The newest consumer confidence numbers were just released for June and they’re still falling, both in terms of how people feel about the present and their expectations for the future.

We haven’t talked at length about the economic state of affairs lately, mainly because it’s been just so darn upsetting. Our block in Nolita still seems to have a store shuttering at least once a week.

But for whatever reason, I was starting to feel a shift back in a more positive direction. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking, or my failed attempts at rationalizing a few recent shopping sprees. (I do have a tendency to shop when I should be saving. It’s a completely counter-productive form of denial, I know.)

So what about you guys - are your confidence levels still dropping? Or are you starting to feel even just the littlest bit better on the consumption front?

If shopping comes with something ingestible, it’s usually champagne - not soup.

But when you’re inspired by the Great Depression, champagne drops out of the picture, replaced by the gourmet version of a bread line and a rather obvious name.

1929’s opened up temporary shop on Mott Street, and they’re serving up liquid lunch while customers shop through their up and coming designer inventory. On top of the obvious difficulties of eating soup while trying on clothes, there’s something kind of uncomfortable about this marketing ploy given the actual economic state.

We’re all for shopping if you have the money, but if there’s free food to give away, and if you’re really “inspired by” the Depression, perhaps that dedication should be channeled elsewhere and that food given to those who need it, not those still shopping in Nolita.

We’ll still check out the clothes. But we’ll grab our soup from Whole Foods.