Consumerism is a double edged sword. On one hand, it is the very fiber of our natural existence; on the other hand, it is a pillar that props up a coliseum made to entertain an empire of capitalism. Michael Moskowitz, founder/CEO of The Bureau of Trade, is a gladiator in that coliseum who is gallantly overthrowing the entire empire with every righteous kill.
NaShish Scott/Quiet Lunch Magazine.
A connoisseur of cool, Moskowitz oversees The Bureau of Trade, a hub of wayward treasures and eclectic finds. A former mascot at Squaw Valley, turned Middle East Research Analyst, turned cultural tastemaker, Moskowitz is a character for the ages–a debonair thrill-seeker, running on a potent fuel that consists of distinguished style, all inclusive knowledge and colorful language.
The name, The Bureau of Trade, initially calls back to an era of government “agencies” populated by square-jawed men in black suits. However, The Bureau of Trade is nothing of the nothing of the kind.
NaShish Scott/Quiet Lunch Magazine.
NaShish Scott/Quiet Lunch Magazine.
While most companies use drawn out commercials with plaintive piano riffs to convince you of their humanity, The Bureau of Trade genuinely invites its users to form a more intimate relationship with the items that they purchase. It is an obvious, but rarely executed, concept that Michael Moskowitz has refined to an exact, mad science.
This is a science with which we have become quite enamored–so much so that the Quiet Lunch decided to catch up with Moskowitz while he was on business in New York City. We met up at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to discuss the mandate of The Bureau of Trade and the vital role it plays in establishing a relationship between the product and the consumer. Guarded by his cat, Simba Slice, Moskowitz gave us an exclusive tour of his artifact obsessed genius.
NaShish Scott/Quiet Lunch Magazine.
NaShish Scott/Quiet Lunch Magazine.
NaShish Scott/Quiet Lunch Magazine.
Be sure to tune in Friday morning on February 15th to experience Bureau of Trade’s shopping adventure. It is Bureau of Trade’s mission to make its consumer LEARN, LAUGH and LUST after goods that really matter. The debut of this revolutionary new shopping platform is driven by a revolving concept store; an event-based digital marketplace. On this one “event day” the shopper will find the world’s most unique, one-off, and rare items–think Sotheby’s bounty, at Brooklyn Flea prices. The products are strictly available for a limited period of time. Once they’re gone, they’re gone for good… February’s Theme: Continental Rift.
Written by Akeem K. Duncan.↓
Akeem K. Duncan (n.): editor in chief; despised by most of the staff.
Akeem is our founder. A writer, poet, curator and profuse sweater, he is responsible for the curatorial direction and overall voice of Quiet Lunch. The Bronx native has read at venues such as the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, KGB Bar, Lovecraft and SHAG–with works published in Palabra Luminosas and LiVE MAG13. He has also curated solo and group exhibitions at numerous galleries in Chelsea, Harlem, Bushwick and Lower Manhattan.