Featured In : The Shopkeepers

Featured In : The Shopkeepers

Makers Shops : Best Shops 2023

Talented maker's, artisans, and designers showcase their creative pursuits in these charmingly curated shops. Unique homewares, furniture, textiles, ceramics, clothing, stationery and skincare products that are handcrafted and beautifully presented often alongside a selection of complementary goods.

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Best Shops 2023

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Featured In : Shopkeepers

Featured In : Shopkeepers

Stretching from Boerum Hill to Brooklyn Heights, Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn is one of our favorite shopping destinations. Several blocks are lined with a wonderful variety of shops from menswear to womenswear, vintage to flowers shops. Atlantic Avenue makes for interesting and inspiring shopping and browsing. In between shopping there are plenty of great coffee shops and cafes to enjoy a pause. And remember to wander down the side streets too, for more neighborhood gems. These are some of our Favorite Atlantic Avenue shops to explore and discover.

Shopkeepers Guide to Atlantic Avenue

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Event : Atlantic Ave Art Walk

Event : Atlantic Ave Art Walk

The Atlantic Avenue LDC is bringing back ArtWalk from Saturday, May 20 - Sunday, May 28. The 1.5-mile self-guided event will feature artwork from over 100 local artists who add life and soul to our neighborhood by displaying their artwork in stores, businesses and galleries along Atlantic Avenue. 

The Artist : Joy Nagy is an interdisciplinary artist and native New Yorker whose work examines shapes derived from the natural world and themes of impermanence, precariousness, and the opposition of wonder and beauty. She contrasts two-dimensional ink and pencil drawings with anthropomorphic clay forms and illustrates the fragility of her subjects with watercolor. 

The Collection : Non Binaries, a collection of 100 works is on display at Michele Varian Shop, 400 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, NY 11217. Each porcelain bottle of unique individual character stands upright at 7.5” and is signed and numbered, and comes with corresponding signed 5x7 inch watercolor painting. 50% of each sale will be donated to World Central Kitchen, founded by Chef Jose Andres.

Opening Reception : Thursday, May 18th 5-8pm. On display through May 28th for Atlantic Avenue Art Walk, a free self-guided exhibit from 4th Ave to the waterfront!

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Featured In : 6sqft

Featured In : 6sqft

Designer gift guide: 11 NYC creatives share what they’re giving (and what they want) this holiday By Michelle Cohen December 19th, 2022

6sqft has once again asked a handful of New York City designers, architects, and artists to share a few things they plan on gifting–or, perhaps, hope to receive–this season. Read on for dozens of unique and unexpected items curated by some of the city’s most talented creatives. We promise a bounty of ideas and inspiration to choose from if you happen to find yourself scrambling for a gift. 

Michele Varian, designer, owner, Michele Varian


Brass Keychain. Now that recreational pot is officially legal in NYC, we’ve made a point of stocking our favorite smoke accessories. This piece is my personal favorite, and I will be gifting it to my most special someone, who has been making do with pretty rudimentary tools until now. Everything about this “smoke kit” appeals to me: The tiny carry canister, the lighter case, both with inlaid opal, a dainty joint holder, and an even daintier pokey stick for “?.” The fine details and workmanship of these pieces is courtesy of one of our longtime jewelers, who has expanded her collection to include this passion project of smoke accessories.

Cloudy Print Linen Pillow. This piece is from my newly launched collection, which is up for an award this year. It is from one of my paintings, and I love the way it looks like the texture of the old plaster walls after we removed the wallpaper in our house growing up.

Lapiz Lazuli Gold Signet Ring. I’ve been coveting this ring myself. It is universally loved by all who see it, no matter what their personal style is. Best of all, it is made by one of my longtime co-workers, Hayley, who has become a jeweler herself after being around so much jewelry here at the shop.

Skylark Glaze Mug. Like the cloudy pillow, the surface of this mug has so many layers of texture. It is part of a newly launched collection by one of my oldest friends, who, like me, used to be a fashion designer. The glaze process itself is a labor of love. So many layers and steps, finished with hand-burnishing the color until just the right amount of transparency has been achieved.

Zig Zag Terra Cotta Pot. This is a brand new ceramicist for us, which we are importing from the UK. Each piece is hand-painted and no two are alike. I’ve been having a hard time deciding which piece will be coming home with me–because one certainly will!

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