Something Old, Something New

Two vintage chairs, neither blue.

Hi and welcome to the relaunch of my newsletter, this time on Substack. In lieu of a personal social media presence, this space will be reserved for personal updates going forward. If that’s not your jam please do not hesitate to unsubscribe. My blog will continue to exist and it has RSS.

Let’s get to it.

I know the names of maybe one TV show and that TV show happens to be Seinfeld. What I appreciate about Seinfeld is that it’s a show about nothing. But after watching a few episodes you realize it’s actually about everything.

This newsletter is going to be like that.

So what’s happening over here?

Well… I’m back in New York City. Notion opened an office here and there were enough free snacks to lure me back.

My empty new apartment.

I’ve secured a rare apartment that feels more like a home in the country than a home in the city. My biggest problem right now is that the birds are too loud.

My taste varies, but right now I’m into a more bohemian aesthetic, hence the title of this email. I wanted a mix of a couple old chairs and a couple new chairs to complement my rustic dining table.

Not my exact chairs, but you get the idea.

My search ultimately led me to the most amazing antique dealer deep in Bushwick. It was a room packed floor to ceiling with furniture of every style and vintage, but to my surprise there weren’t many chairs.

Disappointed, I found the owner and asked if he knew of anywhere else that might have the style of chairs I was looking for. His eyes immediately lit up.

“We don’t usually do this, but I’m happy to bring you into the chair building if you promise to be careful. It’s a bit dangerous back there.”

Chair heaven.

He then proceeded to guide me though what could only be described as chair heaven. Hundreds upon hundreds of chairs stacked like Jenga blocks.

We precariously pulled chairs off the wall and out from under heaping piles until I found the perfect pair — and old wooden dining chair and a vintage Italian Cesca dining chair. I packed the two chairs into the back of an Uber and headed home. Success at last!

I have a weird habit of reading Google Reviews after I go somewhere instead of before. I guess just to confirm whether the internet was right or catastrophically incorrect.

Usually a 50/50 chance.

I noticed a few single-star reviews by customers who were taken aback by the chaos and disorderly nature of the shop. Naturally, I had to counteract these naysayers and left a quick review.

The owner responded in under 30 minutes!? More tech savvy than I was expecting for a dude with a dusty beard and no running water.

Real talk — I’m also glad there are still people out there that appreciate the madness. They’re far and few between.

In less important news, I saw this Fruit Loop flavored milk at the bodega down the street and really wanted to try it but I don’t drink milk and am likely lactose intolerant. If you try it, please respond and let me know how it is.

Froot Loops milk. New from Kellogg’s. Not a sponsored post.

Being back in NYC feels weird. I don’t usually like to retrace my steps.

But just like my dining setup I’m hoping that I can mix something old with something new and emerge feeling like this is the dawn of a new era, not an infinite loop of coast-to-coast moves. We’ll see.

Cory

p.s. Want to say hi? Just reply to this email or comment below. ✌🏻