What Caught Their Eye: Stephanie Kruse, Bookseller
Over the last few months on this newsletter, you have seen me share a variety of things I love, what I’m buying, and more. Well, I’m happy to be handing the reins over to someone else from time to time!
This is “What Caught Their Eye”, a guest edit section of my Substack to introduce my readers to executives, artists, creatives, and everyone in between.
Keep reading to find out more about my next guest, Stephanie Kruse.
Introducing Stephanie Kruse, Bookseller
Drawn to storytelling through her work with narrative therapy as a mental health counselor, Stephanie traded in her clinical career for a literary one when she began working at an independent bookstore in 2018. Most recently, she worked as the marketing coordinator for three bookstores located in southern New England, however, she stepped down from her role in August to pursue a career in publishing. This month you can find Stephanie at Oxford University, where she’ll be attending the Columbia Publishing Course and savoring every minute of being back in the UK.
Follow Stephanie: Here
What Caught Stephanie’s Eye
Bemelmans Gallery at Ocean House
I’ve been fortunate enough to work closely with Ocean House, an iconic luxury hotel perched on the edge of the Atlantic, for various book and author events. Earlier this year the hotel’s owners, Chuck and Deborah Royce, opened the Bemelmans Gallery, the largest private collection of Ludwig Bemelmans’ work on public display in North America. The collection boasts almost 100 pieces of original art, including Bemelmans’ “Farewell to the Ritz” series, original illustrations from Madeline, and panels created for the yacht once owned by Aristotle Onassis. The gallery space blends seamlessly into its surroundings and is best enjoyed with a cocktail in hand. I highly recommend stopping by the boutique upstairs to purchase a copy of Hotel Splendide, Bemelmans’ humorous memoir chronicling his time working in the hotel industry in New York City.
Learn More: Here
Women at Work: Interviews from The Paris Review
My 90-year-old neighbor, Ina, happens to be a former bookstore owner. We’ve bonded over our shared interest in books and every time I pay her a visit, she sends me home with a stack of old issues of the London Review and a book or two. Recently, Ina gave me a copy of Women at Work: Interviews from the Paris Review. The collection features not-to-miss interviews with Isak Dinesen, Joan Didion, Toni Morrison, Jan Morris, Hilary Mantel, and others. I’ve enjoyed thumbing through it and am looking forward to spending more time reading each interview very soon.
Buy: Here
With Nothing Underneath’s Boyfriend Shirt
As I look to move into publishing, I’m also looking to update my professional wardrobe. I’ve followed With Nothing Underneath for a while now and love their menswear-inspired shirts as much as I love their regular Julia Roberts appreciation posts. Founded by a former Vogue stylist and Tatler editor, WNU is proudly B Corp certified. I currently have my eye on The Boyfriend: Tencel in the navy blue stripe. Timeless and effortlessly chic, their shirts are wardrobe staples made to last.
Buy: Here
Green & Stone of Chelsea’s Khadi Hardback Books
I do my best to keep some sort of journal while traveling, but writing page after page of “first we went here…” and “then we ate here…” lasts for about two days before I abandon the task completely. Instead, I prefer to jot down a few sentences about my day accompanied by a quick sketch or two. I am by no means an artist, but I enjoy playing around with watercolors and Pigma Micron pens on cotton rag paper. The paper’s forgiving texture lends itself to on-the-go sketching, hides imperfections, and dries quickly. Cotton rag is easy to find in individual sheets, but harder to find bound together in a book. However, Green & Stone in Chelsea carries Khadi Papers in a variety of bound formats. With a few days to spare in London, I plan on stopping by Green & Stone to pick up one of these hardback books of cotton rag before heading to Oxford for the month.
Buy: Here
Maggie Jones’s
In anticipation of my trip to London, I just booked a table at Maggie Jones’s, one of my favorite restaurants. A charming spot tucked away in Kensington, Maggie Jones is self-described as “incurably romantic” and rightfully so. Mismatched plates, soft candlelight, and baskets brimming with dried flowers hanging from the ceiling contribute to the atmosphere. To add to the romance of it all, Princess Margaret used to book a table with Lord Snowdon under the name Maggie Jones, so they renamed the restaurant in her honor.
A note: Shortly after this piece was written, Maggie Jones had a kitchen fire, and was sadly forced to close until repairs can be made. Their sister restaurant, La Poule au Pot, in Belgravia remains open!
Dine: Here