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"   Photo: Aristote  Soho&amp;#039;s seen yet another sharp shift in recent years from a melting pot of unrivaled boutiques to a neighborhood filled to the brim with commercial stores. Thankfully Hanan Zdeg has answered New Yorkers&amp;#039; prayers for a unique and tranquil shopping experience with L&amp;#039;Aristote, her recently opened boutique on Houston Street. &amp;quot;L&amp;#039;Aristote&amp;#039;s the female version of Aristotle, it&amp;#039;s a harmonious space where many cultures can merge,&amp;quot; said the multitasking Zdeg. In addition to keeping shop she&amp;#039;s a full time artist, scholar (the store stocks some of her antique reads), soap maker, and well, the list goes on. &amp;quot;This is just a vessel to open up other options, it&amp;#039;s a way to communicate with consumers. I want to open up a foundation to help female artisans,&amp;quot; she said of the space. Not to say that Zdeg hasn&amp;#039;t already come to the aid of women in need; L&amp;#039;Aristote stocks raw silk curtains and pillows crafted by victims of domestic and substance abuse in Providence, Rhode Island. In addition to selling an inspiring array of decorative arts, Zdeg is also a purveyor of antique accessories that she&amp;#039;s scoured on trips to India, Paris, Uzbekistan, and her native Morocco. On a recent trip we fawned over trays of souk rings and a pair of mint green cat-eyed sunglasses circa 1960. There are also jars of scoop-your-own dried rosebuds and lavender with accompanying diffusers. Of the Saudi princesses who stopped in last week to scoop up four of her paintings Zdeg said, &amp;quot;Its like having a child and wanting them to marry the good guy, I&amp;#039;m glad it found them.&amp;quot; L&amp;#039;Artistote&amp;#039;s outstanding blend of cultural pieces makes us glad that we&amp;#039;ve found her! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/fashion/shopping/news/a6434/laristote-your-downtown-destination-20911/?click=smart&kw=ist&src=smart&mag=ELM&link=-SMT-ELM>