I am a big family person. That’s why I live in Delaware and not anywhere else in the country, all my family lives here. Sometimes I think to hell with them, I’m moving to a city. Any city will do really, but I think San Fran would be very nice. Especially, since it seems to be a mecca of indie design and that seems like a good place for me!

One of all the places I’m sure I would be visiting often, if I lived in San Francisco, is Rare Device. Run by former jewelry designer Rena Tom and artist Lisa Congdon, Rare Device is a boutique committed to sharing indie goods for you & your home. Rena first opened Rare Device in Brooklyn in 2005 and then added the San Francisco location in 2007. The Brooklyn shop is now closed, but not to worry since everyone can shop online!

I recently sat down with Lisa and asked her some questions about running the shop & what’s coming new for Indie Boutiques.

1. Tell us about Rare Device. How did it come in to being, what do you sell and what does the name mean?

Rena Tom founded the store in 2005. She is a former jewelry and graphic designer who loves design. She was so inspired by all of the fabulous, creative designers she met along the way, both in person and online, that she decided she had to share her discoveries, and she opened Rare Device in Brooklyn. The webshop opened in December of that year and, combined with a lively and generally topical blog, has developed into its own microcosm of design.

In 2007, Rena partnered with artist Lisa Congdon to open a second Rare Device in San Francisco. Our larger location also accommodates an art gallery with monthly shows by local, national and international designers whose work meshes with the Rare Device aesthetic. Rare Device Brooklyn closed in May 2008 so that Rena and Lisa could focus on growing the flagship store in San Francisco.

We sell housewares, design objects, design and art books, bags, jewelry, original art and art prints, stationary items and some clothing. Our storefront and online shop is a place to promote designers, artists and artisans and to help them grow by taking on new projects and collaborations. We sponsor many events for artists, including gallery shows, trunk shows and other events. Soon we’ll be sponsoring pop-up shops for designers within our store!

We get lots of questions about what our name means! If you are an English major or an English teacher, you know that ‘Rare Device’ is from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan. (If you are a true bookworm, you know that Ray Bradbury took a stab at that phrase too.)

2. Can you describe Rare Device’s aesthetic? What types of goods do you like to carry?

Every object in the store has its own story, and has been chosen because it is either handmade, well-designed, useful, beautiful or all of the above. The aesthetic is modern and quirky while remaining warm and inviting - design that is accessible to all. Influences range from comic book art to entropy in nature, laser-etching to hand-lettering to nautical lore.

Rena Tom & Lisa Congdon

3. Who is behind Rare Device? Share a little about yourselves ladies.

We are both obsessed with art and design– fashion, industrial design, graphic design, art, on and on. Rena is a former graphic designer and jewelry designer and Lisa is a working artist and professional commercial illustrator. We are both amateur interior designers in our own homes! Our design taste is so similar that we like to say we were separated at birth, even though we are six years apart in age, different ethnicities and 5 inches different in height! We love curating for the store. We can be seen walking together at design shows, craft fairs and trade fairs with a shared brain (invisible, of course!). This shared aesthetic helps us to work together strategically. Rena curates most of the jewelry, ceramics and art books, for example, while Lisa curates the gallery shows, paper goods and t-shirt selections. We love working together and love what we do here.

4. What is the best and the worst about running your own shop?

Of course paying bills and prepping for tax time is no fun, but we pretty much love everything about what we do! You have to love design and customer service if you are going to own a shop like Rare Device. Having a partnership that works also really helps. We know that neither of us would like to do this on our own. It would be too lonely. Because we get to share all the responsibilities (including the yucky ones), nothing ever seems all-consuming or horrible.

5. What’s new that you are super excited about?

As we mentioned above, this December we are going to feature “pop-up” shops for independent designers every couple of months. Designers will share part of our space for a month or two at a time and sell their wares and show off their new designs. We think this will continue to make our shop more interesting, fresh and cutting edge.

On Saturday, after I visited the Charm City Craft Mafia’s Pile of Craft show in Baltimore, I headed on over to the Hampden neighborhood for some shopping and exploration. My main goal was to visit the Double Dutch Boutique. Double Dutch is a women’s clothing  shop filled with handmade and independent fashions and accessories. Co-owners Lesley Jennings & Megan Luther opened the Boutique in April 2006 and they make sure to showcase the local Baltimore talent with jewelry from Dandelion Blu, bags from Pistol and fashions from Jonna Buckner Handmade among others. Non-Baltimore lines include Voom, Built by Wendy, Orla Kiely, Garnish (home), Pink Studio and plenty more!  Whether you need an amazing gift for your bestie or some new duds for a special occasion, Double Dutch Boutique is worth the trip.

I even made a few purchases…including some earrings from by boe, a notebook from Night Owl Papergoods and a tote (always with the totes…I have more than I could ever use) from The Outfit.

Pouch from Modern Radar.

Fashions from Voom.

Bags from Pistol.

Jewelry from by boe.

Notebook from Night Owl Papergoods.

Totes from The Outfit.

Brooches from Lova Revolution.

So, the Art Star Craft Bazaar is this weekend, May 30th &  31st in Philadelphia. Organized by Erin Waxman and Megan Brewster of the Art Star Gallery & Boutique, the Bazaar is one of the premiere indie crafts shows. Started in 2006, I’ve been to every one of the Bazaars, either as a vendor or a shopper, and Erin & Megan always choose a diverse and eclectic mix of indie crafters, designers and artists. I will attending this year as a shopper and I am so looking forward to discovering some new talent as well seeing some old favorites!

What: Art Star Craft Bazaar- over 100 indie vendors will be displaying their wares.
When: Saturday, May 30th from 11-6pm & Sunday, May 31st from 11-6pm
Where: Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing Great Plaza - on Columbus Boulevard between Walnut Street and Chestnut Street (click here for directions)

I interviewed Erin and Megan about the Bazaar and their shop (both brick & mortar and online) for this week’s Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx.

Art Star Craft Bazaar 2008 banner - photo from Something’s Hiding in There

Art Star Gallery & Boutique

1. Tell me about your shop & gallery & how you got your start.

We carry handmade work by emerging artists from across the country, as well as a handful of international artists. We have also begun working with specific artists to develop limited edition artist products. We like to carry a variety of price points to reach all ages/economic backgrounds. We think that art should be accessible to everyone. We also like to encourage our artists to develop affordable product lines as an extension of their higher end artwork. For example, we work w/ Portland based artist Kurt Halsey who is primarily a painter, to create calendars, prints, glasses, ect. that anyone can collect.We both graduated w/ BFAs from Tyler School of Art in the late 90s. After graduation we found it difficult to create our art while also paying the bills. We both dreamed of opening our own gallery/boutique someday. We started off by organizing a series of small craft shows, which were very successful. We found that there were so many artists in a similar position that we were in. We felt that it was the right time to take the risk & open up our own venue. Art Star opened in November of 2004.

My Ugly Kitty at the Art Star Craft Bazaar - 2008

2. You guys have been pretty successful, both with your online shop & brick and mortar, do you have any wisdom to share about running a successful indie biz?

We work all the time on promotion & marketing. We spend a lot of time brainstorming about creative & affordable ways to get our name out there. You can never get lazy about it. We also think it is important to keep doing events to get people into the shop. It is also necessary to keep the shop/website fresh w/ new items coming in regularly. Also, instead of viewing like-minded businesses as competition, we often collaborate w/ them. We are extremely selective when it comes to curating the shop & our customers have come to appreciate & trust our aesthetic. Quality is very important to us - all of our items are very well crafted.

I Like it Too Too at the Art Star Craft Bazaar - 2008

3. What is the Art Star Craft Bazaar and why is it awesome?

The ASCB is an open air market, which includes over 100 juried artists/crafters from across the country. We view the show as an extension of our shop & it is also a great way for us to discover new talent. We think it is important for artists to network & become a part of the art/craft community at large. This is a great event for that. Like our gallery/boutique, the ASCB has developed the reputation of being the city’s most cutting-edge craft fair. When jurying the show, we look for innovation & quality. What we like best about this show is that it is even more accessible to the general public due to the location. Penn’s Landing Great Plaza is such a great venue for the event b/c it attracts tourists, families, & people who may not necessarily come to our gallery. It exposes our little indie craft world to Philadelphia at large.

Journals at the Art Star Craft Bazaar - 2008

4. Do either of you make & sell your own goods?

Well….we started off w/ the intent to make & sell our work in the shop, but reality soon set in after we opened Art Star. The shop takes up almost all of our time, which is okay b/c we both look at it as an art project. We dabble though. Erin makes clothing & jewelry. Megan makes all sorts of things.

Sycamore Street Press at the Art Star Craft Bazaar - 2008

5. What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst?

The best thing about it is meeting all of the amazingly talented artists, many of whom have become our good friends. We feel that in some small way we are helping their art careers. It is so much fun opening up a new shipment of artwork - it’s kind of like Christmas!

The worst thing is turning down artists. We have to be very selective & often times artist work just doesn’t fit in w/ our aesthetic.

6. What blogs and mags do you guys read and what shops do you shop at, besides your own of course?

Design*sponge is the only blog that we read regularly. We just don’t have the time to look at all the amazing blogs out there. As far as magazines go, we like Bust, High Fructose & Readymade. We try to shop locally as much as possible. We love Lost & Found, Bus Stop, Omoi, AKA records, Brickbrack books………

Laura Blumenthal at the Art Star Craft Bazaar - 2008

7. What’s new in the shop?

Toddler T-shirts by Sweet Pepita, tons of new prints by Kurt Halsey, new clothes by Nicole Styer, onesies by Cisco Griffin….We also have new prints by Jen Corace coming in soon.

8. What does indie mean to you? You can give a literal definition, choose to be a little esoteric or a combination of both.

Independent in every way. Independent in how you run your business & your approach to creating art.

Cutesy But Not Cutesy at the Art Star Craft Bazaar - 2008

If I believed in the heaven and hell dichotomy, heaven would be the Henry Road store and hell would mean being locked out of the Henry Road store while being forced to peek inside its windows!

I’m sure you’ve already heard of Henry Road,but just in case…Henry Road is both a line of products and a store created by and opened by designer Paula Smail. Paula’s collection of home textiles, accessories, paper goods and fabrics are bright, bold, pattern-driven, oh so droolworthy and among some of my favorites out there.  They are for sale both online and in the Henry Road brick and mortar shop (located off of Ventura Blvd. in LA), where you can also find works from other designers as well as vintage finds as well.

I’m super excited to be sharing my interview with Paula today for Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx. And if that’s not exciting enough, Paula is having a sale to celebrate her one-year brick and mortar opening. Starting on May 1st, everything in the Henry Road online shop will be 40% & most things in the shop too (while stock lasts) and the sale will run until May 10th. You know I am so there…got it marked on my calendar!

1. What’s the name of your business, what do create and sell and how did you get your start?

My business is called Henry Road and is named after a street I lived on as a child in South Africa. I design textiles and make pillows, table cloths, bags and other stuff. I sell through my website and through my store which I opened a year ago. I love having the store as it gets me out of my studio and allows me to do one of a kind things like lampshades and upholstery. Trawling through markets for fun vintage items to sell is such fun. I have always had an interest in and passion for interior design so when I decided to leave my corporate job and look for something more creative to do, doing something related to interior design made sense. Through a series of arbitrary happenings and decisions, I ended up here.

2. What are your inspirations in your art and life?

I pretty much am inspired by everything that catches my eye. I am as likely to be inspired by a single flower or a plate as I am by a building or a piece of clever design in a magazine. I have been lucky enough to live and travel all over the world — the sensory overload of a new culture, place, food is a joy.

3. What’s better all the money in the world or all the free time?

Both sound pretty good but if I had to choose, I would go for the money as the free time without any money would be plain scary to me!

4. What are some of your biggest pet peeves?

People who talk on cell phones while someone is serving them in the supermarket or elsewhere.

5. What blogs and mags do you read and what shops do you shop at?

Am a design magazine junky. My favorites are Vogue Living (Aus), Living etc, Selvedge and most of the French interior mags…..but mostly I read a lot of them. I skip around on blogs depending on what I am working on at the time — they are great sources of inspiration and ideas. Shop everywhere and anywhere.

6. What’s new? Any products or projects you’d like to share?

We are celebrating our store’s first Birthday so getting ready for a big sale May 1-10 is taking up time at the moment as is planning for the change up we will do in the store and online once the sale is done!

7. What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Just finished reading The Sharper your knife, the less you Cry , am half way through The Elephant and the Dragon — can’t remember what else is on the nightstand. Watching too much television — like all the crime dramas and Dancing with the Stars and American Idol are my current guilty pleasures. Most of my listening time is now in the store — currently in the CD player — Francoise Hardy, Keb Mo, Carole King, Gilberto Gil and Isabelle Mayereau.

A little birdie contacted me about Lealand Eve Boutique last week and I thought I might share it with you today for Indie Boutiques. Consisting of both a brick & mortar (located in Sayville, NY on Long Island) and an online shop, the Lealand Eve Boutique features lines from smaller manufacturers and individual artists & designers. They carry home decor, accessories for women and men, gift & novelty items and jewelry. The shop combines a vintage feel with a more modern look and carries goods that help perpetuate that atmosphere.

The shop proprietress, Lealand Eve Richard, is a Pratt (Brooklyn) graduate with a BFA in fashion and is an artist herself. She understands the importance of supporting small independent artists and designers. In fact, the wall space of Lealand Eve is used as gallery space to show off both Lealand’s artwork and the work of other emerging artists on Long Island.

Here’s a few of the indie lines that are carried by the Lealand Eve Boutique.

Papered Together, dbO Home, Cyberoptix, Poppi & Figs & Ginger among others.

Whenever I want to drool over some goods, I head on on over to Three Potato Four…that’s why I thought it would make a great installment of Indie Boutiques.

Three Potato Four is a mom & pop shop, but totally unlike that image that came to your mind when I wrote “mom & pop shop”. Started by Janet Morales & Stu Eli, who are both self-proclaimed collectors and a mom & a pop to their little tot, Three Potato Four has a delicious mix of new & old goods.  I just love the blend of vintage and new indie made stuff, which is all presented & curated with such a lovely reverence for good design.

I can’t really choose favorites from Three Potato Four, it’s more the kind of shop that I wish I could just transplant wholly into my home. But, if I were forced at gunpoint to come up with some favorites, I’d probably have to admit that I’d love one of those restored typewriters, this 50s striped picnic basket calls to me, of course the apple containers that I featured last month in the Back to School Guide should be mine, this Henry Road tote I like, like the teacups & utensils tea towels as well, plus I’d take one of each of all the stuff you see below!