Striving4Zen

First conceived by mother-daughter duo Judy Zimmer and Jocelyn Murray in 1996 and franchised in 2000, now has 70 locations, with more scheduled to open within a year, and plans to expand to Northern Europe. recently opened in Dillard's.

A mix between an upscale Manhattan loft and the production line of a factory, stores are the "drop-in spa." We sell small indulgences and self-pampering, and are bringing back the seemingly lost art of customer service.

Each product from 's wide selection—including phosphate-free bubble bath, mineral-oil free moisturizers, talc-free liquid powder, exfoliating salt scrub, spa tub-safe bath crystals, alcohol-free body mist, SLS-free shower gel, head-to-toe body wash and conditioners, anti-bacterial handwashes, and a full line of pet products—are custom-blended right in the store to customers' specifications.

With 200 fragrances to choose from, customers can create their own dream blend (gardenia and watermelon? We won't judge) or for the easily overwhelmed, fragrance menus of favorite blends are available. Customers can also select their products' tints, allowing them to simply choose a favorite color or create the perfect match for their bathroom's color scheme.

Think of it like a soda fountain for bath products: scented and tinted to your specifications, and mixed up in-store before your very eyes's. products safe for even the most sensitive skin. Most are paraben and SLS-free. We don't test on animals, either— only ourselves. And we only use the best.

On a mission to take over the world with smelly goodness, has recently stepped out of the tub and launched their Domania home line. Domania introduces the world's first custom-scented, multi-surface, anti-bacterial household cleanser, Clean Freak; a custom-scented odor neutralizer, Domain Spray; custom-scented Fine Linen Wash and Fabric Softener; and SLS-free Clean Freak Dish Soap.

Bath Junkie

Labels: Bath Junkie, cool new place, Cool Store, customization, innovative, NYC

Mintel estimates that the natural and organic personal care product market has grown by 35% since 2005 and is currently valued at $465 million. The success of this burgeoning market has been enjoyed by both major brands like Walmart and smaller boutiques. The latest entry in this marketplace, mastihashop caught our attention.

The brand recently opened an outpost in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and showcases a wide range of products featuring mastiha, a therapeutic cure-all long hailed in the East. Mastiha is an all-natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial resin harvested from the sap of trees found exclusively on the Greek Island of Chios.

Sisters and co-founders Artemis and Kalliopi Kohas, who spent summers in Chios, selected a sleek and natural design for their shop to reflect both mastiha’s tradition and modernization. Artemis Kohas told Peep Insights that the versatile mastiha has over 300 known applications and has been used in remedies for over 2,500 years. The Orchard Street store features a wide range of mastiha products, from homeopathic remedies to beauty products. Some favorites include the mastiha infused soaps, the mastiha chocolate bars, and the Korres mastiha oil hair products.

As a nutritional supplement and beauty product, the resin freshens breath, fights plaque and gingivitis, heals and regenerates skin, eases digestion and strengthens hair and nails. It is found in everything from chewing gum to toothpaste, wine, ice cream and cosmetics.

Mastihashop
145 Orchard Street
, New York, NY 10079, (212)253-0895

Source

Labels: beauty, cool new place, Cool Store, LES, mastiha, MastihaShop, natural products, NYC

Love Saves the Day
119 Second Ave.,
212-228-3802

After 40-plus years in business, Love Saves the Day is still holding down the East Village's grimy, gender-bending old guard. Assorted pop culture kitsch – Pez dispensers, Spice Girls dolls and the like -- can be found in every nook and cranny of this kooky shop, which appeared in Madonna's 1985 flick "Desperately Seeking Susan." But the real deal is the weekend sidewalk sale, where tables are piled high with vintage clothing and accessories priced from just $2.

Labels: Cool Store, NYC

At the American branches of this Hong Kong sweet shop, you can get your hands on Asian gummy candies and a great selection of dried fruit. They also feature more unusual snacks like cuttlefish tentacles, lobster… chips, and duck gizzards. Most of the stuff tastes much better than it sounds. If it wasn't for Munchies Paradise, I would never have discovered my weakness for dried rose petals.

Aji Ichiban Munchies Paradise
37 Mott Street, New York, NY 10013

Labels: Candy Store, Cool Store, NYC

Kiosk, the unassuming curiosities store in SoHo, is never a bad trip. The store is semihidden, upstairs from Spring Street, past the busy back doors of a restaurant kitchen. Entering through a doorway with muslin curtains, you discover a loft space divided in half by shelves that display small, enticingly lighted objects freshly plucked from the tabacs, farmacias and alimentaris of somewhere else — all the odd things you might stare at as a displaced tourist.

The store presents interesting objects from a different country every four to five months, gathered by the owner, Alisa Grifo, and her husband, Marco ter Haar Romeny, on their travels. Germany is the featured country this summer, and you can find everyday items that don’t seem so everyday here, like a tube of mustard or an egg pricker, which creates a tiny hole in the egg so it doesn’t crack as it boils.

95 Spring Street (between Broadway and Mercer Street, second floor); (212) 226-8601.

Labels: Cool Store, Kiosk, NYC, Soho