The Perfect Store for This and That - Remodelista
One of those impossibly tiny NYC shops specializing in a little bit of this and that, Top Hat, on the Lower East Side stands out because each of its choices is surprising and delightful. Top Hat is the public face of Nina Allen’s wholesale company, Sweet Bella, which is the exclusive US distributor for a far-ranging group of finds... ...such as the Ercol stacking chair, Maison Martin Margiela wall murals and other accessories, MT Masking Tape (the original Japanese rice paper tape), brushes made by Berlin’s Institute for the Blind, and Japanese balloon lamps. Photography by Seth Smoot for Remodelista. A sign made from scrap wood marks the shop at 245 Broome Street, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets. In the window, minimalist rocking horses of ash and stainless steel by German company Sirch. Gold-and-nickel-plated stainless steel scissors from Germany; $65 to $100. Polish wobble dolls, $55 (large) and $24 (small), on a vintage wallpaper table. A notebook by French designer Patricia Dore scattered with erasers from the Czech Republic. Kaweco of Nuremberg, Germany, has been making pens since 1833. The MT Masking Tape is by Kamoi Kakoshi, the 90-year-old Japanese company that invented washi tape. A rocker by Dublin designers Aodh with a seat of vegetable-dyed Irish tweed ($775, plus an additional charge for upholstery). Top Hat’s online store is forthcoming. And consult our New York CIty Guide for design-worthy hotels, restaurants, and shops all over the city.