Wouldn’t you rather sit on something like this than a milk crate?

The right chair can make or break your productivity, especially if you work from home. Have an uncomfortable chair, and while you can work for a little bit, you’re bound to get annoyed and try to work somewhere else. Like your bed. And then you fall asleep. So why not avoid that mess by designing your own chair this weekend at KRRB’s Makeshift Chair Workshop at Build It Green!NYC in Gowanus? It could be the difference between actually getting work done and just watching downloaded Mad Men episodes in bed. (more…)

The Vegan Holiday Shop-Up runs Dec. 8, 15, and 22 at Pine Box Rock Shop.

If you’re like me, you get stressed out when when December rolls around and its time to buy gifts for Hanukkah and Christmas. It seems like I have to buy for everyone– my parents, friends, bosses, boyfriends, girlfriends, secret crushes, the friendly neighbor that dog sits when you go away, kind people that do favors for me, etc. And, in case you forget someone, my trick is to have an extra gift handy because you never know when you’re going to need it. Luckily for us Brooklynites there are lots of ways to shop locally and support Brooklyn based artists, and keep away from the Manhattan tourists who want to see the tree and walk slowly down the sidewalks. Here are the best holiday markets in every neighborhood to keep your holiday season stress (and crowd) free. (more…)

The Brooklyn Lyceum holiday market/Photo by Flickr's groundsel

As if Amazon’s anti-small-business tactics weren’t enough to convince you, here are more than a dozen reasons to ignore e-tailer spam and shop locally in Brooklyn. This year, holiday markets are popping up around Brooklyn like Swedish espresso shops, with added inducements like concerts, performances and booze. At Dekalb market, Santa’s even posing for photos in a shipping container. Beat that, internetz. Markets are free unless otherwise noted. (more…)