Caron Callahan Arrives in Nolita, Zola’s First Store, and a Fiction Hub in Fort Greene

In February, The Center for Fiction, a literary nonprofit, will open an 18,000-square-foot Brooklyn space (15 Lafayette Ave.). 

Photo: Courtesy of the vendors

1. Auditorium: A 140-seat hall for fiction-related events, like a screening of cult-classic WWII film Where Eagles Dare (1968) with author Geoff Dyer.

2. Meeting rooms: Seven separate spaces that will primarily be used for writing workshops (from $125), like a six-week class on flash fiction with Pure Hollywood author Christine Schutt.

3. Writers’ studio: A room with floor-to-ceiling windows where around 75 writers can rent desks ($225 a month) to tackle ongoing projects.

4. Bookstore: Curated by authors like Stephen King, Richard Powers, Don DeLillo, and Edward P. Jones, with novels like Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous ($26).

5. Library: Literary fiction, nonfiction, and a robust crime section with 22,000 titles, including first editions from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Margery Allingham.

6. Café: The menu includes espresso, wine, and beer.

Not your grandmother’s.

Photo: Courtesy of the vendors

Over $400
Graphic: Linström throw quilt, $435 at louisegray.com.
Patchwork: Cactus Rose quilt, $600 at thompsonstreetstudio.com.

Photo: Courtesy of the vendors

Under $400
Graphic: Objects From Home reversible quilt, $395 at needsupply.com.
Patchwork: Kantha quilt with blue-and-white border, $240 at karu.world.

Noura Sakkijha has brought Mejuri, her Toronto-based direct-to-consumer fine-jewelry brand, to Nolita (43 Spring St.).

Photo: Courtesy of the vendors

“The main commonality between the Toronto store and the new store is that in both places it’s really easy to touch the jewelry. No glass cases, no asking the salesperson to unlock some box. We do hope people will ask other types of questions, though — ‘What is the clarity of the diamond on our snake ring ($255)?’ for instance, or ‘What is the difference between 14 karat and gold vermeil?’ Our salespeople are very friendly, which is the main clue that you’re shopping a Canadian brand: They’re sweet and polite and may or may not say ‘sorry’ every other sentence.”

Photo: Courtesy of the vendors

In early January, wedding-planning site Zola opened its first store (168 Fifth Ave.).

Photo: Courtesy of the vendors

“We looked at all the best-selling gifts on Zola’s wedding registry and brought 2,000 of them into the store: linens from Frette, dinnerware from Lenox. We’ll have a lounge with CBD-infused snacks, a 3-D printer where couples can print wedding-cake toppers of themselves. And all the store clerks are ordained, so you can even feel free to get married in-shop.”

On January 15, Seema Bansal and Sunny Chadha will bring their Kardashian-favorite luxury rose company Venus ET Fleur to the Westfield World Trade Center (185 Greenwich St.).

Photo: Courtesy of the vendors

Seema: We use a proprietary spray on our roses that stunts their growth and makes them last for a year.

Sunny: So many people have seen our arrangements on Instagram — we’ve done bouquets for the Kardashians, Oprah. But customers haven’t been able to feel them or see all the colors in one place.

Seema: We have 27 colors — burgundy roses, black roses, gold roses. Cardi B in particular loves vibrant colors. Actually, when Offset crashed Cardi’s concert with roses to ask her back, those were ours — $15K worth of stems.