NoKa Jen

My Life, In Perspective

2010-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law asked me today how I am. I thought: "well, my back has been giving me problems, one of my staff has not been able to work and the great summer vacation I had planned may not pan out." (None of which I told her, because she worries too much.) Then I got an email from my brother. My niece, Jillian, and her husband are returning today to Haiti, to work and help and live for the foreseeable future. My brother, Clay, pointed me to their new blog, and its first entry--that they wrote their last night home. I encourage you to check it out. It certainly puts my life in perspective. http://goatpath.wordpress.com

Jewelry Wholesale Market

2010-02-02T16:19:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went shopping for my store. Buying is one of the most fun things I do. I went to the New York Gift Show on Sunday and into the jewelry (and accessories) wholesale market on Monday.

The wholesale market is a very UNglamourous way to buy. It feels like a chaotic, ethnic marketplace with massive amounts of jewelry in lots of low-brow stores. I bring in a suitcase with wheels and schlep around the dirty, crowded streets between 25th and 31st between 6th and Broadway. Cash is preferred and zero service is the norm.

There are literally millions of earrings, necklaces and bracelets to choose from. Hundreds of scarves and socks. Maybe 50 stores. But I'm not complaining, in fact I had a ton of fun! Come on in and check out our new jewelry, scarves and socks!

Vintage Furniture

2010-01-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

Just this week I reorganized my store, so all gift items, books, toys and jewelry are downstairs with my coffee shop. Upstairs is now dedicated to vintage furniture. I’ve always had a thing about old furniture. Not fine antiques—they’re too fussy and self-important. I don’t want to worry about ring marks from a coffee cup. I like furniture that’s low maintenance—pieces that are already banged up a bit, but still have style.

I like to imagine my furniture swapping stories after we’ve left for the day: the 30-year-old toy box sharing secrets with the black painted bureau; the ‘granddad’ secretary from the 1890s calling the 1950s red kitchen table a young upstart.

I rarely meet the original owner. Most pieces have a long history by the time they arrive at NoKa. When someone does decide to buy a piece, we talk excitedly about it in the store—where they’re putting it, how they’re using it. It gives us great pleasure to send furniture to a new home. It feels a little like finding a good family for a puppy.

2009-11-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how creative people are in Katonah. When I work in NoKa Joe's during the commuter hours (5:50 am to 9:30ish) I meet a lot of local people. And if they have a nano-second to talk, I often find out that they do really cool things all day long. Upstairs, where our customers have more time to talk, I learn about really interesting jobs, incredible charities people have started, and wonderful enriching programs that their children are doing.

One of those talented, local people is Marc Black a singer/song writer who lives in Katonah. Within days of the start of our NoKa & NoKa Joe's fan page, Marc posted a great, original song called 'ooh I love my coffee'. I'm posting it again here, in case you missed it http://bit.ly/4qE3Kp. Marc is playing at the Towne Crier the day after Thanksgiving. So, after a lazy Friday -- head to the Town Crier for some great, live music!

One Woman's Thoughts on Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

It's the week of Thanksgiving. All other topics pale by comparison. How did we get to Thanksgiving? Is life rushing by for you, too? As the owner of NoKa and NoKa Joe's, Thanksgiving and the Holidays bring excitement, activity and lots of work. I need all my staff to work extra hours or I'll be here 24/7. I made a list of things that have to get done in the store, pronto! Its length is daunting. My shoulders are hiked up around my ears with stress. But...I love the holidays in our store and welcome the additional business. The atmosphere is fun and festive and happy. As a mom, I always want the holidays to be about family. I'd like to work less, be home more. I'd like to make cookies (my kids would faint if I made cookies...) and decorate the house. Maybe have a small cocktail party....see friends more. I'd like to shop thoughtfully for presents; to slow down so I can remember, with my family, what these holidays are about. These two parts of my life are in direct conflict with each other. Go faster! Make it perfect! Slow down! The conflict always makes me a little blue. And I know I've done this to myself. The store will be great. My family will be wonderful. I need to lower my expectations and raise my eyes to the wonder all around me. To be thankful. Harder than it sounds, but I'm working on it.

Our Christmas Starts a Little Early

2009-11-16T13:01:00.001-08:00

He’s a lot like Santa, but it’s November. He is a large man, but not fat. He can carry an amazing load of packages at one time. I can’t say he’s jolly, but he has a great laugh and tells a good joke. Who is our November Santa? It’s Bernie, the UPS man! He’s one of the most important men in NoKa right now (along with Shawn, from Fed Ex.) They bring packages every day. The boxes pile up and we gleefully read the labels to find out who they’re from. It feels like Christmas morning as we tear at the packaging. We exclaim! We admire! We wonder where the hell we’re going to put whatever it is. And we begin the daily festive event of unpacking, entering, pricing and displaying our merchandise for the holidays.

My New Laptop!

2009-11-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

I just came home with my new laptop. (Getting a new laptop is as exciting as getting new pads for school used to be! Remember the excitement of an unused, virgin school notebook?)

Now that my friend, Chris Roberts, is helping me embrace social media, and I'm blogging, facebooking, emailing with more vigor and twittering (tweeting?), I needed to have all my computer stuff in one place. Mind you, there are 4 computers in my home already, and there are only 4 of us. So one would think that one of the four computers could be mine alone, right? No, apparently not.

So I went to the Apple store and bought myself a 15" Macbook Pro. I'm very pleased.

Funny thing though. First, I went to the Christmas Tree store to buy things we'll use in the store for decoration. I walked out of the Christmas Tree store with 5 HUGE bags, and a bill for $51. I walked out of the Apple store with one little bag and a bill for much, much more. I think things in life should by priced by size.

How Did We Meet Up With NoKa Joe?

2009-11-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

Back again…living in the past. I left you when I had a downstairs flower shop, the Enchanted Florist, and an upstairs gift store: NoKa. How did this morph into NoKa and NoKa Joe’s?

I ran the Enchanted Florist happily. I love flowers, I love design. I loved my customers and the creative challenges of the business. It always smelled great. It was joyous. We’d welcome the new seasonal flowers like old friends (“Look! Peonies are back!”) Unfortunately, flower shops are not profitable. I believe I ran it well. People liked it. But a beautiful florist has a cooler full of luscious, unusual flowers. And flowers die every 4 days. And you can buy them at the A&P. And a florist has a lot of staff – a designer, a counter person and a delivery person at a minimum. Rents are high. So…. it’s tough to make money. I knew I had to make a change. (The death of flower shops is widespread in America. Once a staple business, more and more towns are now without them. Bookstores are next! Support your local bookstore!)

I knew I wanted to be shop owner, so what business would flourish in that location? Hmmm…we’re right across from the train station. Katonah is a big commuter town for NYC…Nothing was open at the train station that early in the morning…hmmmm. Ok, ok, I get it…coffee!

And with NoKa upstairs….NoKa Joe’s was born downstairs. Joe – like a cuppa Joe. And Joe – like all my great morning commuters. Our first ad for the opening of NoKa Joe’s introduces our Joe for the first time. Today we’re much more than coffee, but that was our start.

And remember, the holiday season is approaching fast. (Too fast!) Remember to shop your local stores, and I look forward to seeing you here on the blog and at NoKa and NoKa Joe’s!

Next up. “Hey NoKa Jen, the UPS man is complaining. What are in all those boxes he’s delivering upstairs?”

What Does "NoKa" Mean?

2009-11-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

So…where does the name NoKa come from? I’m sitting at home this Saturday morning, drinking some NoKa Joe’s coffee. (Did you know that we sell our beans, so you can brew our delicious—if I do say so myself—fair trade, organic coffee at home?) And I’m remembering the beginnings of NoKa.

I began my life as a shopkeeper in Katonah in 2001 (after 18 years on Wall Street.) I’d always wanted to be a florist, so I bought the existing flower shop in town, the Enchanted Florist – located where I still am today. This is a two-story store, so upstairs were plants, pots and all the sundries of a florist businesses. It was kind of a stepchild space to the main business of flowers downstairs.

That wasn’t working for me. So I decided to make the second floor it’s own destination – and I love the gift business. But not any gifts. Not ‘beautiful’ gifts. Not Hallmark gifts. I went to the NY gift show and found my voice. I love funny gifts. Irreverent gifts. Gifts that make you think and then perhaps laugh. Gifts with great style. I love COLOR! And I hate gifts that cost a lot of money. That’s how I found my style. Now for a name….

It needed to be clever. It needed to be local—because the great energy of Katonah fuels my store. It needed to be memorable, and show that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Like my store. So I decided on NoKa. It stands for North Katonah – a play on SoHo. And it’s made me smile ever since.

I would like YOU to smile, too. So please visit us this holiday season. And remember to shop small stores!

Tomorrow I’ll finish the story of our beginnings…with “Hey, NoKa Jen: How did you meet up with NoKa Joe?”

Welcome

2009-11-06T12:40:00.001-08:00

Hey, everyone. Welcome to NoKa Jen's blog. In this space, I'll be writing about life in my little shop, NoKa & NoKa Joe's. The shop is two floors, and two related but distinct enterprises. Downstairs, you'll find NoKa Joe's, where I sell organic and fair trade coffees and teas, along with delicious baked goods and oodles of candy. And we have great soups from Hale & Hearty. Upstairs is home to NoKa, a store with fun gifts, silly toys, funky jewelry and an eclectic mix of vintage furniture.

As our store heads into the holiday season, I look forward to seeing you here on the blog and in the store. And don't forget to shop local!

Coming tomorrow: "Hey, NoKa Jen: What Does 'NoKa' Stand For?"