PasParTou's Top 5 Gifts for Men

It is that time of year again, when everyone rushes to buy gifts for the holidays yet most people have no clue what to buy.  We have compiled a quick list of five great gifts for the men of the house!

Rosemary Candles from Izola NYC.
These are beautiful and have a wonderfully natural smell.

Brooklyn Mugs.
These are designed by PasParTou with a very simple grey and white design.

Set of three soaps, Par Avion.
Unscented French milled soaps in a beautiful box 

Set of 13 Whiskey Rocks from SPARQ Home

Cedar Wood Soap from Kala Style.
Made locally in USA.

We hope that this list will aid you in your last minute shopping!

Halloween in Brooklyn, NY

Most people who aren't from Brooklyn or who have just moved to Brooklyn will ask you where the best places for Trick or Treating are.  Having lived in Brooklyn for my whole life, I feel pretty confident that I at least can recommend some of the best ones.  So on that note; here are my top five blocks for Trick or Treating in Brooklyn starting with #5.

5) The Park Slope Parade.  Since this year Halloween falls on a Friday expect this parade to be bigger than most years.  The parade begins at 6:30pm at 14th street and 7th avenue.  If you are going to walk in the parade, it is suggested to arrive at 5:30pm.

4) The Cobble Hill Halloween Parade.  Same situation as The Park Slope Parade since Halloween falls on a Friday this year!  The parade will begin at 4pm at the Cobble Hill Park and is one of the city's largest kids parades!

3) Court and Smith Streets.  These streets (along with the sides streets connecting them) are filled with stores, like ours, that hand out candy beginning around 3pm.  There is always lots of fun and laughter throughout the streets starting at Atlantic Avenue.  Residents on the sides streets connecting Smith and Court like to sit out on their stoops with decorations and candy waiting for Trick or Treaters.

2) Grace Court Alley off of Hicks Street between Remsen and Joralemon.  One of the epicenters for kids on Halloween in Brooklyn Heights.  When venturing down this street you will see almost every house decorated and almost every resident out on their stoop handing out candy to eager dressed up children enjoying this holiday.

1) Finally as the number 1 place to go trick or treating (in my book) is Garden Place off of Joralemon Street between Hicks and Henry.  This block is closed for the entirety of Halloween and is by far the most decorated block in Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill that I have ever seen!  Every body decorates their house and tries to outdo their neighbor!  Candy keeps flowing the whole night as residents sit out on their stoops and hand out candy to eager children!

That is it for my suggestions of the best trick or treating places in Brooklyn.  Hope that everyone has a great time on Halloween and enjoys the weekend!

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to our first blog post!  We figured that since this is our first blog post, we would take this time to tell you a little bit more about how we started PasParTou.  

Our first store started in the spring of 2010 under the name ShelterEgo.  It was a joint venture between three partners who were looking to put their experiences and knowledge together to curate a collection to be included in a new seasonal store on Shelter Island.  The store was a hit from the get-go and soon became a known store on the island.  It included a wonderful mix of nautically themed items, designed and made by us, as well as some vintage accent pieces, unique one-of-a-kind pieces, jewlery, and accessories.  

Throughout our two very successful summer seasons on Shelter Island we were featured in numerous publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times "How to Spend It", Le Figaro, Shelter Island Reporter, Hamptons Cottages and Gardens, Northfrkd blog, and Dan's Paper.  During the winter of 2012 we decided to say good-bye to ShelterEgo and the partnership and continue on a different journey.  

By the end of the summer of 2012, my mom and I decided to start looking for spaces near our home in Brooklyn Heights in the hopes of starting a pop-up store for the fall/winter season.  We found a place and started a full-time store.  We spent sometime brainstorming names and decided on PasParTou that opened in April of 2013.  With a collection of home decor itmes as well as accessories, books, jewlery, and some vintage items - we are a continuation of ideas started by ShelterEgo.

A few months after we found out about an opporunity to return to Shelter Island for the summer and naturally we didn't think twice.  We would now be located by the Chequit Inn in their Cedar House under our new name PasParTou.  The summer turned out great and we were able to not only welcome back familiar faces from ShelterEgo but also meet many new customers.  We also hosted a fundraiser for the Island Gift of Life Foundation.  As the summer drew to a close, we closed up the store but knew that we would find a way to keep coming back.

This summer we are located two doors down from our old ShelterEgo location at 183 North Ferry Road (more commonly known as Bridge street).  We have brought back our eclectic mix of nautical items, hostess gifts, accessories, jewelry, furniture pieces, and some vintage accent items.

We are open seven days a week from approximatley 10am to 6pm. 

Please stop by and say hello whether you are new to the island (& our store) or have shopped with us before (either on Shelter Island or in Brooklyn).  We are looking forward to showing you what we have in stock for the summer season!