Accidental business and Indiana Jeans

Plus, our brand new coffee shop and book

29 September 2023 View online  /  Sign up Think treasure-hunting is a thing of the past? Well, not anymore… Today, though, it involves things like rare denim and antique rugs. Plus: we spent months researching, writing and shooting our new book – and it's finally out. 01. Kicking off with some exciting news 🚨📢🚨. Our big and beautiful new book has just been published. We spent months looking for dream businesses all around the world and off the usual reporting circuit. Inside, you'll find out how a diverse group of entrepreneurs quit the nine to five to start the business, brand or side hustle they've always dreamed of owning. A mountain top restaurant in Costa Rica, a beachside coffee roaster in the Philippines, a furniture workshop (plus a donut shop) in Japan, a mirrored guesthouse on an extinct volcano in Mexico – it's all in there. Order your copy of the new book right here. We hope it inspires you to jump-start a big shift in your own story.  02. Check out The Courier Sofa created by multidisciplinary artist Gab Bois (sadly not for sale). Full interview coming next week... 👀  03. Elsewhere in the Courierverse: a takeout hatch serving mini baos in Tapei from Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung, the co-founders of BAO. Yet another of example of why we called them 'artists first, chefs second' when we recently profiled them in our magazine. 04. 'Indiana Jeans' – real name Brit Eaton – is a denim hunter in high demand. He finds vintage jeans in old barns, abandoned mines and dumpsters. While his customers range from high-end collectors to art museums, he also hosts a yearly festival with bulk vintage clothing, so anyone can join the hunt. BRAND PARTNERSHIP You've got mail The Design Museum and Intuit Mailchimp invite you to the free, interactive exhibition, Email is Dead, open now through 22 October. From the inboxes that changed history to writing an email to your future self, you'll explore how email shapes our work, relationships, culture and economy.  Plan your visit. 05. Adjacent to treasure hunting – the antique rug trade. Mikael Kennedy quit fashion photography and founded King Kennedy Rugs, selling (a very curated collection of) handmade Afghan, Persian and Navajo textiles. He even kitted out the interior of his Mercedes. 'I think I was one of the first to use social media as a platform for selling antique rugs,' he told us.  06. Danny Hess also got into his business accidentally. He started shaping boards at 16 and surfing them on Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Strangers would ask to try them and order the boards, so much so that eventually he decided to leave his career as a house builder to go into making bespoke wooden surfboards full-time. 🏄‍♂️ 07. He's one of four members of The Woodshop in San Francisco, set up by four maker buddies who share a creative workshop space together close to the beach – all surfers. 'When we found our current shop, I realized I'd landed in the place I needed to be, with the right inspiring people to share it with. I feel very lucky to be able to share ideas with each of my shop mates everyday, then go surfing with them,' he told us. 08. Mona is a small hotel in Athens housed in a 1950s textile factory. Founder Shai Antebi and creative director Eftihia Stefanidi aimed to keep as many details of its history intact as possible, restoring the terrazzo floors and iron staircase. Their attention to detail has also helped boost business beyond visitors – they have a members club, which gives people access to its rooftop bar and events. DIG DEEPER. Membership can be a smart way to boost any business, whether to improve customer loyalty to support a solo project. Here's a case study on how to build one. 09. It's always possible to pivot. Alex Holder worked in ad agencies before writing for magazines, going freelance and moving with her family from London to Lisbon. Now she's set up Salted Books, an English-language bookstore. We'd love to browse this blue room of books.  10. Spasia Dinkovski was inspired by two things – her Macedonian heritage and Julia Roberts' 1988 hit romcom Mystic Pizza. During the 2020 furlough days of the global pandemic, she started Mystic Burek, a pop-up selling filo dough pies with a twist on traditional recipes (think white cheese, pickled garlic potatoes and tarragon honey). Fast forward to today and she's built up a big following and opened a pizza parlor-style shop in south London.  11. Another pop-up that's turned permanent: L'Appartement 4F started out as a croissant baking project for French software engineer Gautier Coiffard and his wife Ashley Coiffard. But as they posted their menu on Instagram, word spread and sales grew – enough to open a storefront in Brooklyn Heights, where they now take in over $120,000 per month. The Instagrammable mini croissants likely give them an extra boost. 12. On the subject of new openings and baked good – we've just opened our own coffee shop in Hackney ☕️. Stop by for good coffee, tasty pastries and a range of products from our favorite independent food and drink brands (hello Gulp chili oil and Superbon chips). BRAND PARTNERSHIP Simplify Your Life with Anytime Mailbox With a virtual mailbox, you can access and manage all of your postal mail and packages right from your phone. No more rushing to the post office or worrying about missed deliveries and focus. Try Anytime Mailbox today and discover the simplicity of hassle-free mail management. Make your life easier today. 13. Inspired by Afrofuturism, Josh Egesi blurs the lines between craft, art and design through his studio Ike Lagos – check out his glass and wood bench, with a built in Ayo board (a traditional game). His thoughtfully designed Ikenna fan and Ikeoku floor lamp also have interchangeable wooden tripod legs, bringing a practical touch to collectible pieces.  14. New takes on everyday objects always toss up good business opportunities. Take Alexandria Pak's brand Sponge. She learned to crochet from her grandmother in South Korea, where scrubby sponges are knitted and gifted between friends and family. Now she sells her colorful sponges at stores across New York, Massachusetts and California.  15. We didn't expect soap-on-a-rope to get a redesign either, but Pin-Up Home (a newish design objects brand) and Oliver Shayne just collaborated on a translucent neon green bar, scented with oud, orange, vanilla and tobacco. Fresh.  16. Charms, suddenly, are everywhere. Check out these seashells swinging from a baseball hat made by Perfume Studio. A hat for when you have nothing left to pierce, and a brand on the rise. More from us (and elsewhere) 💁🏽‍♀️  Welcome to girl internet.  🍰  Is this the next cake trend? 🌶  A world without Sriracha 🍄  Psychedelic retreats go mainstream 🏆  Like Courier Weekly? We're up for an award. Advertise with us Drop us a line any time at hello@couriermedia.com. Update your preferences here. Unsubscribe here