrying waste to one of the city's many sewage treatment plants. the other transported cement. the mary whalen herself carried fuel up and down the atlantic coast and around nyc from the 1930's until 1994. b and I had visited the mary whalen in 2010, but this was the first time we were treated to a tour of the entire ship, including the engine room below deck.

click here to see the full set of photos on my flickr page.

up next: bijouterdee

gold vermeil tail stud $44



brass sparkle hoop $34

today I took a break from the endless task of putting the apartment together, and shot some pics of Bijouterdee. neighborhood gal Dayna Seman creates her collection from cast and fabricated sterling silver, brass and gold vermeil. each piece is hand made, meaning they vary slightly and contain their own character. since I am a maker of huge and chunky jewelry, that's usually what I pick out for the store. Bijouterdee offers a lovely contrast, with their fine bits and delicate chains. we have a nice selection of Dayna's work at everbrite mercantile co., coming to the webshop very soon!

back in stock

incienso de santa fe's woodsy incense bricks, made in the u.s. I'm trying out some new scents this time around- mesquite and hickory. they should be a good compliment to the sweeter smelling piñion. forty count boxes for $6 each. as soon as I get a chance to photograph them, the clay incense burners (in the shape of wee log cabins and tipis) will be going on the site as well.

it's happening

setting up my studio in the back room. yes, that's a dutch door in the middle photo. it used to be the the back door to the 1901 house we live in. don't know what year the addition was built.

full circle

lost & found films: this must be the place.
via roxy marj.



to b last nite: hasn't this guy been in our store?

back in stock

GOE Oil!

More than just a favorite in our Red Hook store, GOE became the stuff of ritual- a way of life. Barely a visitor could enter the store without trying a dab of this mysterious skin elixir. And just a dab will do ya- a little goes a long way!

Like the rest of the Jao line, GOE oil is designed to be a multi-purpose product. Use it to soften those winter-dry hands for sure. And then wonder how you ever lived without it. Use it as a delicious body butter to soften rough elbows and calloused feet, or even to revitalize dull hair. One of my favorite uses- to tame wild eyebrows. Here's another one: I actually used it in the store to bring a vintage resin ashtray back to life. And Felecia, our resident yoga teacher, loves its botanical blend for lulling students into sivasana with a special neck massage.

And did you know? GOE Oil can be hand delivered straight to your door if you live or work in one of the five boroughs. Yes, EVEN STATEN ISLAND! Opting for hand delivery during the checkout process will save you the shipping cost! We are doing this as a thank you to our wonderful customers who visited us in our Brooklyn shop.

what's left

the store is starting to look more un-store like today. we've managed to sell about half of the furniture. bryan dismantled the wall unit and reinstalled it in our apartment. some of the art and the decals came off the wall. things are disappearing.

so I thought I'd let you know what's left.




buttery yellow china cabinet. 1980's? we painted the inside black. has fluorescent lighting.
asking $325 SOLD




2-tier altered table by mr. x. $150 GONE! 2-drawer classical style hall table with second wooden tier. shelf is stained an ashy grey, and is held up by tree limbs. this piece looks better than these crappy photos indicate. very useful for a retail store.




final lap and championship sprint driving games! taking reasonable offers. SOLD

those are the largest items, except for a mid-century dining table, at $180. we also have an array of small chairs, end tables and trunks. will post more later regarding small items.

stop on by tomorrow or sunday!

interested in an item? contact us: info@ebmerc.com

everbrite mercantile co.

351 van brunt street

brooklyn, new york

718.522.6121

onward and upward

as you might know, we will be closing our Red Hook Store on January 15.

WHY?

1. economics
bryan and I are working within a limited budget. we have been paying rent on both our apartment and the store. The space we got on Van Brunt Street is amongst the most affordable in New York City. Not to say it's the cheapest in all of nyc, but the most affordable amongst neighborhoods that would suit us. The foot traffic on Van Brunt Street was not sufficient to make it possible to cover our expenses.

2. burnout
we scoured long island, upstate and eastern pa to find vintage treasures to sell in brooklyn. we launched 8 art shows and produced 4 multi media performance evenings. we met a lot of people. we sold a lot of crap. we are tired.

**************

this afternoon I found myself taking a walk down memory lane. Going from the present to the past, I looked through all of the photos on my flickr page. In there I found some pics of the Red Hook Mercado from the spring of 2010, in which Everbrite Mercantile Co. was merely a flimsy folding table. and who's that? could it be...... why..... it's EVERBRITE CELEBKID DIANE TOMASI. (see how awed I am in her presence?)




LOGGY WAS THERE.






but it got me thinking that everbrite mercantile co. had shown its face before that, (in late 2009) at GIFTED, the Brooklyn Flea's holiday market.

We've come a long way since then.

A sincere thank you to the intrepid who made it to Red Hook to visit our store. We know it's not easy! Well actually it is easy, but we won't go into that now. Most of all we thank our Red Hook neighbors, who took us in with open arms.

to answer the next question: What's on the agenda for Everbrite Mercantile Co.?

1. rest

2. travel

3. website redesign

4. make things, as in art

5. remember why it is we live in new york city, and get out a little

6. regroup and decide on the next move

OH YES, and don't forget our moving sale. We will be open Wed. through Sun. of this week.

Merchandise, fixtures, (meaning vintage furniture) the last few pieces of Andre Van Hoek's Pennsylvania farm country antiques, odds n ends, and vintage arcade video games, all at ridiculously low prices!

ciao.

$10 tees

Time to move out some old inventory! Our beloved Chouette shirts are on sale for JUST TEN BUCKS! We have a few Paste and Poketo tees available during this sale too. An in-store exclusive, to be found only in Red Hook.

et.per.se.and closing party!

Join us this Saturday at 8pm for et.per.se.and's closing party.

The Artist, Diane Tomasi, Pamela Bailinson, Bryan X and I will be performing the *sweet spot* of what has been an unbelievable residency- the interactive video dance piece Useless Worms and Weeds. I implore you to make the trek to Red Hook for this very special event.

et.per.se.and closing party
Sat. Dec. 3, 8pm
Everbrite Mercantile Co.
351 Van Brunt St.
Brooklyn, NY 11231