Archives

Gift Guides

Gift Lab: Fermentation with Friends

November 3, 2016

Research

Last summer, I canned for the first time with fellow UGooders and loved sharing and eating the spicy pickles and peach blackberry jam we created. While both received many compliments, I knew I’d be nowhere without our fearless leader Louise’s technical expertise in the kitchen. As for pickled veggies I haven’t made myself; pickled onions have turned many a salad from mediocre to magnificent, and from a health perspective, I’ll take all the probiotics I can get. As soon as I saw this DIY Fermentation Kit come into the UncommonGoods assortment, I had to try it for myself.

Continue Reading…

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Jamie Hoffman

April 30, 2015

Jamie Hoffman | UncommonGoods

Jamie Hoffman, UncommonGoods Senior Buyer – Home Décor

My hometown is…
Miami Beach, Florida

My favorite product that I’ve brought into the assortment at UncommonGoods is…
Not live yet!

I’m inspired by…
Those who support themselves on their art, our UncommonGoods vendors included.

My guilty pleasure is…
Imagining that I’m Alanis Morissette on stage whenever I sing along to “Jagged Little Pill.”

An uncommon fact about me…
Elephants are my favorite animal. Last year I carved an elephant necklace out of wax and had it cast as a sterling silver pendant. Even more uncommon, jewelry vendor Emilie Shapiro taught me how!

My favorite place to hang out in New York City is…
Any riverfront park with a view of the city, preferably if it’s between 75 and 80 degrees. If I have to choose, I go with Brooklyn Bridge Park.

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
Practicing my Spanish.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
There’s no end to the number of creative, beautiful, problem-solving products being made every day.

If you could go to dinner with any historical figure or modern-day celebrity who would you choose and where would you go? (And why?)
The former art historian in me wanted to pick something decidedly more highbrow, but the fantasy of getting a slice at Paulie Gee’s with Jon Stewart made me too giddy to give it up. It’d include a lot of hearty laughter, intellectual banter, and a few impersonations of our respective New Jersey relatives. Plus, Paulie Gee’s pizza is pretty highbrow.