Hasta La Ideas

A slick Brooklyn barber shop offering services in a humble way

In recent years the men’s grooming culture has thankfully evolved, but with steep prices and an equally pretentious atmosphere many salons seem to cater more to the classy gent than the downtown dude. Steve Marks aims to change this with his relaxed Brooklyn barber shop Persons of Interest, an outfit offering solid cuts and sophisticated services but with simplicity at the forefront.

Marks first came upon the idea for Persons of Interest when he visited Sal’s, the original barber shop that occupied the space. Remaining unaltered for 27 years, the shop naturally captured the feel and design of a classic 1970s grooming station. Determined to retain that atmosphere, Marks went above and beyond to keep original features such as the classic barber pole, original chairs and the coastal mural on the back wall.

The attention to detail is also reflected in the level of service on offer. Walk in the door and Marks is the first to give you a warm greeting and a beverage (beer included) from the cooler. If the reading material or conversation isn’t peaking your interest you can always browse the classic suitcase filled with old passports and cash, on display in case someone needs to get out of town quick.

The talent with scissors is just as impressive as the space itself; all of the barbers in Marks’ shop are attentive and skilled, with conversation and advice to match. What they offer is very unique for the Carroll Gardens neighborhood—a high quality cut with no frills and a price tag that’s easy on the wallet. The shop got its name because Persons of Interest “sounds vaguely criminal, vaguely sinister” but you won’t find any shady dealings here. The real beauty of the barber shop is that it fills a gap for men who want a really good haircut ($40) without the glitz of a grandiose salon. To check out this slice of 70s, visit the Persons of Interest website where you can see a full list of their services, including beard trims and more.

Awesome work Brooklyn-based illustrator Grady McFerrin.

Check out more on his site and below.

Cool Hunting marries bean-to-bar chocolate and artisanally-processed fruit in a delicious collaborative bar

We admit to a serious weakness for the mind-altering tastes of the artisinal chocolates crafted by the Mast Brothers. Intent on bringing out the heavenly natural flavor of cacao, primarily sourced from Venezuela and Ecuador, the brotherly duo of Rick and Michael Mast developed a process for producing the finest in small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate. Their signature flavors, running the gamut from single origin Dominican and Madagascarian bars to chocolate sprinkled with roasted Stumptown coffee beans, range from the deliciously rich to the downright sublime.

We’ve previously featured the Brooklyn-based Brothers in our Cool Hunting video series, so it seemed only natural that we would pair these chocolatiers with stem-to-fruit guru June Taylor, another video subject. Taylor, a longtime favorite of Cool Hunting, uses traditional preserving methods to make positively ambrosial jams, preserves, syrups and marmalades. Her creatively paired concoctions include Oro Blanco Grapefruit and Rose Geranium marmalade as well as Wild Fennel Syrup; everything she whips up in her Berkeley kitchen is yummy, natural and inventive.

The Mast Brothers bar that utilizes June Taylor’s fruit combines the best of each purveyor’s specialties; the CH Edition 72% bar features sumptuous Madagascar chocolate as well as Taylor’s candied blood orange peels and candied oro blanco grapefruit peels. Of his collaborator, Rick Mast gushes, “June Taylor is the greatest woman on Earth who is pioneering amazing fruit confections. She is also a babe.” We can’t imagine a sweet treat (from two sweeter companies) that we’d rather find in our stocking than this delightful concoction.

Find the Mast Brothers and June Taylor chocolate bar exclusively at our Cool Hunting for Gap holiday pop up shop.

Bunnies and black magic in a bi-coastal illustrator’s new line of home furnishings

While brands making up stories is nothing new, it’s increasingly more common to see products like W/Heart, which founder Jacqueline Bos conceived around the very idea of “things that have a story behind them, things that you can see the care put into making them.” While the collection of textile housewares builds on the past five years that Bos has worked as a printmaker, she’s no stranger to the commercial world, having worked clients as varied as independent fashion designers AIRA to MySpace, for which she designed the recently-launched new theme.

Bos has also found success by selling her print work through Urban Outfitters’ collaborative print shop with Society6, and a recent illustration of hers for M. Ward’s album The Transfiguration of Vincent ended up in Uppercase Magazine. “I heard he lives in Portland now,” said Bos, who splits her time between the City of Roses and Brooklyn. “Matt! If you’re reading this, you should totally come over for coffee, drawing and music time.”

Anchoring W/Heart’s laid-back sensibility, the napkins, pillow cases and stuffed animals shows the same rigorous attention to detail as her print work. Bos prints each item by hand with water-based inks on organic cotton, hand-sewing each so as not to waste any fabric. While the craftsmanship of each piece is unmistakable, Bos admits that producing W/Heart is pretty hard work. “I haven’t decided yet about a follow-up collection. This ended up being a much larger undertaking than I had initially anticipated.”

W/Heart sells online, with prices spanning $35 to $60. For Bos’ illustrations and other works, check out her website and Etsy shop.

Channel your inner Rosie The Riveter with this sexy collection of Brooklyn-crafted duds

Combining WWII simplicity with an utterly feminine silhouette, Wintercheck Factory‘s recent endeavor into fashion is a sexy Rosie The Riveter-esque collection all made in Brooklyn.

Sourcing styles straight from her grandma’s closet in Dallas, Wintercheck founder Kristen Wentrcek designed a six-piece strong collection with each item as a limited run. With an average of about 275 pieces for each style, Wentrcek tells CH “It’s all based on the fabric roll sizes so once the manufacturer finishes cutting, that’s it for our production in that color. Should a style sell really well, we may have it remade but never in that same color.”

Imported Japanese fabrics are prewashed for ultimate softness, and boast a keen eye for details. Standouts include the insanely soft, lined Eunice Dress (named after her grandmother), the striped Sarah Skirt (guaranteed to show a little leg without flashing people on the street) and the Anna Romper Swimsuit, which features a built-in bra, adjustable straps and a hidden zippered pocket.

The Wintercheck Factory collection sells online and spans $62 to $98, with each piece individually numbered.