Ten years ago, Mickey Ashmore was working in finance when he decided to start a side business selling handmade shoes under the label Sabah, which means “morning” in Turkish. Early on, he convinced a neighbor to let him borrow the parlor floor of her townhouse in the East Village to host Sunday afternoon trunk shows,…
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A year ago, I cut my toxic mother out of my life. It was a good decision. The problem: My father, whom I still see one on one, is distraught that I skip family events to avoid her. Now, he’s decided to pay for the whole family to go to an expensive resort to celebrate…
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In the briefing room, Mr. Ateba joined a class of reporters who are allowed on the premises but don’t have permanent seats, often jockeying for back-row seats that stay empty when other journalists don’t show up. These reporters are rarely called upon during briefings. (Mr. Ateba currently has a “hard pass,” which confers regular access…
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Flight delays and cancellations are unfortunate inevitabilities, especially in summer, when more people are flying and severe weather tends to occur more frequently. How can you get your trip back on track when things go frustratingly wrong? Start by reading the fine print before booking, understanding what’s owed to you and being proactive at the…
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Read Your Way Around the World is a series exploring the globe through books. In American fiction, my state is code for outpost. Maine is where you send a character you want to get rid of, someone who goes off to raise goats, farm oysters, prep for the apocalypse — or write a novel. Apart…
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In the 19th century, Duvelleroy, a hand fan manufacturer in Paris, published a marketing pamphlet called “The Language of the Fan.” It featured a list of gestures one could make with a fan and the meaning of each. To carry a fan open in your left hand, according to the pamphlet, signaled “come talk to…
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You take chickpeas, hard and dry, and boil them until their skins loosen and they reveal themselves, tender little hulks with souls of butter. Maybe you think of the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi’s parable of a chickpea that rises from the pot’s seething depths to accuse the cook of torture — only for the cook…
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Your first taste of a ripe pawpaw or persimmon can leave you hungry for more. That’s why Michael Judd is confident that he can persuade you to make room for several of these trees in your front yard — or even to surrender your lawn altogether. Turning your yard into a meadow or blanketing it…
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Deanna Giulietti is not in the actors’ union, but she turned down $28,000 last week because of its strike. Ms. Giulietti, a 29-year-old content creator with 1.8 million TikTok followers, had received an offer to promote the new season of Hulu’s hit show “Only Murders in the Building.” But SAG-AFTRA, as the union is known,…
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It’s a “Barbie” world. We’re all just living in it. After a year and a half of hype, a whirlwind press tour and stellar advance reviews, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” finally hit theaters this past weekend, smashing box-office records with a $162 million debut, the biggest of the year. That’s the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for…
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