Get Handsome!

Helping men "Get Handsome" was the recent Pop-up Flea organized by the clever boys at the cool menswear website A Continuous Lean. The pop-up store was located in a space on Mulberry Street in Nolita.

Lots of great vendors who make well-designed and crafted goods were selected and invited to sell their wares. It attracted a stylish crowd, natch.

Down a flight of stairs led to more clothes, shoes, and accessories.

Rogues Gallery was there from Portland, Maine. They make hand-printed t-shirts featuring nineteenth century motifs. I've seen their work before at John Derian.

At the pop-up store you could pick the colors of your t-shirt and ink, and the motif you wanted, and it was printed right then for you. Loved that.

In another room were antiques and collectibles.

The charming J.P. Williams, a graphic designer raised in Alabama and educated at Yale, was selling vintage staplers.

I bought one for my desk. It reminds me of the stapler my great-aunt Zibby had on her desk at 611.

Near the front door were the brothers Bray, Chris and Kirk of Billykirk, the handmade leather goods crafters. My friend Richard Haines at the blog What I Saw Today recently told me about the Bray brothers, who are developing a large and devoted following. The brothers grew up in Minnesota and now make their popular Billykirk leather goods in Jersey City.
Here is Kirk on the right with assistant Madlen.

At the Pop-up Flea, they were making custom double-wrap buckled leather bracelets with a threaded slit. You could choose the colors of the leather, thread and buckle. I chose a dark brown leather with a forest green thread and pewter buckle. Then Madlen made it while I watched.

TD got it for me for my birthday.

Don't you love it when that happens?

Seriously, the Pop-up Flea was great fun and I'm looking forward to the next one. After all, the world can always be more handsome.