Wow, I'm in awe of Ms. Weaver. Never mind methodically walking practically every inch of the 5 boroughs to visit and log 14,000+ mom and pop stores, which is astounding in itself, but she opened her own shop in NYC in her early 20s? And ran it successfully for 10 years? That's impressive. Oh, for a slice of that energy, drive and chutzpah! She seems like more of a New Yorker than most native NYers I know. A "well done" to her, and well done to you, Great Anne of NYC, for bringing her to our attention!
I'm totally with you, JEBNYC. She's done so much at age 33 and what really strikes me is her independence. She doesn't wait around for someone to give her the job or greenlight the project. So curious where she might be at at 43, 53, 63 etc.!
And yeah, theres a certain kind of mid-westerner, I think, who appreciates and understands NYC as much or maybe more than any native.
Not one of the 44 comments so far refers to the Cafe Anne subs data you have published. Of the 12,760 subscribers, only 392 of us are paying subscribers. That is just 3% of us happily pay and I applaud Anne’s subscription policy and like the idea that we can all read Cafe Anne for free, but I equally think that those of you who can afford the small monthly subscription should voluntarily pay it.
I am a 80 year old pensioner on a fixed income in Nottingham, England, and I happily pay a monthly subscription. And, YES, I am trying to persuade some of you 12,368 non-paying subscribers to join me and the other 391 paying subscribers to join us. You come back week after week because you know this is the best substack deal there is in NYC, so come on now, show the Anne some support! LET’s MAKE IT 500 PAID SUBSCRIBERS BY THE END OF JULY. DO IT NOW. YOU WON’T FEEL A THING I PROMISE!!🐰
LOL I love this promo you're doing for me O L O Bunny aka Kevin thank you!
I try not to push too much for new subs because I always want the newsletter to feel light and fun. But another 100 paid subs would REALLY help pay the rent!
I am familiar with Caroline’s pencil shop!!! I’m sorry to hear it closed. At least one year she did a pencil advent calendar. As someone who requires the security of a full time job in order to sleep at night, I am so impressed with anyone who goes off and does something like she does. Next time I’m in NYC I’ll be sure to check out her store.
Her new store is quite fun! My favorite item was the candles fashioned after Tom Fruin's famous stained glass water tower sculptures you can still see from the BQE. I'm dizzy from all the meta-ing embedded just writing this!
Yes. A lot of crafty shops especially online do this. For a straight fee, you receive a package with 12 or 24 little packages and you open one every day. A friend bought one and received all sorts of pencils and pencil adjacent products. I meant to join up the following year but I never did.
can't wait to visit the Locavore Variety Store - applause to Caroline for making this huge effort and for encouraging people to shop socially and locally! Every city/town should have one! I've also been bothered by the weirdness of having something shipped when it's made nearby...
Amelia, I love the idea of a shop like this in every town. In our borough we also have Brooklyn Made (in industry city) which I think is similar in concept and is "curated" by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
There is also a shop of NY State items in the State Office Building Complex in Albany. It is near the NY State Museum which is free, and worth a visit.
There’s an embroidery etc shop 15 minutes away but no storefront. I’ve even asked if I can pick up my package in person to save on postage and they’ve refused (nicely though). Maybe one day they’ll open a brick and mortar store because I love shopping in craft/art stores.
I’ll be using the directory to find a store with both local pickles and a complete nic cage movie selection on DVD. I’ll never have to shop anywhere again!
I love everything about this weeks edition. As a big Mets fan, I love that she rocks a Mets beret. I need one! I wonder what shoes Caroline wears. She can do a part-time shoe review while doing her daily walks. I imagine walking all those miles wears out whatever she is rockin. Great edition, Anne!
I DID ask Caroline about her shoes, so I'm glad you asked.
She was careful not to wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row bc that's not supposed to be good if you are walking a lot. Her favorites are Merrell walking shoes and Chaco sandals. And sometimes she wears hiking shoes or sneakers.
I looked and you can buy a vintage Mets beret online for $150 or so. So funny!
Caroline sounds like some genre of genius for surviving multiple tilts into NYC brick-and-mortar. Or at least the kind of person the city/planet could use more of. Very cool profile.
I can't believe a tunnel breakdown is faster than a commuter jam through the same tunnel. I wonder if there's a clever way to monetize all that traffic.
I loved reading about Caroline's adventures cataloguing all the mom & pops, and thinking about the people who are cataloguing the bagels shops and pizza places... and then wondering just how many people are circling this wonderful city every day, documenting "This is here... This is here...." Surely they are looping each other and not even knowing it, which sounds like a fiction book that I would read... but it's actually happening!
Suddenly “shop local” DOES seem like the answer to so many modern problems! We could make a dent in Amazon’s profits, Americans' loneliness and carbon emissions if we all just walked to a local shop for our stuff! I feel like I can’t relax until ‘this lady’ and her vision and her directory and her store and her grit get wider exposure! This IS such a tote-bag, NPR story! I love that you covered her, Anne. You’re both visionaries. SURELY SOMEONE HERE CAN HELP GET HER INTERVIEWED BY BIG NEWS OUTLETS?
Kills me that, in one of the photos in the Curbed article, she’s sitting on an orange counter created by a local company, of course. Love this woman’s commitment. Yes—I bet she will get more media coverage after being featured by you!
Love it, love it, love it! Makes me wish I could come visit, but you’re SO far away. It sounds like visiting hundreds and hundreds of little villages, just like mine, with all its unique shops and friendly vibes. Community is such an enriching thing. If we stay connected, life is quite joyous, even doing little things. There’s always someone to chat to. Another beautiful story. Thanks so much. 🤗🤗😘
Ms. Weaver should be the next Gerry Frank! He wrote "Where to Find It, Buy It, Eat It in New York" until 2018. I can understand how CW felt like her guide was needed in 2022. We've been at sea! Or maybe just shopping locally? This sounds like something she should be pushing on NPR. And that the likes of Leanord Lopate would love! He does an annual 'shop local' shout-out show (or two?) at year end. I too can't wait to visit her store! Thanks for finding her and sharing an inspiring story!
Yes; it's still available! You would think it's outdated since it was last published with a 2018 date. I think that's because it has street cred and there's nothing as comprehensive. Hopefully, CW's Locavor fills the need--I will have to check it out.
That is crazy ambitious and fabulous. Caroline is an inspiration and the ultimate doer! I'll definitely check out her shop and already love her site. I can't believe a large Google type enterprise hasn't thought of this. It's amazing what one person can accomplish! Thanks for spreading the word!
I'm with you Jolain! It is super inspiring for me as well.
I've actually seen some venture-backed startups try to do this over the years on the app side of things—not exactly the same approach but similar notions—and what they came up with was not nearly as easy to use and well thought out as what Caroline put together.
This is amazing. My friend and I had a project to eat at every restaurant on Convoy Street in San Diego and it took us over 4 years to eat at only 100 restaurants!!
Folks have also done every NYC swimming pool and library (which doesn't sound like a big deal but its a huge undertaking!)
My personal dream is to visit every NYC dog run.
Your project sounds super fun! And I imagine that no matter how fast you go you can't eat them all because new places keep opening up while old ones go out of biz?
Wow, I'm in awe of Ms. Weaver. Never mind methodically walking practically every inch of the 5 boroughs to visit and log 14,000+ mom and pop stores, which is astounding in itself, but she opened her own shop in NYC in her early 20s? And ran it successfully for 10 years? That's impressive. Oh, for a slice of that energy, drive and chutzpah! She seems like more of a New Yorker than most native NYers I know. A "well done" to her, and well done to you, Great Anne of NYC, for bringing her to our attention!
I'm totally with you, JEBNYC. She's done so much at age 33 and what really strikes me is her independence. She doesn't wait around for someone to give her the job or greenlight the project. So curious where she might be at at 43, 53, 63 etc.!
And yeah, theres a certain kind of mid-westerner, I think, who appreciates and understands NYC as much or maybe more than any native.
Not one of the 44 comments so far refers to the Cafe Anne subs data you have published. Of the 12,760 subscribers, only 392 of us are paying subscribers. That is just 3% of us happily pay and I applaud Anne’s subscription policy and like the idea that we can all read Cafe Anne for free, but I equally think that those of you who can afford the small monthly subscription should voluntarily pay it.
I am a 80 year old pensioner on a fixed income in Nottingham, England, and I happily pay a monthly subscription. And, YES, I am trying to persuade some of you 12,368 non-paying subscribers to join me and the other 391 paying subscribers to join us. You come back week after week because you know this is the best substack deal there is in NYC, so come on now, show the Anne some support! LET’s MAKE IT 500 PAID SUBSCRIBERS BY THE END OF JULY. DO IT NOW. YOU WON’T FEEL A THING I PROMISE!!🐰
LOL I love this promo you're doing for me O L O Bunny aka Kevin thank you!
I try not to push too much for new subs because I always want the newsletter to feel light and fun. But another 100 paid subs would REALLY help pay the rent!
Bravo O L O Bunny aka Kevin! I totally agree with you!!!
I am familiar with Caroline’s pencil shop!!! I’m sorry to hear it closed. At least one year she did a pencil advent calendar. As someone who requires the security of a full time job in order to sleep at night, I am so impressed with anyone who goes off and does something like she does. Next time I’m in NYC I’ll be sure to check out her store.
A pencil advent calendar?!?
Her new store is quite fun! My favorite item was the candles fashioned after Tom Fruin's famous stained glass water tower sculptures you can still see from the BQE. I'm dizzy from all the meta-ing embedded just writing this!
Yes. A lot of crafty shops especially online do this. For a straight fee, you receive a package with 12 or 24 little packages and you open one every day. A friend bought one and received all sorts of pencils and pencil adjacent products. I meant to join up the following year but I never did.
can't wait to visit the Locavore Variety Store - applause to Caroline for making this huge effort and for encouraging people to shop socially and locally! Every city/town should have one! I've also been bothered by the weirdness of having something shipped when it's made nearby...
Amelia, I love the idea of a shop like this in every town. In our borough we also have Brooklyn Made (in industry city) which I think is similar in concept and is "curated" by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
https://brooklynmadestore.com/
There are also the Taste of New York stores which I think the state government runs - they sell local foods mostly
There is also a shop of NY State items in the State Office Building Complex in Albany. It is near the NY State Museum which is free, and worth a visit.
There’s an embroidery etc shop 15 minutes away but no storefront. I’ve even asked if I can pick up my package in person to save on postage and they’ve refused (nicely though). Maybe one day they’ll open a brick and mortar store because I love shopping in craft/art stores.
I’ll be using the directory to find a store with both local pickles and a complete nic cage movie selection on DVD. I’ll never have to shop anywhere again!
LOL if you can't find it, SC, maybe I'll look into opening it.
Or if you haven't stopped by already...
https://www.sweetpicklebooks.com/
I wouldn't be surprised if they have a bunch of DVDs kickin' around...
No way! This might just be the one!
I love everything about this weeks edition. As a big Mets fan, I love that she rocks a Mets beret. I need one! I wonder what shoes Caroline wears. She can do a part-time shoe review while doing her daily walks. I imagine walking all those miles wears out whatever she is rockin. Great edition, Anne!
Thank you Justin!
I DID ask Caroline about her shoes, so I'm glad you asked.
She was careful not to wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row bc that's not supposed to be good if you are walking a lot. Her favorites are Merrell walking shoes and Chaco sandals. And sometimes she wears hiking shoes or sneakers.
I looked and you can buy a vintage Mets beret online for $150 or so. So funny!
Caroline sounds like some genre of genius for surviving multiple tilts into NYC brick-and-mortar. Or at least the kind of person the city/planet could use more of. Very cool profile.
I can't believe a tunnel breakdown is faster than a commuter jam through the same tunnel. I wonder if there's a clever way to monetize all that traffic.
Yeah I love people like Caroline who venture out solo and finds ways to make great new things just appear.
I will be thinking about ways to monetize traffic tunnel for the rest of the week.
I loved reading about Caroline's adventures cataloguing all the mom & pops, and thinking about the people who are cataloguing the bagels shops and pizza places... and then wondering just how many people are circling this wonderful city every day, documenting "This is here... This is here...." Surely they are looping each other and not even knowing it, which sounds like a fiction book that I would read... but it's actually happening!
Oh my goodness what a vivid image you painted in my head just now Emily! So great!
Here in NYC I'd love to catalogue the libraries and dog runs. Oh and DONUT shops.
I AM actually on a slow-motion tour of every NYC donut shop, come to think of it.
Donut shops and dog runs-- truly doing the lord's work!
Suddenly “shop local” DOES seem like the answer to so many modern problems! We could make a dent in Amazon’s profits, Americans' loneliness and carbon emissions if we all just walked to a local shop for our stuff! I feel like I can’t relax until ‘this lady’ and her vision and her directory and her store and her grit get wider exposure! This IS such a tote-bag, NPR story! I love that you covered her, Anne. You’re both visionaries. SURELY SOMEONE HERE CAN HELP GET HER INTERVIEWED BY BIG NEWS OUTLETS?
I've seen BIG NEWS OUTLETS pick things up after they first appeared here, Courtney, so fingers crossed!
And she did get a nice writeup in NY Mag recently for her store opening which mentioned the guide quite prominantly:
https://www.curbed.com/article/pencil-shop-caroline-weaver-locavore-variety-store-local-goods.html#/
I love your suggestion, btw, that shopping local can solve so many of our problems. I didn't think about it that way until you mentioned it.
Kills me that, in one of the photos in the Curbed article, she’s sitting on an orange counter created by a local company, of course. Love this woman’s commitment. Yes—I bet she will get more media coverage after being featured by you!
I’m not a New Yorker and have never been to the city, but I found this very enjoyable.
Happy to hear that Sarah! Come visit!
So... your middle name *isn't* Jessica?
😂Nope
Is it Carrie? 😜
Nope. :)
Love it, love it, love it! Makes me wish I could come visit, but you’re SO far away. It sounds like visiting hundreds and hundreds of little villages, just like mine, with all its unique shops and friendly vibes. Community is such an enriching thing. If we stay connected, life is quite joyous, even doing little things. There’s always someone to chat to. Another beautiful story. Thanks so much. 🤗🤗😘
It IS just like that, Beth! I'm glad to hear you live in a place like that too.
And very happy you enjoyed the story!
Ms. Weaver should be the next Gerry Frank! He wrote "Where to Find It, Buy It, Eat It in New York" until 2018. I can understand how CW felt like her guide was needed in 2022. We've been at sea! Or maybe just shopping locally? This sounds like something she should be pushing on NPR. And that the likes of Leanord Lopate would love! He does an annual 'shop local' shout-out show (or two?) at year end. I too can't wait to visit her store! Thanks for finding her and sharing an inspiring story!
Thanks Anita! And yes, this is a VERY tote-bag, NPR sort of thing.
I had to google Gerry Frank as I'd never heard of him. It looks like this was the last edition of his guidebook:
https://www.amazon.com/Gerry-Franks-Where-Find-Regular-dp-1879333287/dp/1879333287/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Wouldn't it be great if everyone in NYC published their own guide to the city?
Yes; it's still available! You would think it's outdated since it was last published with a 2018 date. I think that's because it has street cred and there's nothing as comprehensive. Hopefully, CW's Locavor fills the need--I will have to check it out.
That is crazy ambitious and fabulous. Caroline is an inspiration and the ultimate doer! I'll definitely check out her shop and already love her site. I can't believe a large Google type enterprise hasn't thought of this. It's amazing what one person can accomplish! Thanks for spreading the word!
I'm with you Jolain! It is super inspiring for me as well.
I've actually seen some venture-backed startups try to do this over the years on the app side of things—not exactly the same approach but similar notions—and what they came up with was not nearly as easy to use and well thought out as what Caroline put together.
Passion and the human touch trumps technology! Yay!!
This is amazing. My friend and I had a project to eat at every restaurant on Convoy Street in San Diego and it took us over 4 years to eat at only 100 restaurants!!
Jenne, I've also written about a couple that visited every bagel shop in NYC :
https://annekadet.substack.com/p/bagel
And a guy visiting every bookstore:
https://annekadet.substack.com/p/bookquest
Folks have also done every NYC swimming pool and library (which doesn't sound like a big deal but its a huge undertaking!)
My personal dream is to visit every NYC dog run.
Your project sounds super fun! And I imagine that no matter how fast you go you can't eat them all because new places keep opening up while old ones go out of biz?
Yes! We eventually gave up trying to keep it current, but you can see it at www.convoyconquest.com
Oh wow it's so nicely done!
Aww thank you!
Very cool about the bagel shop tracking!
😂
What an inspiration. Is the directory a booklet, online or an app? Great story.
CK it is mainly an online directory:
https://thelocavore.com
There is a printed guidebook coming out later this year.
This story reminds me that the "real" new york city still exists beyond all the instagram-inspired shops and box stores.
It's really true, EGM. There are still huge swaths of NYC that are far beyond the reach of IG culture, and pretty much ignored by the chains.