99 Cents & up & up
99 cents store, dollar store, discount store, bargain store, variety store, dollar tree. These places have many names and represent a ubiquitous but oftentimes invisible part of New York City's landscape. In many neighborhoods, particularly in low-income and Black and brown communities, where major chains or supermarkets choose not to locate, 99 cents stores fill in the gap and can serve as places for purchasing low-cost food, home goods, school supplies, beauty products, and clothing. Even though the demand of these stores is the result of exclusion, they have also become resources for creativity and homemaking, allowing people to DIY projects, and make improvements to their homes while spending a relatively small amount of money. Through data mapping and visual interplays, my collaborator Gloria Lau and I explored how we value, display, and see 99 cents objects. This project was featured in Data Through Design 2022 exhibit.
This map displays the density of 99 cents stores in the city using placemats, contact paper, and vinyl runner mats from discount stores in Flatbush. A point data shapefile of store locations was used to extrapolate elevation data. The peaks on the map show which neighborhoods have the highest concentration of stores.
In 1966, the luxury brand Gucci™ introduced the Flora Scarf, designed by Gucci textile designer Vittorio Accornero in honor of Princess Grace Kelly. The original scarf features an array of florals and has been continually reimagined over the past 50 years. As part of the centennial celebration of the brand, Gucci launched a scarf series featuring music lyrics that reference the brand. The Gucci 100 floral print twill carré features lyrics from rappers Eric B. & Rakim's hit 1988 song “The R”. The “Deals Deals Deals Scarf” pays homage to the ubiquitous floral print by reimagining a luxury scarf with one of the most ubiquitous items in dollar stores: fake floral bouquets.
