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Janet Feldman spent 20 years working in footwear. As VP of her family’s business, she flew to Asia, supervised factory operations, and negotiated with suppliers. Then her father had a stroke, and her life took a twist. All of his life, Feldman’s father had been staunchly independent. Now, he struggled to get get up from a chair without a helping hand. Feldman bought all of the lift recliners she could find on the market. These chairs were designed to help people transition between sitting and standing by tilting their entire bodies forward, but none of them fit the bill. Some were monstrously big. Others were plain ugly. Every single one of them reclined in such a way that her father slid out of it when he reclined. Then Feldman came to a resolve. “Finally, I said, you know what? I’ll make my own chair,” she recalls. Feldman saw a gap in the market for a chair that performs better than any other lift chairand looks good while doing it. “I wanted to have a beautiful chair that anybody would be proud to have in the living room. She left her family business, and in 2014, started her own company, called Assistance With Elegance. Ten years, eight patents, and a pandemic later, she is now launching her company’s first product: the Awe chair. While other lift chairs push up from the floor, the Awe chair never leaves the ground. The only thing that lifts is the seat itself, which makes for a much more elegant experience. To prevent anyone from sliding out, the chair comes with an ingenious footrest that glides out as the chair reclines and scoops up your feet into place. It took 10 years to make, and two years to figure out the footrest alone. Its cost is $10,000. A chair for the “silver tsunami” When Feldman became her father’s caregiver, she noticed that people, including doctors, started to look at her instead of him. “Old people, they’re invisible,” she told me. “Nobody wants to look at old people because nobody wants to be old, and it’s sad to look at what we’re all going to be.” It’s high time we started looking, because 73 million Americans, or one-quarter of the U.S. population today, is between 60 and 78 years old. By 2035, the Census Bureau estimates that older adults will outnumber American minors. The so-called silver tsunami is projected to fuel an economic boom: By 2050, people over 50 are projected to generate more than $28trillion globally. And yet, the elderly are still largely left out of design meetings. They’re seldom the target audience for new product launches. Over the past few years, the tide has been turning, albeit slowly. Independent designers like Sarah Hossli and Lanzavecchia + Wai have each designed their own version of a chair that helps the elderly get up with dignity and grace. More broadly, Remsen makes pill containers that look like jewelry boxes. Boom Home Medical makes pastel-colored bedside urinals that look like flower vases. Can Go specializes in high-tech smart canes with GPS and activity tracking, an integrated flashlight, and cellular data for emergency phone calls. The Awe chair sits within this ecosystem, and Feldman hopes to keep expanding the offerings. “We do realize that not everybody’s going to like a club chair. Some people might want much more modern designs,” she says. “It was so hard to do just this, that we figured we’d start really small and focused.” From the dreamworld to reality The look and feel of the Awe chair quite literally came to Feldman in a dream: “I wanted an old-style club chair that your grandfather would sit in,” she remembers. Brown, crinkly, straight from 1929, but with a modern takeand, of course, the technology to go with it. The chair comes in two sizes and seven colors, including midnight blue, crimson red, and emerald green. For now, it is available directly to customers via the company’s website; the team is also hoping to partner with high-end assisted living facilities, airport lounges, and even golf clubs. Feldman isn’t a designer, so she surrounded herself well. The chair was designed in collaboration with Jessica Banks, a robotics expert who runs a studio in Brooklyn, New York, that focuses on robotics and furniture design. It was engineered in Germany, with motors from China, and handcrafted in North Carolina, with leathers from Italy. Feldman declined to share how much it cost her to bring it to market, in part “because it’s still so shocking to me,” she says, noting she is now selling her house in West Hampton to replenish the coffers. Earlier this month, I went out to the company’s offices in SoHo to try it out. As the seat gently lifted me, I thought of my grandfather, whose weakened arms could no longer push him up from his old armchair. As the chair gently lowered me back down, I thought of the thud he would make when he sat back down, letting gravity do the work his knees no longer could. Of the four people who were at the office that day, three of them had experienced a similar moment with their parents or grandparents. “It’s such a common experience,” Feldman said. Every other touchpoint was carefully thought through. The edges of the front of the armrests are slightly recessed, which provides an extra handgrip when getting up. A cupholder is built straight into the armrest. A side pocket lets you store glasses or a book. Of the chairs Feldman’s father tried, all had pockets that were too far down to reach. “We just raised the pocket,” she says. “All you have to do is look at how people use things.” One of Feldman’s biggest pet peeves with other chairs was the lack of a footrest to stop people from sliding outbut adding one turned out to be more challenging than expected. Her team cycled through factories in Michigan and Florida that make airline chairs or theater chairs, but they couldn’t build the right mechanism. The German factory she ended up partnering with went bankrupt twice before resuming business. Finally, they found a way to coordinate the reclining flap and the footrest so that the footrest slides out until the two meet to form a “T.” A safety curtain at the bottom prevents small pets or children from crawling under. These features are almost enough to make you forget about the sticker shock. t $10,000, the Awe chair is almost 10 times more expensive than the average lift recliner in the U.S., which is between $700 and $1,500. Feldman is sensitive to the price tag and hopes to follow through with a more affordable line that’s “maybe not made in Germany, maybe not using Italian leathers.” She also knows that her target audienceretired boomershas a lot more disposable income than the average working American. “I know it’s a very high price. But for now, we feel like it’s such a beautiful, special chair.”
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E-Commerce
How far would you travel in search of a sweet treat? Bakery tourism is on the rise, with more and more people travelingsometimes across the globein search of the perfect flaky croissant or artisan bun they spotted online. Long lines arent a deterrent; in fact, theyre often part of the appeal. A crowd signals youve found the right spot. Jessica Morgan-Helliwell, 26, and her mother, Louise Church, 48, are two self-proclaimed bakery tourists. They visit at least one new artisan bakery every weekend and have even planned entire international trips around bucket-list pastry spots. Having that shared interest is really lovely, and we get to explore lovely places along the wayand eat some really good food, the pair told the New York Post. @loveeatdrinktravel A must-visit bakery in Prague for your pastry and coffee fix! If youre exploring the beautiful streets of Prague, @Artic bakehouse is an essential stop for breakfast or a coffee break. This artisan bakery is known for its sourdough-based pastries, made fresh daily with natural ingredients and a whole lot of love. The smell alone will pull you in from the street! We couldnt resist the classic chocolate croissant (flaky, buttery, and rich) and the almond croissant (sweet, nutty, and absolutely dreamy). Its the perfect quick morning bite before a day of sightseeing trust us, your taste buds will thank you! Multiple locations in Prague, with a cozy, minimalist vibe and top-notch coffee to match. #ArticBakehouse #PragueEats #PragueFoodie #BestBakeryPrague #PragueBreakfast #CzechPastries #CoffeeAndCroissant #EuropeFoodie #PragueTravelTips #WhereToEatInPrague #PastryLovers #AlmondCroissant #ChocolateCroissantDreams #SourdoughBakery #FoodieInPrague #praguecafeculture – R&B SOURCE – R&B SOURCE Theyre not alone. As younger generations swap binge drinking for early morning pastry runs, independent bakeries are having a major moment. Social media drives the trend, with itineraries crafted from viral videos documenting Paris croissant crawls, East London bakery tours, bucket-list eateries in Seoul, and taste tests of classic Filipino pastries. @k8prk v important research mission 1st place always goes to the most unassuming rando spots Bakeries included in experiment: Tranché, Leonie, Mamiche (attempted), Aux 9 bles dor #parisfood #croissant Zou bisou bisou – Gillian Hills The treats themselves are often inventive takes on the familiar: cube-shaped croissants, croissant-shaped cookies, pastries filled with fruit, or ones styled to look like fruit. Most are mouthwatering. Some are clearly engineered for the algorithm. @whatericacraves If you’ve been wondering if those viral fruit pastries you’re seeing all over the internet are actually worth the hype, I’m here to tell you they 100% are and you can grab them over at @Parisien Gourmandise in La Jolla (and they’re GF!!!) P.S. if you enjoy my content, be sure to hit share with your friends & family, and if you’re new here, I’d love to have you follow alongmy foodie journey at @whatericacraves – I so appreciate the support Now I’ve been seeing these fruit entremet’s all over my FYP and I honestly didn’t know if I’d like them, but was really eager to give them a try. If you’ve never had them before, it typically entails a crunchy outside, usually made of chocolate, with a sponge cake, mousse and fruit filling (that goes with whatever fruit shape they are). I saw that Parisien Gourmandises had them over in La Jolla, and If you’ve been you know this is an insanely good bakery, so I had high hopes. Sarah and I headed over and were NOT disappointed. We tried a variety of flavors including a NEW Blueberry one which I’ve never seen anywhere else and they were all fantastic. They weren’t too sweet and had perfectly balanced ratios of fillings. Plus, I love that it all tasted very fresh and natural vs artificial flavors. Them all being gluten free was just a big bonus. Check out all the flavors below and if you’re looking to try these, I highly recommend checking them out! So worth it. Flavors Lime Blueberry Lemon (Sarah’s favorite!) Strawberry Champagne Coconut Mango (my favorite!) Location: 7643 Girard Avenue Suite B, San Diego, California 92037 Hours: Mon – Fri 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM #entremets #entrement #fruitpastrycake #viralpastry #sandiegopastry #sandiegodesserts #lajollaca #lajollalife #sandiegofoodscene #frenchpastries #frenchdessert original sound – whatericacraves These viral baked goods rarely come cheap. But they reflect our growing appetite for small indulgences, a phenomenon known as the lipstick effect. Even during economic downturns, a splurge on an $8 almond croissant feels manageable in comparison with a pricey dinner out. Spending on small luxuries can also offer emotional benefits. Studies show that doing so can restore a sense of control, ease sadness, and create a sense of accomplishment. According to the British Baker website, 80% of Gen Zers say a daily sweet treat boosts their mental healtha continuation of what journalist Imogen West-Knights dubbed treat brain back in 2021 during the pandemic. Treats can act as a temporary Band-Aid over a deeper need, West-Knights wrote for the Financial Times. When we are very tiredsay, because were juggling homeschooling and a jobwhat we might really need is more sleep. But if we cant get it, a more easily available source of comfort might be chocolate or wine. Or, of course, a flaky, sugar-dusted pastry. Whether youre on a bakery crawl through Copenhagen or just visiting a new viral spot in your neighborhood, getting coffee and a sweet treat has become an event in itself. Any excuse to get out of the house and break bread.
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E-Commerce
One of the most positive legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic stretches across 26 blocks in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. The 34th Avenue Open Street emerged out of a New York City-sanctioned program in the early days of the pandemic that allowed neighborhood groups to temporarily close streets to car traffic and use the space for outdoor recreation and other purposes. In Jackson Heights, one of the early epicenters of the pandemic, the open street that emerged from this program became a kind of lifeline for the neighborhood. Now, after running strong for more than five years, a plan is taking shape to make the project on 34th Avenue, now known as Paseo Park, permanent. Paseo Park Current Residential Block [Image: Alliance for Paseo Park] The concept for the park was commissioned by the Alliance for Paseo Park, a volunteer group that has overseen the open street since the beginning, when it was little more than metal barriers at the end of each block. The group hired the architecture and urban design firm WXY to envision a more formal park space along the 1.3-mile length that includes a mix of recreational areas, seating and meandering zones, multiuse playspace for the 10 schools on and near the street, dense landscaping, paths for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as required emergency vehicle access areas. And because New York Mayor Eric Adams’s administration allocated $89 million in funding in 2022 to permanently build out the 34th Avenue Open Street, there’s a good chance this design concept will take shape. It could be a model for other neighborhoods in New Yorkand other citiesfor how to thoughtfully turn streets into neighborhood amenities. “There’s so many streets that are doing one thing, serving cars and parking,” says Rob Daurio, a senior associate and director of urban sustainability at WXY who led the 34th Avenue design project. “This is a big opportunity to really think ambitiously about how to provide more significant public space.” Paseo Park Conceptual Residential Block [Image: Alliance for Paseo Park] The need is acute. A report from New York City’s Independent Budget Office found that Jackson Heights has as little as two square feet of park space per resident. “It’s one of the lowest amounts of park space in the city,” says Daurio. The creation of the open street during the pandemic “did start to serve this really important and meaningful role for the community,” he says. WXY worked directly with the Alliance for Paseo Park on deep community outreach to learn what neighbors and users of the space wanted from a permanent version of 34th Avenue’s open street. The main priority was to ensure that the linear park would be safe and pedestrian first, provide room for the schools in the area, and use its planting to combat the effects of climate change. WXY interpreted those priorities in a range of active, passive, and school-centric areas. “We tried to come up with not just one solution, but a range of different block typologies that really did respond to the needs of the individuals in those particular areas,” Daurio says. The design concept is based on two main typologies that can define each of the 26 blocks in the park. WXY calls them the Super-Median and the Super-Sidewalk, and they essentially stretch out either the existing median in the street’s center or the sidewalks on its edges to create more usable public space. “Neither the sidewalk nor the median are big enough to actually take on a more significant use,” Daurio says. “But if you just widen them to enough space that you’re still allowing for your emergency access lanes and drive lanes, either of those options are viable to really create a more significant open space.” These designs also balance the need for the street to remain a viable path for transportationjust not for most cars. In the years since 34th Avenue became an open street, it has become a highway for cyclists and, to the chagrin of some residents, delivery drivers on fast-moving electric bikes, mopeds, and other alternative forms of mobility. It’s particularly a problem for the youngest users of the space. According to a survey of children that was conducted by a local Girl Scout troop, 66% of children said that the thing they wanted most to change about the open street was for there to be fewer cars and mopeds on the street. WXY integrated these concerns into their design by looking beyond the edges of 34th Avenue, proposing streetscape changes on another nearby arterial street, Northern Boulevard, which could be redesigned to handle more of the cross-neighborhood non-car traffic that has dominated 34th Avenue. “It’s a little bit of a Swiss Army knife of a street right now, where it’s a park, and it’s also a place for school drop-offs and a route for delivery people,” Daurio says. “We’re thinking about other opportunities to help take the burden off of 34th Avenue for doing everything.” Luz Maria Mercado, board chair of the Alliance for Paseo Park, says people in the neighborhood are enthusiastic about the design concepts. “Our neighbors see their feedback reprsented in ideas like creating a front yard for the six public schools that line Paseo Park, the addition of green space, and the flexibility of different design types for different blocks with different needs,” she says. Right now the design is still just a concept, and one that, despite official support from the Alliance for Paseo Park, is subject to input from the broader community. Claire Weisz, founding principal of WXY, says permanently closing any street to traffic, even one that’s had such a long and successful pilot stage, is going to be a challenge. “It’s not without its controversies, because, well, people love cars,” she says. This design concept is a hopeful wager that people will realize they love public space even more. “Were trying to do something thats never been done before in New York City, but is being done around the world,” Mercado says. “It is hard, but it is not impossible.”
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E-Commerce
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