rare device

rare device, a design boutique recently opened in brooklyn by jewelry designer, rena tom, is a wonderful addition to the growing number of stores that cater to the area's design savvy crowd. carrying a wide array of modern accessories and design objects from both local and international artists, rare device is destined to become one of the borough's bonafide design gems.

nestled in the south park slope area of brooklyn, rare device takes its from samuel taylor coleridge's poem 'kubla khan', and represents the, "precious yet useful nature of the items in the store". dedicated to representing small, independent designers (some of whom are brand-new to brooklyn, the east coast and the US), tom's boutique exudes the same love of beautiful objects and hand craftsmanship that is so evident in her own work. every object in the store, from the portuguese letterpress journals to the black ceramics from lithuania, is a tiny piece of art, perfect for those looking for gifts, wedding presents, new fall clothing or just a great new piece to add to their home collection.

in less than 300 square feet, tom manages to fit in select clothing for men and women, jewelry, pillows, tabletop goods, paper goods (including a fantastic collection of cards) and a well-edited selection of design objects from around the world. what i find especially nice about rare device is the collection of european goods represented- the selection of international goods provides brooklynites with great new pieces to chose from that were previously unavailable in the states.

destined for design greatness, rare device (and its owner, the talented ms. tom) is a wonderful haven for independent design in the up and coming neighborhood of south park slope. you can find rare device on the web (be sure to check out the impressive list of designers carried) or in person at 453 7th avenue (between 15th and 16th) in park slope, brooklyn. for a complete afternoon in park slope, i suggest taking the F to 7th avenue, having lunch at second helpings, browsing the goods at otto, bird (and baby bird) and nest, and then heading down to 15th where you'll find rare device waiting, filled to the brim with beautiful modern designs. (don't forget to grab a maple scone and hot tea at the tea lounge on your way back to the subway).

[d*s picks: cards from one good bumblebee, jezebel and pancake and franks, j mendicino pottery, tonfisk designs, sharon spain anything, paperdolls creations and ona's beautiful tea bowls. click here for link to artists.]