Last week, when it was raining and I had a small window of time on my hands before meeting a friend, I paid a visit to wrk’s new shop on Prince St. There are a lot of designers/retailers who aspire to curate the old in a compelling manner. These folks happen to do it very very well. Anyway, I mostly wandered around, with no thoughts whatsoever of spending money. I am actually trying to divest myself of things. But I saw this spool peeking out from under a shelf and, well, you know… Now that I have photographed it, who wants it?

Third (actually the fourth if you count the springs) installment of items secured to a card. This time I’ve got nibs. Again, it’s the backside that I love.

Another installment of items attached to a board. This time around it is French metal eyelets. I particularly like the pattern of stitching on the reverse side.

These freestanding educational cutouts were given to my friend Jason, a chicken owner/writer/professor (not necessarily in that order), for his recent birthday. They are part of a much larger collection of farm animals from the newly opened NYC branch of Kabinett & Kammer — a crazy, fantastic heavenly bonanza of a place. Filled to the brim with everything that should be in a modern-day curiosity cabinet… and so much more.

And then there is this — a perforation gauge used in stamp collecting. This is a thin metal plate measuring just under 2″ by 4.375″. Such a weird specialized item. But handy if you’re looking to decipher your collection. Available here.