WHY DO YOU LIKE AND COLLECT MATCHES?
My cousin and I have a tradition of spending most Sundays together. She’s eight years younger than me so she keeps me young and in the know. We like to have some sort of destination or mission on our Sunday adventures, and when she started collecting matches, that became one of our weekly goals. When we first began the search for matches, I was actually collecting restaurant pens so I'd go with her and not take any matches for myself! She helped me realize that this is such a cool and fun way to commemorate meals and experiences I’ve had and so I started my own collection.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ONES AND WHY?
My favorite matches fall into one of two categories: they’re either aesthetically different in some way or they can’t be acquired at a restaurant, store, or hotel. One of the most aesthetically pleasing matchboxes I have is from The Studio, which is part of Clemente Bar. The box is huge and totally impractical, but the branding for the restaurant is really cool and it was one of the best meals I had this year. I also have this really cute J.Crew matchbox that I got at a pop-up event. And my friend brought me a box from the Cartier x Bemelmans Bar Met Gala after-party. The ones that are limited-edition feel extra special to me because I know not everyone will have them.
WHEN AND HOW DO YOU LIKE TO ENJOY YOUR MATCHES?
I keep all of my matches in a bowl from Two’s Company on an ottoman in my living room. I haven’t gotten around to decorating my apartment, so my bowl of matches is really a centerpiece of the space. The bowl itself is also meaningful to me because Two’s Company was founded by my best friend's grandparents (and run by her grandma and dad)! Matches are really having a moment, so I’ve also shared some of my most special ones on my Instagram and TikTok accounts, and love how much people enjoy these posts! I even had someone offer me $50 for my matchbox from The Corner Store!
