Tesla Founder Elon Musk’s presence as host of "Saturday Night Live" prompted competing electric vehicle manufacturers to air commercials promoting their own cars, including a spot from Lucid, a manufacturer that has yet to put a car into production but s aiming to become the first EV maker with a 500-mile range. Ford and Volkswagen also ran ads promoting electric vehicles. Musk proclaimed himself to be the first person with Aspberger’s syndrome to host "SNL," "which many folks pointed out as being untrue, considering 'SNL' alum Dan Aykroyd has also been diagnosed with the same condition," according to Jalopnik.

Paul Van Doren, the founder of the iconic Vans sneaker made famous in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," has died at age 90. “Like Paul, from the first day of business, Vans was uniquely innovative,” the Vans Company said in a statement. “When the first Vans store opened, there were no stand-alone retail stores just for sneakers. Paul’s bold experiments in product design, distribution, and marketing, along with his knack for numbers, and a genius for efficiency turned Paul’s family shoe business into an all-American success story.”

Despite permanent closings of countless tattoo shops earlier in the pandemic, many that survived report increased interest over the past few months. “Increased demand may not be related to the vaccine,” they told USA Today. “Instead, they pointed to multiple factors including stimulus checks, warmer weather and pandemic boredom. 'With no one going to restaurants, bars, sporting events, or music venues, I believe that tattoos have become the new ‘feel good food,'" says Duffy Foster, owner of Spokane, Washington’s Tiger Tattoo.

Retail sales (excluding automotive and gasoline) rose 23.3% year-over-year in April, and were up 10.8% compared to April 2019, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures U.S. in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment. Online sales in April grew 19.9% and 95.6%, respectively, compared to the same periods. Spending at restaurants grew 118.8% in April versus the year-ago period when widespread shutdowns crippled the industry, and were up 5.7% compared to 2019.

The pet industry reached a milestone in 2020, with total sales of $103.6 billion, a historic high, according to the American Pet Products Association. This marks an increase of 6.7% over 2019 retail sales of $97.1 billion. Of that 2020 total, $42 billion was spent on pet food and treats, a 9.7% increase year over year. The association is “bullish” for the coming year, projecting growth of 5.8% — well above the historical average of 3% to 4%.

New Balance released a new collection of sneakers in its Made Responsibly line. The shoes, which Fast Company deems “ugly,” are made with a mix of factory scraps and new materials. Each pair is unique thanks to the variety of materials, and the design is the standard New Balance 998 model. There were about 2,700 pairs made, each priced at $180. Ugly or not, they sold out as soon as they became available on May 1.

Pandora, the world’s biggest jeweler by volume, is switching to manmade stones produced in laboratories and will no longer use mined diamonds for any new designs. “Pandora’s chief executive, Alexander Lacik, said in a statement that diamonds should be affordable as well as sustainable,” per The New York Times. “Lab-grown diamonds are physically, chemically and optically identical to mined diamonds, and proponents say that their production results in less environmental damage than traditional mining practices, and also doesn’t have the same associations with human rights abuses.”

The Chicago Auto Show, last held in February 2020, will return in July, marking the city’s first major exposition since the pandemic began. “It will use an electronic ticketing process and timed entry to regulate attendance and control crowd capacity throughout the day,” per the Chicago Tribune. “The show will include outdoor events for the first time in its history, with test tracks and technology demonstrations along Indiana Avenue and surrounding city streets.” The downsized version will be cut from 10 days to five days, with about half the normal indoor exhibition space, at about 470,000 square feet. …

Wayfair is essentially a large infrastructural network that delivers products from manufacturers to people’s homes. It’s a technology company powered by 3,000 engineers and zero furniture designers. “Wayfair doesn’t just want to sell you your next love seat; it wants to be your destination for every future home project, from remodeling a bathroom to redecorating your whole house, with just a few taps,” per Fast Company.

It’s not a pickup from Hyundai or Kia (the obvious choices) starring in a Korean TV series. Instead, it’s the Chevrolet Colorado, from General Motors, that inked the deal for its midsize pickup. “The Colorado, the first and only American pickup to be sold in the Asian country, can be seen on the ‘House on Wheels’ series, whose second season recently began airing,” per GM Authority. Last year, the show recorded the highest viewer ratings on Korean television.