Stylish, Portland-based coffee shop Stumptown Coffee Roasters is known for its hip décor, even hipper baristas, and an obsession with coffee rivaled only by the oenophiles. While the coffee itself can’t come from the U.S. (with the exception of Hawaii, coffee doesn’t survive here), the mini-chain was developed and grown by founder Duane Sorenson in Portland, OR.
Except for one New York café in the lobby of the Ace Hotel at 29th and Broadway, all Stumptown locations are in Portland, but the New York Times reports that Stumptown is now primed to expand to Brooklyn, Chicago and San Francisco, thanks to a new investment. Just like indy bands that go commercial, the loyalists are up in arms and implying that Sorenson is a sellout, but we’re excited to add a bit of diversity into the coffee bar marketplace. We hope to hear similar news from Chicago/LA based Intelligentsia soon!
Stumptown borrows it’s brand name from an old Portland nickname, which became part of the vernacular in the 1840’s, as the city rapidly expanded outward and tree stumps were left on the middle of the roads. Check out the Stumptown website for a really great brewing guide that shows you how to make the perfect cup at home, no matter what kind of equipment you have.
Just have to share this story. A couple of us were visiting the mothership on Madison Avenue (open during renovation), and we overheard a young, well-dressed man with very little knowledge about the House of Hermes, trying to surprise his equally young girlfriend with a special gift. We should have minded our own business, but we couldn’t resist! He wanted to know which bag was the most iconic, and the sales woman wasn’t telling the whole truth. She was trying to sell what was available versus what was not. After a quick conference we intervened. After 30 minutes of Birkin vs. Kelly 101, we recommended the practical Evelyn III in a neutral color. Hermes just knows how to handle leather. It turned out that his girlfriend is a designer who loves timeless, chic, and functional luxury. Sounds like our kinda gal.
February is an important month for the denim and fashion industries, not only because of the collections showing at Fashion week, but also because of two back-to-back trade shows, ENK and Coterie.
ENK takes place for three days each year at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, and brings together fashion brands from all over to showcase the latest sportswear, denim, dress, accessories, and footwear lines to the buyers who select what shows up in the boutiques and department stores nearest you. Trade shows are where a lot of the hard work of the fashion business takes place. Beyond the glamour of New York’s million dollar runway shows, trade shows are an intersection of salespeople, fashionistas, stylists, buyers, and businessmen, taking appointments and standing in heels for long hours in a massive convention hall.
The Habitual Booth at ENK Las Vegas
Immediately following ENK is Coterie at New York’s Javits Center, one of the largest fashion trade shows of the year, with nearly 14,000 vendors, ranging from the modest booths of new denim startups to the massive, built out fashion experiences from billion dollar global brands. This year we tried to keep things relaxed and open for the thousands of attendees to work through at their own pace.
The Habitual booth at Coterie in New York
