Chess parties and sailboat shipping

Plus, we've got a new book coming out.

15 September 2023 View online  /  Sign up Something old can become new again – and even better, based on the renovated farmhouse, updated rice factory and revamped sailboat we're looking at today. Also, chess clubs are getting the nightlife treatment and why a coffee company decided to ship its beans by sail. 01. Kicking off with a public service announcement: we have a new book coming out! So what does a flower farmer and seed forager in France have in common with a surf school in a Moroccan fishing village? What does a beachside coffee roastery and skate park in the Philippines have in common with an off-grid, mirrored guesthouse on an extinct volcano in Mexico? On the face of it, not very much. But the idea of a dream business means something different to everyone. And in our new book, Dream Businesses: Live and Work On Your Own Terms, we meet the next generation changing the face of entrepreneurship across art and design, food and drink, fashion and travel. Across 25+ photo-led stories, find out how they've changed their lives in inspiring and unexpected ways – and how you can, too. Pre-order now! 02. Talk about getting away from it all: Ivano Atzori and Kyre Chenven started design studio Pretziada in southwest Sardinia, an hour's drive through the forest from nearby shops. It got them closer to what they always dreamed of doing – working with local Sardinian craftspeople to create contemporary pieces. Recently, they opened a guesthouse on the property – La Residenza – with a special itinerary for artists to meet with fifth- and sixth-generation artisans. 🇮🇹 03. Another dreamy part-guesthouse, part-artist retreat: Chateau de la Haute Borde is a 19th century farmhouse in Rilly-sur-Loire, France, renovated by photographers and filmmakers Céline Barrère and Cécile Simon. The aim is to create exchanges around art and nature, with workshops and events.💭 04. Meanwhile in Japan, check out the aptly-named Almost Perfect. It's a creative residence in a 100-year-old rice factory.  BRAND PARTNERSHIP There's a big opportunity for every business on TikTok One in three TikTok users bought a product because they saw it on TikTok. And with TikTok for business, your product could be next. There are digital marketing resources for businesses of all sizes, with all the features you need to launch effective ads, drive sales and measure performance. Take the guesswork out of going viral. 05. New Dawn Traders is bringing back old school shipping – quite literally. It transports cargo on wind-powered sailing ships (goodbye to the kinds of emissions from massive cargo ships). Founder Alex Geldenhuys dreamed up the idea while working on cocoa plantations in Brazil and imagining sailing the beans back to Europe. The aim is to 're-enchant' peoples' relationship with consumption. ⛵️ 06. Cornwall-based Yallah Coffee recently shipped more than two tons of coffee beans by sail with New Dawn Traders. Yallah's head of coffee, Lauren Vyvyan, reflects on how it went: Typically, how much longer does it take for cargo to arrive? 'It took over 35 days for the cargo to arrive – from the coffee being loaded onto the sail boat in Mexico, to arriving at our roastery in Falmouth. We were lucky enough to meet a number of the crew aboard the Avontuur, some of whom had been at sea for over 50 days, with some great stories to tell from crossing the Atlantic.' Any potential headwinds you would advise others to look out for? 'A certain degree of flexibility is required when shipping cargo by sail boat. Changes to the ship schedule are almost inevitable, due to the unpredictability of the weather and various logistical challenges. Keeping an eye on the ship tracker added a certain level of excitement to the process.' 07. More business on boats: Norfolk-based Coastal Exploration Company hosts explorations on traditional sailing boats through the salt marshes (coastal wetlands) and foraging trips to catch mussels and crabs.  08. And in Marseille, Le Don du Vent is a sailboat built in 1947. Fanny Moreaux and Benoi Boucher renovated the wood and modernized the interiors, and now partner with local restaurants to take people out for brunches at sea, sunset sails and day trips to the region's calanques. DIG DEEPER. Speaking of renovations – check out how this couple in Byron Bay brought a rundown 80s motel back to life. 09. Chess is getting a nightlife makeover. Club Chess was inspired by founder Alexander Luke Bahta's interest in salon culture and 80s club scenes – an evening of games and cocktails can turn into a dance party. Similarly Melbourne's Acid Chess Club was started by a DJ and recently teamed up with GZA of Wu Tang Clan (a chess fanatic) to host a speed chess tournament. Also check out Pawn Club.  10. Rare books are just one thing that Book/Shop in Oakland, California, sells. It's a concept shop devoted to anything related to the 'reading experience' and it just dropped a reading headrest 'made for those spontaneous moments of reading on the floor' – we all do it, right? – inspired by traditional east African headrests and hand-sewn in California by an Eritrean-led sewing team. 📚 11. Another way to make a living in books: give grocery aisle paperbacks a new life. LA-based The Ripped Bodice, started by sisters Bea and Leah Koch, focuses solely on romance novels – but with an aim of changing the genre's stereotype, with an inclusive selection of reads. The duo built up such an audience that they just launched a second shop in Brooklyn last month. 12. Also in Brooklyn: Anaïs – a natural wine bar inspired by the life of author Anaïs Nin – recently opened. Per the theme, it's stocked with vintage erotica and other books. 13. Speaking of nightlife: Stella's is a butcher shop from London's Hill & Szrok. But not just any butcher shop. At night it turns into a listening bar called System, with a sound system and nightly rotation of DJs (without the sirloins).  14. In South London, hi-fi music bar Jumbi has also been making a name for itself by focussing on vinyl and food from the African-Caribbean diaspora – and it just opened a sister venue in North London called Moko. It also features a custom booth and record storage by carpenter and maker Don Heston. 15. But if you're after a quieter evening, Shiloh in Los Angeles might be your vibe. It's a reservation-only late night tea house, born from the idea of creating a 'third place' for people to hang out – and looks like the best living room ever. More from us (and elsewhere) 💇🏻‍♀️  Meet the wigmakers of Kyoto. 🇲🇦  DJ merch in support of Moroccan earthquake aid. 🎩  How the internet changed menswear. 😃  Making a career out of dad jokes. +  Partner content: learn how to use AI at work without spending hours on ChatGPT. Advertise with us Drop us a line any time at hello@couriermedia.com. Update your preferences here. Unsubscribe here