NEW YORK-
Looking for a 2-foot lacquered sushi boat or antique ribbon? How about a feather mask, a zebra hide or a lampshade custom-made from parchment? Perhaps a vintage accordian or Chilean goat-toe shaker (a rhythm instrument) would bring out your inner musician.
All of the above and many other exotic and unusual items can be found for sale in New York. And a new book called “The Curious Shopper’s Guide to New York City: Inside Manhattan’s Shopping Districts,” by Pamela Keech, can help you find them.
The $12.95 paperback, published by The Little Bookroom, has sections on kitchenware, lighting, undergarments, drapery and upholstery fabrics, antiques and collectibles, flea markets, the flower district, buttons and notions, fashion fabrics, jewelry, and musical instruments.
The author also offers a list of her favorite shops, including 1,873 Unusual Wedding Rings, located in Booth 86 in the National Jewelers Exchange at 4 W. 47th St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues; the Eskay Novelty Company, 34 W. 38th St., on the third floor, where you can buy plumage in many incarnations, from boas to capes to masks; and the Orchard Corset Discount Center, 157 Orchard St., on the Lower East Side, where you can be fitted for bras that come in sizes 32-56, A-J, and where a package deal that includes a chemise, panties and a corset is less than $100.
If you’re not planning a shopping trip to New York any time soon, most of the suppliers listed in the book also have Web sites where you can order their unusual wares.
For more information about the book, go to .
