Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Two Is Better Than One!







Preview the build-out of our second commercial space!  Coming to Seattle soon.....

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Re-duse, Re-use, and Re-merchandise!



Re-purposed oxidized industrial table.  Perfect for mixed-use, indoor/outdoor setting.
Fabulously large wooden porthole taken off an old ship and fashioned into a mirror.  Hung as a chandelier or wall decor, it's a grand statement piece.


1870's law partner's desk from England paired with a mid-century French Provincial chest of drawers.
Framed stereographs of Mt. Hood climbers on a surveying adventure.  Bronze chief head book ends with great patina.

Today, we've been open for a total of one month to the public!  To celebrate, we decided to re-merchandise (move things around, take things out/in, Phil lifts things while I direct orientation) as to give our space a face lift. 

It'll take some time before we can get the word out that we're open, but the turn out has been phenomenal, so far.  People have stopped by on their way to Pete's Wine Shop next door, and are constantly saying, "Wow, we had no idea this was here! Bellevue really needs a place like this!" 

And we smile.

...but that doesn't beat the designers and decorators that were literally beating down our doors to open since they saw the butcher paper peeled off the windows.  Therefore, it is our duty as retailers to keep it interesting, refreshing and new.  You don't always need new stuff, just new ideas. 

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Meet B. Alegre




Last summer, we took an architecture practicum at the UW together.  In our goal to appease our curiosity in design and build, we wound up spending up to 20 hours a day in the studio drafting,  building models and rendering elevations.  Three months and 8 credits later, we realized the commitment necessary to pursue a masters in architecture, and walked away with a new respect for the lifestyle and a sound association with balsa wood.

Amidst the chaos of 4am to-the-wire-listening-to-UB40-while-gluing-cardboard-and-balsa-wood-for-a-presentation-to-volunteer-grad-students-and-local-architects (eeeeeeeeeee!!) we couldn't shake the OCD high of scoring fine lines with an exact-o-knife and a straight edge.  In effect, the mark of a hands-on business was born:

1.  We pick out only the finest materials (sheets of balsa wood) at our local Utrecht Art Supply

2.  Pick up our breve mezzo americano's at Bauhaus across the street

3.  Out of heavy concentration and high metabolism, Phil takes his shirt off and plants himself at our  island counter

4.  On the gridded cutting mat, each sheet of wood is carefully measured and marked for precision cutting

5.  All thirteen 2"x 1.75" cards are laid out and hand-stamped against the grain to prevent ink blots, though sometimes we don't mind their artistic effect

6.  We inspect them for readability and fraying edges as they dry

7.   I tell Phil to put his shirt back on and we walk to Top Pot Doughnuts down the street for a job well done