Sunday Safari Ft. Caitlin Strandberg

SUNDAY SAFARI

Caitlin Strandberg is a Principal at Lerer Hippeau, an early-stage venture capital fund based in NYC.   She shares with us her five favorite stores in New York and Los Angeles. 

Lerer Hippeau is an investor behind many of the digital native brands you know and love like Casper, Glossier, Everlane and All Birds, and many you may not know yet but will come to love like Wave, Sweet Reason and Tracksmith. 

As an early stage consumer investor Caitlin is always on the look out for the latest and greatest consumer brands and retail experiences, so we were excited to hear about some of her favorite stores. Check our her picks below!

1. AFFORDABLE ART FAIR  

Traveling pop up | Website

"I love all things art and design, but I also love a bargain. Enter: The Affordable Art Fair, which comes to New York City twice a year and showcases original and affordable art from all over the world. I love browsing the maze of art for inspo and I do a couple laps to make sure I see it all and chat with the exhibitors."

2. CAMP

Flatiron | 110 Fifth Avenue | Website

"CAMP is a new immersive experience for families and kids built around rotating themes that change every so often. It's part toy store and part theme park, where you walk through a "secret door" into an entirely different, non-New York world! I live nearby and drop in all the time. As an investor, it is very rare to find truly magical experiences that capture people's imagination and creativity and CAMP brings so much joy and delight for its customers." 

(We loved CAMP as well! Check out our full review here).  

3. Erewhon 

Los Angeles | 585 Venice Blvd. | Website

"Erewhon is a specialty grocery store that follows strict guidelines for what it sells: organic, clean, ethical and sustainable food and household products. I'm always on the lookout for new purpose-driven brands so I love to walk through the aisles to find new trends and products. It's also fun to see our companies in the wild, like Prima, a CBD-based beauty and wellness brand on shelves there." 

4. SOCKERBIT

West Village | 89 Christopher Street | Website

"Sockerbit literally means "sugar" in Swedish and this store is a work of art...tasty, tasty art. White walls, floor to ceiling with bins full of candy the color of the rainbow. I keep a glass bowl at home fully stocked at all time that doubles as delicious decor." 

5. SPROUT HOME 

Williamsburg, Brooklyn | 59 Grand Street | Website

"I love the concrete jungle (🎵where dreams are made of 🎵) but when I need a little green in my life, I like to wander around plant stores. Sprout Home is a quirky nursery and flower shop that sells anything from floral arrangements with tiny pineapple accents to big birds of paradise plants in fun planters." 

(For more stores to check out while in the area see our Williamsburg retail guide here). 

If you don't already, follow us on Instagram @theretailsafari as we highlight some of our favorite brands and concepts and take you with us on our retail safaris in NYC and beyond.