The second coming of the bookstore is bigger than reading. It’s about book clubs, readings, and good old-fashioned socializing. Photography was going to kill painting. Amazon > the bookstore. AI > humanity? Or maybe AI is the very thing we need to remember why we like being human?

METHYLENE BLUE // I don’t know much about this YET but my wellness guru, Jenny Evans, can’t stop talking about Methylene Blue. Typically, whenever she says something it’s huge within the year. Consider yourself told.

NO PAUSING // Now we’re at 20% IP, 20% perimenopause. Canyon Ranch is launching M/Power (wow, the names), a peri/menopause retreat. 3-nights and $7K later, 15 people will get “blood work, hormonal panels, and body composition scans” and daily group sessions covering sex, stress, and sleep. Book me in and I’ll report back.

DEGROWTH FOR GROWTH // “Edging as a business strategy. It works.”—welcome to my favorite line of the week. Matt Klein reminded us all this week that it’s always better to keep them wanting more. A tried-and-true ‘edging’ strategy keeps products desirable enough for a successful revival.

SKI HEATS UP -> Offball // Halfdays, a ski brand you’ll hear more of as we approach the Winter Olympics, has partnered up with beauty brand, Ilia, on their new product launch—a moisturizer for cold climates. This content is fun. The whole launch is cool. I’m in

SEEK DEEPER // I can’t not address Deep Seek 1) AI is about to get cheaper 2) Things are moving faster 3) It’s still anyone’s game (if you act now). But also, someone please tell OpenAI it’s time for brand building. Not Boring by Packy McCormick and I are aligned. It’s how they win.

OH MY SHOPMY -> The Information // ShopMy, the affiliate link site (with great customer service) raised $77.5M and is now valued at $410M—wow. And no doubt Substack has helped. Ana Andjelicsaid it best: “The new rule of retail (and something surprisingly obvious): good quality at accessible price sells, powered by the new gatekeepers,... See more

PERI PROTEIN // In an interview with Emily Sundberg, the co-founders of Perelel revealed they are launching a protein supplement for peri/menopausal-aged women. So smart. I’m bullish.

Brand birthday piñatas = fun.