Zine Scene: EnV Bags

Eco-chic totes from EnV are featured in Self Magazine holiday buying guide.

PS Stores Get Local

PS Stores is featuring two of our favorite local companies, Midori and Rosanna Inc.,  for one special event on November 13, 2010 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 pm. in their Seattle store.
 

If gift wrapping is your passion or if you just appreciate exquisite presentation, you won't want to miss seeing Midori's superb quality ribbons and hand made gift wrap.Midori Matsui Fulghum and her talented team will be on to demonstrate ribbon and paper ideas.

This is also an opporunity to meet Rosanna Bowles, founder of Rosanna Inc., an internationally recognized table top company based in Seattle. Rosanna will also be signing copies of her book, Coming Home: A Seasonal Guide to Creating Family Traditions.  A signed copy of her book makes a very special gift.

PS Stores is offering a 20% discount off Midori and Rosanna products between November 13 - 21, 2010.

Complimentary but registration required. To register call (206) 762-0540. For more details about our classes & events click here.

 

PS is located at 515 S Michigan Street, Seattle, WA. 

Good Gracious!

Gracious - House to Home, a newly opened store in the Laurel Hurst are of Seattle is doing the part to recycle by  giving new life to vintage finds.

Owners Tracy Reimers and Deidre Denckla met 20 years ago while both worked in banking. Their first business collaboration, an event planning company, soon morphed into a full scale catering business.  After taking break to raise their families, they've teamed up again to pursue their passion for vintage furniture and home accessories.

Whether it's a fresh coat of paint, new upholstery or rewiring a lamp, pre-owned pieces are carefully refreshed and restored. One of a kind pieces range from traditional to modern and fun to funky. Vintage pieces are artfully blended with new products ranging from scented candles to distinctive home accessories -- all essential elements of a "gracious" home.  

Gracious - House to Home is located at 2920 NE Blakeley Street, Suite C,Seattle, WA 98115.

Shown Above, Left to Right: Oweners, Tracy Reimers and Deidre Denckla.Shown Below: A black and white vignette.

Retrofit Home: A Perfect Fit

Retrofit Home, hosted a Grand Re-Opening of their Seattle, Washington store on a Saturday, June 5th. A glorious day illuminated the freshly painted white walls creating a gallery feeling inside. But unlike a austere gallery, Retrofit Home is full of inviting gifts, accessories and furniture

When owners, Jon Milazzo and Lori Pomeranz, opened their first location five years ago, they envisioned a place where people could buy furniture and accessories that was not from a cookie cutter mold but unique and with an urban point of view. By all accounts they have succeeded. Retrofit Home is design-focused but will not break your piggy bank. Both Milazzo and Pomeranz believe that good design does not need to be expensive or stodgy. As they like to say, they "leave the attitude to others -- this is a neighborhood store." 

Shown top, left to right: Owners Jon Milazzo and Lori Pomeranz. Behind them are canvases of crows  they commissioned from local artists.

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Shown bottom: Retrofit Home's richly eclectic product mix.

Savour: A Taste for Life

Savour, a delightful European-style deli, located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle Washington, offers of world of flavors in a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of tasting samples and a regular series of in-store demonstrations.
 
Prior to launching Savour, owner Holly McLean had a career in the travel industry. Her travels provided McClean with the perfect opportunity to fine tune her passion for fabulous foods.  McLean also inherited the retail gene from her family who owned a shoe store in Port Angeles, Washington. Starting a Savour was a natural extension of her love of travel, food and retail.

Savour's mission is to cater to people who love to explore the world of food by offering unique foods and products that that enhance one's cooking, eating, and entertaining experience. All of which should be savored, which is why we McClean choose the name Savour – pronounced "savor" with a spelling twist!

Click here to learn more about Savour.

Shown Above: Rosanna Bowles of Rosanna Inc. prepares pasta with Savour owner, Holly McLean.

The Nose Knows

Knows Perfumes: Purveyor of Uncommon Scents, a unique perfume gallery, recently opened its doors in West Seattle. Owner, Christen Cottam, moved to Seattle from San Francisco four and a half years ago after a successful career in the bio-tech industry to pursue her passion for fragrance. Cottam's love of perfume grew out of her fascination with wine's complexities of notes. Perfume, like wine offered Cottam the same intrigue.

The store's decidedly San Francisco vibe is unlike department store perfume counters. It's  surprisingly fragrance free. Cottam keeps her shop fragrance free to enable each perfume's fragrance to to be enjoyed without the interference of competing fragrances.

At Knows Perfumes, one will find the world's finest and rarest perfumes, including: McBride Beauty, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Strange Invisible Perfumes and Tallulah Jane Natural. Cottam's personal favorite is Fire & Cream from Strange Invisible Perfume. 

In addition to an exquisite array of fragrances, Knows Perfume carries the AB Home collection from Archipelago Botanicals.

Knows Perfume is located at 4536 California Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98106. Shown Above: Cottam surrounded by extraordinary perfumes.

Birds of a Feather

Rosanna Bowles was on hand at at Fireworks Gallery's University Village location in Seattle, Washington recently to promote and sign copies of her new book, Coming Home. While there, she and owner Michelle Manasse, discovered that they both attended the University of Oregon during the same time. These two "Ducks" are definitely birds of a feather!

Queen for a Day

Baby boomers may recall Queen for a Day, a popular day time game show where the winner was the beleaguered wife and mother whose hard-knocks story eclipsed that of other contestants. What a grim premise! Melange in Sunnyside Washington, is changing the rules of the game. As part of their Mother's Day promotion, they have decked their store with crowns and gifts to pamper mom on her special day. During their Mother's Day open house, they will be pampering moms with hand massages using Archipelago's Pomegranate Hand Creme. A perfect way to to make any mom feel like a queen.

Uncommonly Special

One of the most unique gift boutiques on the Eastside, is Common Folk Co. , a wonderful mix of nostalgia, vintage finds and what owner Kathryn Straub, calls "industrial chic." Her creative merchandising style brings the store to life, with use of aged and distressed commercial scaffolding inspired by James Bond (a stickler for detail, she hand-selected each piece!), and architectural and salvage finds from all over the country -- a eclectic combination that sets the stage for her wonderful gift and home accessory lines.

Here's what's taken flight at Common Folk Co.:

Hot pink and turquoise blue are popular colors for the season (a pop of pink is a great way to spruce up a room for Spring); Mid-century modern style, 60's lounge music; and black and white are continual favorites. Nature themes of twigs, nests, birds and shades of mossy green are in demand with every season.

Customers are always welcomed with a cup of tea or coffee and offered a signature chocolate treat, Kathryn's hospitality shines as bright as her vintage chandeliers!

Shown below: Kathryn Straub with her Initially Yours mug from Rosanna Inc.


Kathryn Straub has two stores located at the Crossroads Center in Bellevue, Common Folk Co. and Common Folk Kids. 15600 NE 8th St, Bellevue WA 98008.

The Great Northwest

Northwest Art and Frame is one of The Barron Collection Ltd.'s original customers and continues to be a favorite of ours. Their buyer, Debbie Numoto, started as a cashier 25 years ago and has been their buyer for over 15 years. An artist in her own right, working there is a perfect match!
Here's what Debbie reports:

What's Hot: Novelty items, products that make people laugh, smile and feel happy! Popular motifs include birds, nests, eggs and butterflies. Glittery items and cards are selling!

What's Not: Anything over $30. Candles sales are down but fragrance diffusers are up. She has been seeing a lot of navy. It's the new color that is in fashion. Brown is down! "

"It's really about the price point and the feel good factor." says Debbie while adding, "the art department is doing very well because people are making their own gifts and cards."

Northwest Art and Frame is located at 4733 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA.

Above: Debbie Numoto with Tea Forte product, represented by The Barron Collection Ltd.

Quite Contained

We usually go to a store expecting to find great things inside, but in the case of Dixie Stark Home, the exterior is as jaw dropping as the inside. The building is constructed of six metal shipping containers used to transport cargo on ocean going vessels. Designed by Jay Stark, Dixie's architect husband, the containers provide a strong modular element accented by high ceilings, tall windows that allow for ample natural lighting. This stunning structure is a perfect showcase to Dixie's collection of classic home interiors and contemporary accents.

Dixie Stark Interiors is located on 616 South Lucile Street in Seattle WA just a few short blocks from the Pacific Market Center.

There's No Place Like Homer

Michelle LaFriniere’s boutique, Lazarette in Homer, AK reflects her passion for the Peony flower. She also owns Chilly Root Peony Farm and her enthusiasm for the flower is apparent throughout her boutique. She's ecstatic about Michel Design Works peony blossom products, roost's floating peony flower candles, and Skeem's Vintage Peony candle. These charming gift items are sure to delight her customers!

Crackerjack Retailer

Kathleen Koch, owner of Crackerjack in Seattle, WA was one of our original customers. With 24 years of experience as a retailer, Kathleen knows what it takes to thrive during challenging economic times. Here are some of her insights:

What's Hot: Jewelry, natural and organic products, local artists. soaps, items with lower price points such as cards. Also selling, anything with a bird, nest, egg or owl (we love that!).
What's Not: - Items over $30. Ceramics are selling slow.
Consumer Mood: Customers are looking for sales and bargains and they're wearing and buying bright colors.
Pet Peeve: Manufactures that compete with retailers by having their own website.

Left: Kathleen Koch, owner of Crackerjack, located at 1815 N 45th #212 in the Wallingford area of Seattle.