What’s Happening?

I left my balcony door open both nights at Marram Montauk last week, with only a screen and a shade separating my room from the roar of the surf. If there’s a better white noise machine than the East End on a misty weeknight I’d love to hear it. Sleep arrived gently, like just about everything else at the monastic, four-star retreat, which recently reopened its doors for the 2022 season after some light renovations.

Before there was Marram there was Atlantic Terrace, a yellow, family-run motel with a shuffleboard court. It was built in the 1960s — a time when the year-round population of the town was less than a grand, the town was only serviced by New England local news stations, all shops were closed on Sundays and interested buyers could purchase a home in town for $12,000…at Macy’s in Herald Square.

Atlantic Terrace had easy panache with surfers, for its access to “Terrace,” a sand-covered reef that regularly tubes riders and is considered one of the “best south-facing breaks in all of Long Island,” especially during hurricane season. But those swells didn’t go anywhere when hospitality group Bridgeton Holdings purchased Atlantic Terrace in the summer of 2018. And neither did the property’s proximity to Montauk’s downtown; Marram is a two-minute walk to the village’s panini shops and famous brewhouse, while only a five-minute drive from The Surf Lodge and the train station.

In 2019, when the Sydell Group sold Freehand Hotels to Generator — a European-based hospitality company with an eye for hostels — it could not have predicted the pandemic. But tourism went dark shortly thereafter and the New York property’s restaurants closed in accordance with city mandates. Under new ownership, now that travel is picking up, several changes are underway at the Freehand in Gramercy. Gabriel Stulman’s Simon & the Whale — which helped put the hotel on the map in New York — is not returning. In its place, Tamy Rofe and Felipe Donnelly — behind the Fort Greene Latin American spot Colonia Verde — were brought in to operate their own restaurant. Comodo opens at the Freehand on October 20th at 23 Lexington Avenue, near East 23rd Street.

A Brazilian money management firm focused on cryptocurrencies said it raised about $26 million of new funding from investors including SoftBank Group Corp. and Coinbase Global Inc.

Hashdex Gestora de Recursos Ltda said a bulk of the funds came from venture capital firm Valor Capital Group, with SoftBank and Coinbase Ventures, an arm of the U.S.’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, also participating. Others included Brazil’s Igah Ventures, Globo Ventures and Canary.

Hashdex, founded in 2018 by former Microsoft Corp. executive Marcelo Sampaio and Bruno Caratori, earlier this year launched Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index Fundo de Indice, the first crypto exchange-traded fund in Brazil’s local exchange. The firm is based in Rio de Janeiro and has about 4 billion reais under management.

“Investors are still getting to know crypto and we see room to offer more products in Brazil,” Sampaio, the chief executive officer at Hashdex, said in an interview.

Total market value of all cryptocurrencies has passed $2.4 trillion, up from less than $1 trillion at the beginning of the year, according to CoinMarketCap.com.

Hashdex plans on opening new offices outside Brazil, with headcount expected to rise from 25 to as much as 100 by the end of the year, Sampaio said.

The first exchange-traded fund (ETF) to broadly track the digital asset market has been accepted to list on the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX).

The street level floor is lovely! Sprawling, high ceilings, huge windows, lots of nooks for sitting and tables for working. When I showed up around 8 p.m. and entered into the main lobby/street level, I walked into a really cozy scene.

There was music playing, young, hip people on sofas and chatting (granted, it was fashion week, but the low price, good design, and the location in Tribeca pretty much guarantee it will always be filled with young creatives), great low-level lighting, and the sweetest little bar where I ordered a glass of wine and a slice of almond cake (obviously more important than checking in or dropping my luggage in my room).

Lately, it seems Montauk’s equilibrium has been out of whack. Where the beach town on the tip of Long Island once attracted surfers and artists, it now attracts surfers, artists, and well, a whole lot of revelers. It’s great for those who love a lively apres-beach scene. But with every hotspot, every DJ, Montauk loses some of the serenity that made it so special in the first place.

That’s why Marram, a new boutique hotel opening August 23, doesn’t want to blow up. In fact, it wants to help Montauk chill out. Marram, which takes over Montauk’s old Atlantic Terrace, describes their vibe as “barefoot luxury.” It’s apparent from the movement you arrive.

We had a blast creating the packaging system for national confection retailer Lolli and Pops. The Marble Truffle boxes were some of our favorites.

Lolli & Pops targets the sweet spot of adults and kids alike with an assortment of unique candies from around the world. The assortment, sourced from framed producers as well as local artisans, ranges from specialty chocolates and caramels to cotton candy and marzipan fruits. A big crowd pleaser is a bulk bar that offers dozens of gummi bear flavors.

As much as the product, the store environment helps set the brand apart. Averaging 2,000 sq.-ft., Lolli & Pops shops have an old-fashioned, sweet shoppe aesthetic. The employees, or “magic makers” in Lolli & Pops speak, are part of the show. Outfitted with bow ties, striped aprons and straw boater hats, they are friendly and outgoing — and generous with samples. Delighting customers is part of the company’s DNA, both offline and online. Even the packaging and gift cards are designed to impress.

Targeting regional malls and lifestyle centers, Lolli & Pops is on track to open 20 to 30 locations in 2019.

Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio is set to open his first new restaurant in more than two years, this time on Long Island. Small Batch, opening tomorrow, will serve American fare made from locally sourced ingredients in a rustic, 180-seat space at Roosevelt Field in Garden City.

The Top Chef judge also has four kinds of pasta on the menu, along with meaty mains like braised pork belly, Long Island duck, smoked short rib, and grilled lamb sausage. A portion of the menu is dedicated to the wood-fire grill, with offerings like a half chicken, bone-in lamb loin, and a dry-aged New York strip.

Golf’s Largest Direct-To-Consumer Digital Platform, Revolution Golf Serves Subscribers with High-Quality Instruction, Travel Content and Integrated E-Commerce – Built on Foundation of Video Content

NBC Sports Group announced today the acquisition of Revolution Golf, the largest direct-to-consumer digital platform in golf. With nearly 2 million highly-engaged subscribers, Revolution Golf partners with some of the most recognizable names in the industry to deliver high-quality, video-based instruction, travel content, and integrated e-commerce. The announcement was made today by Mike McCarley, President, Golf, NBC Sports Group and Justin Tupper, CEO of Revolution Golf.

When you open a store or website, you’re not just opening a business — you’re creating a platform to display your core values.  That’s what the people behind Lolli & Pops, the chain of 38 sweet shops in 17 states, believe.  And the customer experience at Lolli & Pops certainly backs up that belief.

The company’s goal is “to delight people” and its core values include hospitality, generosity,  thoughtfulness, and surprise.  Hospitality is on display at Lolli & Pops as you are immediately greeted and welcomed when you enter one of its stores, which can usually be found in popular malls such as the Shops At Mission Viejo in Southern California and Garden State Plaza in New Jersey.  The greeters are “Chief Purveyors” (general managers) or  “Magic Makers” (staff) and their job is to get you right into the Lolli & Pops experience by offering you samples.  In fact, employees have the license to open any product and share it with you.  “By opening something and eating it together, you get an immediate human interaction,” says Jessica Mennella, vice president of merchandising. “That interaction is what drives people into our doors and to be a part of what we’re creating.”

A tempting lineup of sandwiches awaits at the compact new Make Sandwich shop from Spencer Rubin, who owns the Melt Shop chain. He hired Josh Sharkey, the founder of Bark Hot Dogs, as culinary director. The nine preset sandwich combinations, like tri-tip steak with salsa verde, range in price from $7.95 to $11.95. All sandwiches are made to order in five to seven minutes with ingredients like Parmigiano-Reggiano, organic eggs and Pain d’Avignon bread. You can devise your own from a long list of choices for $10.95, with extra charges for some toppings: Make Sandwich, 135 Fourth Avenue (at 14th Street), 212-398-2602, makesandwich.com.

The worldwide cashmere industry has been booming, as cashmere sweaters and accessories have become popular in the U.S. and Europe. And yet Mongolian herders who produce some of the highest-quality cashmere fibers in the world haven’t benefited from this trend.

Campaign is a new furniture experience. Inspired by the history of military campaigns where furniture was built and made to break down for easy travel, “Campaign” seeks to bring back the notion that “less is more” through beautiful design and clever packaging. Founded by Ex-Apple engineer Brad Sewell in 2014, their unique product launches today and can be shipped to anywhere in the US, for free. Campaign ships in days and assembles in minutes.

Campaign is available and customizable through Campaignliving.com and all the furniture is manufactured by Campaign and in the U.S., so shipping is lightning-fast compared to the industry-standard where manufacturing is outsourced and can take 6-8 weeks.

The pieces are meant to last a lifetime (think high-performance fabric suspension, expanded polyolefin and lightweight, but sturdy laser cut steel tubing), but built for a transitional lifestyle. Its design makes the furniture both easy to move (boxes with handles!) and simple to set up (no tools required, set up within minutes).

Nobody enjoys spending their precious Sundays shopping for furniture. The hassle of traveling to the store, waiting for months to get your furniture delivered, and assemblage is not exactly a hobby for anyone. Campaign is all about convenience.

The company’s first pieces are mid-century inspired and customizable with options to change the fabric and leg shape/finish anytime. No tools are required to assemble this magical structure. In less than 5 minutes, you have yourself a complete living room, just like that.

Meal delivery service Sprig has raised $45 million in its Series B round, led by Social+Capital Partnership and Greylock Partners. This brings the San Francisco-based startup’s total funding to $57 million.

As part of the round, Ted Maidenberg of Social Capital, as it’s known, will join the board of directors, which already includes Greylock’s Simon Rothman.

Lolli and Pops has an old-time apothecary theme at its ten stores in the country—wood panels, chalkboard signs, and cashiers wearing straw hats and vests. But they frequently venture into the Candyland spectrum, as seen in the striped gummy bear room at their Glendale location (pictured). Whether or not you prefer vintage charm or technicolor glitz, the self-proclaimed “purveyors of sweetness” always provide mouthwatering treats made with gourmet ingredients from all over the world.