finally open again!

helen's hedgie is famous!

one of our favorite gals, melissa, came to make the day that much sweeter.

wow, our first few days in the new space with the paper off the windows and the door open have come and gone! so many regulars have dropped by, and we've seen some new faces, too.

a big shout out to everyone who made is all happen, especially aaron, jessica, helen, my mom and todd, who were amazing through this whole process. our little double a battery, aaron, kept us all going with coffees and lunch. she also did lots of moving stuff from place to place while we all decided the layout. she broke down boxes, went to ikea, put signs at 2nd street, called in endless damages, priced, organized. really, what didn't she do? she is a powerhouse. thank you, aaron. as for jessica, she went to the new york gift show, first off, right on the heels of a whirlwind rome trip. then she helped me with display, which is no small task when you realize how much we sell. she has an incredible eye for merchandising, color, placement etc., and much of the credit of display anymore should go to her. kudos, girly. you got it goin' on. helen made it possible for me to get work done this last week which is why we were able to open when we did. she watched red at the shop while we worked around their play time and tip toed around what should have been nap time.

we think it was all just too exciting and the dude just couldn't bear to shut those big brown eyes!!!! plus, helen is so fun to play with he just didn't want to stop. thanks, miss helen!!!

i also want to thank my mom for staying with us through the move and the following week while we unpacked and began the set up. she was a trooper, but i think she and red had a blast. he got to know how wonderful his granny is and i think my mom fell in love. last, but never least, i must thank my husband todd. he was there to do much of the hard stuff and still is. he is, and has always has been so supportive of my need to "change it up" and has been with me through the last 3 store changes, not to mention the constant shifting that happens at our home. he is a saint and i love him dearly.

anyhoo, enough rambling, stop by and check out our new digs and spread the word we are back open!!!

xoxo

suz

4th street

so the move has happened and the set up has been in progress daily. we have been worker bees behind that paper: getting shipment, opening millions of boxes, moving furniture and moving it again, merchandising like fiends etc.. whew, we had some stuff and we got MORE stuff we can't wait to share. so, as for the reopen date, we are thinking tomorrow, saturday aug 23rd at noon. 

if we are not too zonked we will stay til 7 so peeps coming down for dinner or a flick can stop in.

our new hours in this space, after tomorrow, will be monday-saturday 10-6 (maybe later some nights once we get a feel for 4th street) and sunday 12-5. we are so thrilled with our new home and hope you will visit asap. we will also have grab bag treats to go along with all purchases 

tomorrow so try to pop by and shop. we've missed you!!!!

"love it" for AUGUST

brooklyn based, screech owl design, is perhaps my favorite card line to date. not sure why it struck such a cord with me, but sometimes, you just know. i love them to pieces.  they have an ever so subtle zodiac collection:

and a postcard collection and then their original collection. here 

is an interview with half the husband and wife team, jaqueline schmidt: 

what was your first job and how did you end up making paper goods?
My first job was as a counselor in training in a sleep away camp which I had attended since I was 8 years old. My first assignment was to help the counselors with the four year olds during group activities. I love children and remember having a blast making arts and crafts with them, playing kickball, swimming in the lake with the muskrats and going to our farm. Perhaps the most exotic animal we had was a goat, but hey, we had a goat! When I think back to this first job and subsequent jobs thereafter, there is definitely a theme that emerges - children and/or whimsical play, arts and crafts and nature.

When I think about how Screech Owl Design came about, I definitely lead back to my mother’s words, “follow your heart.” She rarely helped me make decisions through life, but rather guided me with that phrase. Either I learned that early on or I am just learning it now, regardless, it may be the most important lesson yet.

What is your favorite piece/group/series among your own work?
Impossible question. I tend to be very critical of my own work. Perhaps my favorite piece is from a series called the “swimmers”. They came about after a long recovery process from an intense surgery I had a few years ago. I think making the swimmers series felt refreshing and free to me which was symbolic of the time.

Who, past or present, most inspires you?
Is it too cliche to say my grandparents? I hope not, because they truly are my biggest inspiration. My grandparents are survivors of the holocaust and came to this country with my mother in the 60’s. They landed in the Bronx and began creating and building their new lives there. Considering all the atrocities that they experienced and witnessed during the war, I was always amazed at how graceful, patient, kind and generous they were with others. My grandmother in particular was extraordinarily nurturing and willing to accept and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I have always admired them and are inspired their willingness to look on the bright side of things, & their ability to forgive. They
were truly remarkable.
What 3 web sites do you visit daily?

The New York Times
Treehugger
Designsponge

Describe your perfect Sunday morning.

A perfect Sunday morning is an extra hour or two of sleep before rising (my inner-clock typically wakes me at 6 am daily somehow), a half hour of laps at the pool or lake, 20 minutes
for meditation and stretching and then home to read the Sunday New York Times on my couch where there is always beautiful soft light pouring through in the morning. Of course it
would be most perfect if my cats were nestled cozily on my lap while I read.

What do you see outside your studio windows?

In my studio space I have four large windows which provide tons of light and very different views. There is a beautiful old building outside my favorite window to the west with a
crenelated cornice that looks very much like a building in an Edward Hopper painting. This window is always inspiring and pleasing to my eye. I often turn to this window for peace of
mind and reflection. From another window I see this sad (in a good way) little house whose roof appears to be sagging and neglected overall. It’s got this massive tree out front which is a
hotbed of neighborhood bird activity. From another window I see a row of treetops which block a parking lot for eighteen wheelers in the spring. Thankfully in the winter, when the trees
are bare, I get a perfect view of the east river and the manhattan sky line. I love looking out the window, but I love watching my cat hangout in the catnip more!

THE MOVE IS UNDERWAY!!!!

wowsers, what a day. thank you to all who pitched in: todd, nick, mike, aaron, mo, jessica, helen, 

carol, cindy and mike #2. it was crazy crazy, but the worst of it is behind us. now we just get to set up and play, my favorite part. stay tuned for progress reports and pics as things move along.

we hope it won't take too long to get up and running again.

happy august and stay tuned for our featured artist of the month: screech owl designs.

queen bee sale alert!!!!

all queen bee vegan totes and messengers are 50% off  as of today. last day to scoop up sale and non sale, of course, is friday august 8th. we will close the 8th on 2nd street and reopen asap on 4th street!!!! keep tuned, xo suz

what would a blog be without nostalgia

....as the date to move the store fast approaches, i am reflective on my life since moving into the

 2nd street location, and it feels good. i moved into the space 5 years ago, when i had 2 other stores.....

artwork by lucia bowes

life was chaotic then and not always in a good way. slowly but surely though, i focused my energies and narrowed my focus.  since then, i have closed one store, and sold the other, leaving me with the store i have now, aahhhh.  looking back, this all felt right for me. having more, in my case, meant having less.  oh.....i still love handmade duds and gems and the smaller designers who made them, but i don't often miss the rest. every now and then i remember when the boxes of beautiful clothing would roll in, and we would all try them on.  i would put them on mannequins in the window..... and then i would pray they would sell so i could keep it all going!  buying was great fun too but that was just the beginning.  one must have stamina and staying power and i just got pooped.  the good news was,  i was engaged, and 38, and dying to get hitched to my now husband, todd.....

and make time for the not yet here critter in our life: g.....born august 5th, 2oo5.

needless to say we did get married. we eloped to bermuda may 26, 2005....

....but only after i passed the torch to someone i respected,  and let me say here that she has done an amazing  job, making her own imprint selling ecologically responsible lines we can all get on top of!  check out elsie garden and say hello to rebecca and sarah for me will ya.  

since pairing back to one store, life has seemed more normal to me.  being married has also left me more grounded.  it changes your life in so many ways, makes it richer really. we agree that it is like having a witness to your life.  when i saw that scene in shall we dance, when susan sarandon is at the bar with the private detective she's hired to spy on her husband, richard gere, it all made sense to me.  watch it, if for no other reason then to see her in that scene......

having g, my first dog as an adult, also changed my life. you peeps who have dogs know what i'm talkin' about so i needn't say more. 

after we got married and got g, we bought a farm north of town and the rest is history, as they say.  we now have a baby named redford haynes (who is amazing in all ways)....

and a perfectly full house, or shall i say a home.  

tomorrow is our last saturday open on 2nd street and then we begin a new chapter.

we will miss our neighbors: jose and carla at the consignment house, carol, vern, pam and cooch at angelo and marraccinni designs, the eg gals, chris from studio 206, lynelle and john from the mudhouse, robert from the downtown grille, dragona and sunda and all the rest.  we don't plan to miss you too much though, as we hope you guys will pop in on us a bunch at our new home on 4th street.  a shout out to jessica to say WELCOME HOME and a THANK YOU to helen and aaron for working extra in july. 

also, our "love it" feature for august will be a few days tardy due to this post so look out for an interview with creator of screech owl design next week.

xo,

suz

sale and news

on sale now: wasabi green and linen white wallets from hobo! only a few, so grab em' quick. also, laptop cozies have been reduced. and just to keep you in the know, we are thinking we will be closing our doors on the 2nd street space, august 8th. we will plan to reopen in late august in the new space on 4th street. continue to stay tuned for more specific info as we pack and make our way up the mall.  lots of new merch has arrived for the new space so the opening will be ever so juicy. we can't wait to get going and open that pretty new door. 

juicy sale

alrighty, the sale is getting juicier by the day. markdowns even lower have begun!!!! and we've added some queen bee small wonderboy wallets, and checkbook wallets, as well as lots of deadly squire fabric creations, including aprons, pouches, napkins and changing pads for wee ones. there are also some beth mueller treats to be found which is rare indeed. the deal is, we are planning our getaway and fresh start on 4th street northeast, so the goodies offered up on sale are worth checking out. the sale will end when the store is officially moved (which will be the beginning of august) so only a few more weeks left on 2nd street!! come say goodbye to us there and grab some gifties. 

xo suz

summer daydreaming...

we know a lot of peeps are cutting back on their summer travels this year -- it’s just not a good time to be driving or flying anywhere. so instead, we may find ourselves perfecting the art of daydreaming, always a worthy pursuit. at the shop we are especially enamored with paris and italy, and this post is for the italophiles and francophiles among us. if you find yourself imagining a stroll through montmartre or along the tiber, come indulge your french or italian itch at o’suz!

there isn't much to dislike about italian culture when it comes down to it. the art, the food (oh gelato, how i love thee!), the language, and the movies are just a few of things for which italy is known. here are a few of our favorite italian goodies:

where to begin with italian cities – rome, venice, florence?!? have your pick with stone coasters from studio vertu. “this is rome” is full of lively illustrations and though geared towards a younger audience, we think it’s a fun gift for any lover of the eternal city. we always have a hard time keeping “italy out of hand” in the shop, and a new addition to our italian bookshelf is “made in italy,” a compendium of all of the amazing artisanal wares for which the country is so well-known. “the antique and flea markets of italy” is a petite and charming book detailing the age old market tradition of the region. if you really need to feel like you've made the trip over, come snag some acca kappa soap, made in italy in scents like wisteria, lily of the valley, and classic lavender. don’t forget that the ever-popular moleskine notebooks are an italian invention, and postcards aren’t just for travelers! cavallini’s postcard tin is full of classic images that are great for quick notes to your correspondents. finally, we are so, so excited about an italian paper line that is new to us, tassotti (not pictured due to the photographer’s inability to capture the awesomeness). they make amazing flat paper in all manner of patterns, from hot air balloons to mushrooms to typewriters to strawberries.

when it comes to france, we have to admit a particular fondness for paris, and in fact, we couldn’t even fit all of our favorite parisian merch into one photo, so please enjoy both of them!

oh my gosh, the yumminess of french pastries! we have two books on french culinary delights, "the gourmet shops of paris" and "patisseries of paris," both of which are sure to inspire a serious craving for the perfect brioche. if you’re feeling crafty, “simple sewing with a french twist” is a gorgeous book with lots of projects, all of which are generously illustrated. still feeling productive? get organized with cavallini’s parisian file folders, write a letter to a pen pal on the matching stationery, or stamp away with parisian-themed rubber stamps. studio vertu’s eiffel tower clock and their coasters are great homey gifts for francophiles, as are the products from la compagnie de provence, a fairly new line for us. we carry three scents in the shop, rose, verbena, and olive&lavender, all of which come in liquid soap, body lotion, hand lotion, and bar soap and are beautifully packaged. we are especially obsessed with the rose hand lotion – the scent is truly heavenly.

more parisian pleasures here – “this is paris” and "paris out of hand” to match their italian partners. lucien herve’s photographs of the eiffel tower span the 1930s through the 1990s and detail the monument from unusual and compelling perspectives. if you do know anyone making their way to paris, the city walks: paris deck and the moleskine travel notebook are handy bon voyage tokens.

so if you aren't embarking on any travels this summer, we hope you're spending at least a few lazy days enjoying the slower pace of life, reading a good book, or simply daydreaming in your own backyard. ciao for now, jessica

4rth of july hours

okay, so we will be closing only a touch early today so get in before you hit that cookout and those fireworks cuz we are open til 4!!!! happy 4rth to everyone, and jessica we miss you!

xo

suz