Wear What When

Meet the Shopkeeper: Jax Joon

Handbuilt bars and retro gear for guys in Ballard.

Posted by: Caitlin Creel on Aug 29, 2011 at 07:00AM 3 Comments

Jake Monroe, the man behind the bars at Jax Joon on Ballard Ave.

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Jake Monroe, the man behind the bars at Jax Joon on Ballard Ave.

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Custom Built Bar

In the long, skinny Ballard Ave storefront where his wife used to run Damsalfly, Jake Monroe now operates Jax Joon. Her relocated shop continues to offer up retro-minded women’s separates, cute housewares, and gifts for girlfriends, great aunts, and lots of in-betweens while Jax Joon supplies similar feeling gear for guys, vintage home decor, and Monroe-built bars that ought to serve the neighborhood’s growing condo and cocktail culture just fine.

WWW: What song is playing on your store’s sound system right now?
Monroe: “Charlemagne in Sweatpants” by the Hold Steady.

What was your first job in retail? What did you love or hate about it? How does it compare to what you do now?
This one is easy. This is my first job in retail. I definitely love it because Jenny (my wife) and I get to work together and make furniture and art to put in the shop. There’s really nothing to hate except that now our only “date night” is working together on Sundays.

What is your favorite thing in the store right now?
Tough one. It would be a close race between our custom built bars and some of Jenny’s artwork.

Where do you shop when you’re not at your store?
Well, I don’t shop much. We have two young kids and two businesses (Jax Joon and Damsalfly) and that eats up almost all of our time right now. I do however frequent The Re-Store and some of my friends’ construction and remodel job sites to get materials for building some of our custom pieces and display fixtures in our stores.

What do you love about your store’s neighborhood? What nearby restaurants, coffee shops, etc. do you recommend?
I love Ballard. It seems to have something for everyone. The beach, bars, you know—all of the places I wish I had time to go to. I have to say my favorite bar is The Sloop, and the back bar at Bastille is a nice spot, too. As for restaurants, we enjoy the deck at Ray’s.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in your store?
To be honest, not a whole lot of weird stuff goes on down here on Ballard Ave anymore.

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Tags: Ballard, Meet the Shopkeeper

Field House Garage Sale

An urban scavenger’s dream: Rummaging through vintage clothes and house items tagged by staff of Ballard’s Blackbird and Field House.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jul 14, 2011 at 07:00AM 0 Comments

They’ve cleaned house at the Field House, and their vintage clothing, earthy ceramics, funky old lamps, and gently used Pendleton blankets have been tagged for an urban yard sale beginning on Friday July 15.

What is it about the third weekend in July that makes people want to stage giant junk sales? There’s this one, down near Olympia which hints at a “world’s largest” claims, and there’s one in my hometown, which consists of several blocks of stuff from antique dealers, record collectors, and charity groups and a concurrent music fest—but I can’t tell you about that one because I don’t want you to get there before me and find the good stuff.

Besides, you’ll probably want to stay in town and check out the Field House, where vintage clothing, accessories, and housewares, will be rummaged along with books, records, and more. Look for brands like Filson and Pendleton and don’t leave your inner urban horticulturist at home: I hear a chicken coup is in the mix.

The sale starts on Friday (also known as tomorrow) July 15 from 8 to 7 and continues on Saturday and Sunday during the same time frame. Experienced hunter/gatherers know it’s totally uncouth to show up before the start time. Don’t do it.

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Tags: Ballard, Sustainable Such and Such, Blackbird

Sale: Blackbird in Ballard

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jun 24, 2011 at 01:00PM 0 Comments

Diet Butcher Slim Skin and other top names on sale at Blackbird in Ballard, beginning Saturday.

Where: Blackbird

What: Semi-annual clearance sale for the Ballard menswear shop as well as the Field House around the corner. Almost everything will be marked down between 20 and 80 percent; look for savings on Filson, Obey, A.P.C, Maiden Noir, and more. Markdowns on the shop’s higher-end designer lines continue.

When: Starts Saturday, June 25 at 8a and continues as long as there is past-season merchandise to sell.

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Tags: Seattle Menswear, Ballard, Blackbird

Party Week at Horseshoe Boutique

The Ballard boutique celebrates its fifth anniversary with Toms shoes, Butter London, big sales, and you.

Posted by: Annie Rose Favreau on Jun 07, 2011 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

It’s a blank canvas…for your feet! Color some Tom’s and celebrate Horseshoe’s fifth birthday.

“I’ve always had a thing for horseshoes,” says Jill Andersen explaining the name of her Ballard boutique. “I grew up in Nebraska and Colorado and have an affinity for early Americana; plus, there’s the lucky charm aspect.” She’s certainly feeling fortunate right now: it’s her store’s fifth anniversary this month. “You survive your first year, the second year is better, then you see all this growth. It makes you want to get up and come to work,” remarks Andersen.

Some stores, like some people, let birthdays go by with little fanfare. For others, one party isn’t enough, so they throw a whole suite of celebrations.

The main event in a string of four is a Style Your Sole Toms fete on June 15. After buying white Toms, you can hire one of three local artists to decorate your purchase for $10. Paint supplies will also be on hand if you want to get crafty and design your own. Amidst cake, champagne, and serious sales, they’re also raffling off a Prairie Underground sweatshirt and other goodies.

On June 12 there’s the Annual Stockroom Sale. Arriving early is recommended: last year, so many shoppers braved the freezing May weather, that the line stretched out into the back alley.

On June 17, consider the Happy Hour Butter Party, where you can relax with a mini mani-pedi courtesy of Butter London beauty products, sip some bubbly, or enter your name to win Butter by Nadia’s Signature Dress in Little Red Stripe. “It’s going to be really, really girly,” notes Kruger.

June 21 marks the launch party for Teu Swimwear, a line by Tininha Silver which will be sold exclusively at Horseshoe. With any luck, bathing suit weather will be on the horizon by then.

As if Andersen doesn’t have enough on her plate, she’s planning the debut of her new online store to coincide with the celebrations.

“For us, the thought of launching the website on the day we opened five years ago is perfect. It’s the second shop.”

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Tags: Butter London, Party, Sales and Discounts, Ballard, Seattle Boutique, Prairie Underground

New: Curtis Steiner

Or, rather: Old, and wonderfully so. The former Souvenir owner reopens with delicate jewelery and antiques under his own name.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on May 19, 2011 at 07:00AM 0 Comments

SLIDESHOW: Bigger and more beautiful, Curtis Steiner’s new space is the centerpiece of old Ballard.

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SLIDESHOW: Bigger and more beautiful, Curtis Steiner’s new space is the centerpiece of old Ballard.

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Handmade cards and artisan oddities still hallmark the offerings.

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Steiner’s a master merchandiser. Here, delicate jewels sit on top of Audubon style prints.

Note to aspiring journalists: If you hang out with the right kind of people, you don’t actually have to ask any questions.

Former Souvenir owner Curtis Steiner is that kind of person. He has a following. It’s not incorrect to say he has a cult. And if you’re gathering information on him—say, something about his recent exodus from his original storefront and his stealthy move to a newly opened, renamed joint just up the street—you can just stroll in and spend your time leisurely looking under glass at antique jewelry and pulling out apothecary drawers to discover unexpected treasure. Because the, uh, fans (shoppers, neighbors, religious zealots) will buzz in and out at a steady pace asking whatever it is or was you were wondering about anyway.

First, there was the couple in his-and-her perfectly worn-thin faded denim with the Barneys-goes-boho well-traveled vibe (she turned out to be a jeweler whose work will soon be shown at the new shop).

“It’s just so great, this place is like five times the size of the old one, isn’t it?,” they asked.

“The retail floor is, yes,” answered Steiner, and then gestured to what might be mistaken for a sacred meditation nook in the shop’s northwest corner to conclude, “but my studio in the other place was about five times as big as that one.”

(You won’t notice the difference in the artisan/collector’s workspace; his handmade card collection feels more beautiful and fully complete than ever.)

And then the guy seemingly just popping in after whatever it is people do at the gym to pick up something special that his someone special had either pointed out or otherwise willed into her life. (Lucky gal.)

“You must be so glad you moved, it’s beautiful in here,” said the gift buyer.

To which Steiner paraphrased a statement he gave some days earlier to the Ballard Tribune: “I’m not going to write my former landlord a Thank You card, but everything is working out well.”

And the girl in the baggy jeans and giant cardigan. “Wow, high gloss floor. What was this place before?”

It was the Guitar Emporium, but the acoustic six-strings had never had a floor with that kind of sheen beneath them. Steiner and company refinished it. Of course. And then they brought in antique settees and homesteading relics and vintage carnival findings and raw diamonds set in modern art jewelery. And new and reworked finery, salvaged treasures, and oddities whose charm require wit and intellect. More, thankfully, of the same (more or less) only bigger, better, and set underneath natural light.

What you really need to know is that downtown Ballard now has an exquisite centerpiece. Go see for yourself; you’ll uncover lots of other interesting information while you’re there.

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Tags: Ballard, Souvenir

Trunk Show: Vim Beget at Blackbird

Seattle designer Billy Bartels shows his world-sourced metal accessories in Ballard. There will be tarot readings, too.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Mar 17, 2011 at 08:00AM 0 Comments

Photo: Adam Sinding; Le 21eme Arrondissement

Seattle designer Billy Bartels shows his line Vim Beget at Blackbird in Ballard on March 24 between 7 and 10.

Where: Blackbird Ballard

What: First, there’s this: Tarot card readings. (I do like a fashion event that comes complete with my future.) And cocktails. And, a collection of leather goods and jewelry by Seattle designer Billy Bartels from his line Vim Beget.

Bartels works with hand-coiled, hand-wired metals from Germany, Japan, and other locales to create abstract, unisex prime real estate necklaces, double-wrap bracelets, uncommon rings, and wallets that seem to reference medieval chain mail armor and postmodern goth while also registering as fairly low-key and totally wearable.

Men have never had a clear path when it comes to accessorizing outside the tie-watch-pocket-square realm, but lines like Vim Beget shine a moody light on some of the best routes (handmade, dark, relatively simple, tough but not falsely so). In fact, forget what I said about “unisex;” women have endless options.

This one is for the guy’s.

When: Thursday, March 24 from 7 to 10

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Tags: Seattle Trunk Show, Seattle Menswear, Ballard, Blackbird

Virtual Reality: RikaRika

In this Ballardite’s online universe, alligators are cozy and kimonos are art.

Posted by: Malika Ritchie on Mar 14, 2011 at 07:00AM 1 Comments

Slideshow: George the grizzly bear pet cozy and more.

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Slideshow: George the grizzly bear pet cozy and more.

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Kurdyla-Smith uses vintage kimono silk to create her KimonoStories wall art pieces. These began as a bi-product of the garments she was designing and sewing with the same Old World fabrics. She says she has always been an ‘antsy artisan,’— always after something different, new, and fun to stay inspired. ‘I am constantly fighting monotony and boredom, and always seek to stay inspired and have a fresh mindset. So I had started to create some subsidiary items, like the KimonoStories panels and the PetCosies, which were inspired by my dog.’

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Kurdyla-Smith says she uses one of two processes to make her pieces. If she needs to create a run of products, for filling a wholesale order, she works assembly-line style. Otherwise she will create items individually one-by-one. ‘I like that it varies; I don’t want to be bored with the process in which I make things, and would rather have different work structures to juggle to keep things fresh.’ Here, her dog Nina Simone snuggles inside an alligator cozy.

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A self-taught seamstress, Kurdyla-Smith recieved her MFA in sculpture so she could teach art in universities. After a couple more career changes,Kurdyla-Smith says, ‘I naturally figured out that what I wanted to do was to create for a living. As cliche as it may sound, I literally have always been creating something since I was very, very young — drawing, painting, sculpting, and especially sewing, with my grandmother who was a seamstress. Creating things, fixing things, putting things together has always been what has brought me the most joy and fulfillment in my life.’ Here. one of her kimono silk art panels.

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Kurdyla-Smith’s tiny lovebirds pin cushion hints at her sculpting background.

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‘I have always appreciated the art of taxonomy since childhood. My friends who visit my studio think I’m a bit of a maniac when it comes to organization. A tidy space makes the process of production more quick and efficient. I love bins, boxes, labels — anything that will help me know exactly where to find what I need. Everything has a home in my studio. I also love to arrange things by color,’ says the artisan. Here, her studio.

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RikaRika owner Rika Kurdyla-Smith with Nina Simone, her dog and sometime-product model.

We gave you 23 reasons it’s great to be a pet in Seattle; here’s one more: Ballard artisan Rika Kurdyla-Smith, creator and designer of the Esty shop RikaRika and the animal-world sleeping bag-type apparatuses she makes.

Kurdyla-Smith crafts for the pet owner as well; her vintage kimono silk pieces are sold at Velouria as well as her online shop.

Click through the slideshow here to get a look at this Seattle Etsian’s work.

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Tags: Ballard, Etsy.com, Seattle Etsy, Virtual Reality

Retail News: Blackbird Expands

Ballard’s essential menswear shop is opening a second location slightly south…in Portland.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Feb 10, 2011 at 07:00AM 0 Comments

Photo: Blackbirdballard.com

Portland residents can expect to see pieces like this one from Blackbird’s in-house line when the new, 600 square foot shop opens this summer.

Word went out yesterday morning that Blackbird owner Nicole Miller will be opening an outpost of her essential, edgy menswear store in Portland.

The shop will open this summer just two blocks from the Ace Hotel (holy hipster heaven) on W Burnside and NW 13th Ave.

As to what’ll be for sale at the new shop? Tell your bike-riding BFs in Portland not to expect woolly plaid shirts and the like. Miller says, ‘To me Portland doesn’t need another Pendleton outlet, so you can expect a lot of our own Blackbird label and our more seriously design-driven brands like Robert Geller and Rick Owens.’

I like it.

Portland, Blackbird’s gonna look good on you.

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Tags: Seattle Style, Seattle Menswear, Ballard, Seattle Retail News, Blackbird

Virtual Reality: Clinks

These two sisters make a tasteful new take on Eeny, Meeny, Miny and Moe.

Posted by: Malika Ritchie on Jan 25, 2011 at 08:10AM 0 Comments

Slideshow: Clinks crafters Leah (right) and Penny (left) of their beginnings: ‘We signed up for a school craft fair as a way to spend some creative time together and decided to make drink charms as our craft. That was the beginning of Clinks. The great response we got spurred us to explore other outlets and that’s when we decided to try Etsy.’

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Slideshow: Clinks crafters Leah (right) and Penny (left) of their beginnings: ‘We signed up for a school craft fair as a way to spend some creative time together and decided to make drink charms as our craft. That was the beginning of Clinks. The great response we got spurred us to explore other outlets and that’s when we decided to try Etsy.’

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Made from real bottle caps, Clinks require a couple of special implements. ‘A sense of humor is definitely the most important tool we have,’ say the sisters. ‘Ever since we were little, we’ve always enjoyed making one another laugh, and that’s been a driving force behind what we do now. Aside from that, a really sharp needle is a must.’

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Say Cheers! The gals say their customer base includes Australia, Singapore, and Norway. ‘A year ago we couldn’t have imagined that.’

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Salmon Run Who will be the king and who will be the chum?

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The Seattle Tourist set. Clinks typically come four-in-a-group and are priced at $17; the local destination set is $29 for eight. Custom work is welcomed. ‘We both have other full-time obligations (Penny is a mom of two small kids and Leah is an advertising copywriter), and feel like having a small business like this is part job, part grad school. We’re learning so much all the time, and we love the flexibility that Etsy offers us to try new things and see how they’re accepted.’

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The gals make beer tags, too.

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Clinks come packaged in a ready-to-give folded card with a vellum ribbon band and clear envelope.

Quick word association: We say ‘drink accessory’ … do you say, ‘little pink unbrella?’

Sisters Leah Richardson Idler and Penny Richardson Yriondo say, ‘Clinks.’ For their Etsy shop, Clinks, the crafters use bottle caps to make sets of drink charms for your parties. Pass them out and ensure that Guest A isn’t drinking Guest B’s beer and vice-versa.

Might even give A and B something to talk about, too. The Oklahoma natives, who now live in Duvall and Ballard, have created lots of sets and themes since their launch, but the Seattle-y ones are favorites.

‘Those are among our most popular sets,’ they say. ‘The ones that celebrate local things like specific neighborhoods, city sights, ski areas, and Washington state destinations. Having such good beverages around here is inspiring. There are so many amazing local beers, wines and coffees. They all need a Clink on them.’

Check out the slideshow to find out more about Clinking when you’re drinking.

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Tags: Ballard, Etsy.com, Virtual Reality, Drinking Culture

Meet the Shopkeeper: Venue

Diane Macrae talks about encaustic paintings and close encounters of the friendly kind.

Posted by: Malika Ritchie on Jan 04, 2011 at 07:20AM 4 Comments

Photo: Steve Shelton

Need help getting a gift for someone special? Venue owner Diane Macrae can help…for the most part.

Wouldn’t it be good if every city stopped importing mindless tourist junk and instead opened a version of Venue so that no matter where you went, you’d be able to access local artists and their work? Of course, Diane Macrae’s little-bit-of-everything boutique (from gourmet chocolates to keepsake boxes) isn’t just for tourists. Seattleites with a sense of pride and community love accessing those same artisans – about forty are represented at any given time, some of whom have studio space inside the shop – and their jewelry, photographs, handbags, glasswork, inspired home decor, and more.

WWW: What’s your personal spin on the ubiquitous ‘How can I help you?’ question?
Macrae: We have such a varied clientele: locals who live up the street and tourists from around the world — all different ages, all different walks of life. Something that is important in Venue is that people get to know a little about the artist who made the object they’re looking at. In the same way, we’d like to get to know the customers who walk into our shop. We ask questions to find out where they are from, what their day been like, or even where did they get that fabulous pair of shoes. It’s amazing how a friendly encounter can make the experience more pleasant for both shopper and sales person.

What’s your favorite thing in the store right now?
We are constantly signing up new artists at Venue and I really love our most recent artist, Emily Alice Peck. The encaustic paintings are charming and fresh and have been an immediate favorite of our customers, too.

Where do you shop when you’re not at your store?
My multi-chain retail indulgence is Anthropologie. My favorite local shop for gifts is Lucca in Ballard, and the other place I spend money when I’m not in my store is Bastille. They keep me well fed several times a week.

What specific store or type of store do you feel is missing from Seattle’s shopping scene?
Yikes ! I try not to think about this because if I thought of a type of store that is missing from Seattle, I might want to try to open it! Honestly, though, every time I think of what might be missing, I realize there’s a shop that covers that.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in your store?
This isn’t really the weirdest, but maybe most awkward. Venue is full of great art and during the Holidays, couples often come in together looking at what we have. One time a couple were admiring a framed photograph. A few days later one of them came in to purchase the photograph for the other as a surprise. A few more days later the other person came in to buy the same photograph, which was gone. ‘It was just here !’, they exclaimed. ‘Yes, it was purchased the other day,’ they were told. ‘Well, I would like to have the artist print another one up… unless…well…what did the person look like who bought the one that was here?’ What would you do?

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Tags: Ballard, Meet the Shopkeeper

Meet the Shopkeeper: Ketch

A fisherman’s daughter opens a boutique in (where else) Ballard.

Posted by: Malika Ritchie on Dec 28, 2010 at 08:00AM 0 Comments

Ketch owner Stephanie Kaldestad is waiting for something weird to happen.

When Stephanie Kaldestad told us of her Ballard heritage, we figured that the name of her new boutique had something to do with sailboats, or one’s seafood haul. Nope, the fashion veteran (Nordstrom, Michael Kors, Gucci) told us that Ketch is simply a play on that thing that girlfriends say to one another, ’You’re such a good catch.’

WWW: What’s your personal spin on the ubiquitous “How can I help you?” question?
Kaldestad: It’s all about making the customers feel comfortable and welcomed. A simple hello and smile usually does the trick.

What’s your favorite thing in the store right now?
I have so many favorites, but if I have to narrow it down, I’d say its between the Twiggy James Jeans or the Zambos and Siega Peggy Clutch.

Where do you shop when you’re not at your store?
When I need a hostess gift or card I shop at Clover House, they have the best selection. I also love Pacific Galleries in SoDo. My interior designer, Laura Zeck, introduced me to this place when we were searching for the perfect pieces for Ketch. I am now obsessed and love getting lost in this huge store.

What specific store or type of store do you feel is missing from Seattle’s shopping scene?
I would love to have a store that sells vintage hand bags because I love the look of old and used hand bags.I have a few designer hand bags and no matter how hard a I try to make them look used, I just can’t seem to get the same look that grandma’s handbags have.

Photo: Ketch

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in your store?
Fortunately, nothing weird has happened in our store. But we’ve only been open for three months. I’m sure I’ll have some great stories soon. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself.

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Tags: new, Ballard, Meet the Shopkeeper

Meet the Shopkeeper: Second Ascent

Headed up a mountain or down a hill? Consider confering with this Ballard expert at his go-to gear shop.

Posted by: Malika Ritchie on Sep 16, 2010 at 08:00AM 0 Comments

Second Ascent’s Kevin Dewey at some great height. Not pictured: Steven Segal.

With a city full of mountain scalers, rock climbers, downhill racers, and bike enthusiasts, there’s bound to be plenty of used and second-hand gear for us novices, right? You’re darn right that’s right. Heck, even well-seasoned types shop at Second Ascent where the sporting good shop’s manager, Kendall Dewey, might even hand out homemade chili recipes.

WWW: What’s your personal spin on the ubiquitous “How can I help you?” question?
Dewey: It’s most important to greet people as they come into the store and make them feel welcome. Just acknowledging them is often enough to get them to ask you for help instead of forcing questions out of them by being pushy.

What’s your favorite thing in the store right now?
We are very excited about the clothing and gear we carry from MontBell. It’s a Japanese company that makes cutting edge outdoor-related products like sleeping bags, packs, and tents. Their down- and synthetic-filled jackets do particularly well for us.

Where do you shop when you’re not at your store?
I enjoy cooking so I particularly like the Central Market. They have just about anything you could want. I also like Mrs. Cooks at U-Village.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in your store?
Some of the characters down here in old Ballard can be pretty interesting. There was also that time Steven Segal was playing next door at the Tractor. That was kinda weird.

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Tags: Cooking, Ballard, Meet the Shopkeeper