On June 3rd, we signed the lease for a new space on NW Thurman and 24th.  Whoa.  Let me back up a little…

Many of you know that it hasn’t even been a year since we opened our current studio/store, so it might have come as a big surprise to you.  Well, it did for us too.  Just after we made our way back from our second road trip, we learned that the rent on the b & i studio was going up.  And not just a little bit, it was going up 11% and without much of a warning.  Now, rent on a tiny space (289 square feet, to be exact) is not unreachable, so even with an unfair hike, we could have still afforded it, but it was the principle plus their corporate guy’s lack of flexibility (and down-right rudeness) that launched us in a new direction, one that we hadn’t quite dreamed of yet—opening, like, a real store.  uuuuuuugheeeerrraaahhhhhhhhohmygoodness!!!

We started looking right away.  It’s amazing what you begin to see of a city when you’re looking for something you had never been looking for before.  I felt like I started understanding the neighborhoods in a different way, getting major feelings from each, rather than just an impression, like which friend would I want to spend the most time with—and which friend would accept me into their already existing, beautiful circle.  Truth is, we love so many neighborhoods in Portland, it became a daunting task to narrow down the options.

About one week before we left for the awesome Renegade Austin affair, we put an offer in on a space on lower SE Hawthorne. For reasons I won’t bore you with, it didn’t work out.  We realized it wasn’t going to work out (for certain), the day before we left—the day that things were insane in our world.  We were trying to nail down a new display for our booth that would easily flat pack for plane trips and with that new display idea came a revamping of how we display…well..everything. This meant new card stock for earring cards, new necklace cards, new display packaging –cough, overachievers– and new printing.  On top of all that, we still had orders to get out and jewelry that needed to be made for the show.  It makes my heart skip a beat to think about all we were stuffing into 48 hours.

Will had stayed up way too late the night before, getting spreadsheets finished and new items listed online.  I wanted him to have a full night sleep (not just because I’m nice, but because less hours of sleep  = cranky William and I needed happy-go-lucky William that day)…so I got up at the crack of dawn and started running errands while he slept a bit longer.  This is pertinent to the story because I drove into work a little bit differently that day.  I needed to go to the printers before, so I took a right turn one street too early.  That mistake drove me by the most beautiful space with a more beautiful sign on it that read, “SPACE FOR LEASE,” in lovely bold, capital letters.  I remembered that space because I had admired the building before.  It’s an old cinema building, full of charm and character and stories, just how I like it.

We were leaving the next morning, early, so the window of opportunity seemed to be closing in on us and fast.  I drove home, woke Will up, took the early turn again and told Will how I felt about the space–I was basically foaming at that mouth while I tried to spill out in 5 minutes why that space would be a dream.  Luckily, he felt the exact same—it was perfect for us.  It was more perfect than any other space we had looked at; it had a back room, a loft, character…and BRICK.  I love brick so much. It was exactly the size we needed and in exactly the kind of neighborhood we are ready for–quaint, but full of life and community.  There is something so special about this neighborhood.  As cheesy as it sounds, it felt right in my heart.  No other place had given us that feeling.

We ate lunch for the first time at the amazing deli, Kenny and Zukes (the NW Thurman location), sat outside in the first Portland sun in months and watched how many people walked by, guessing what kind of people they were and dreaming about the kind of shop we could make for the neighborhood.  This kind of dreaming lead me to realize that I wanted that space, in just a few hours, my heart was already set on it—something they tell you NEVER to do when you’re searching for a new place to live or work.

We called the amazing woman we were working with, Marilen from Elliot Associates, and expressed our sentiments for the space. Then we left for Austin. Over that weekend, Marilen and Lupe were able to see the inside of the space.  They said they contained themselves while in the presence of the landlords, but in their own time and space they had a squeal or two.  They loved it and they knew we would love it…the inside even more impressive than the outside.

you didn't think we were going to keep that carpet, did you?

When it was our turn, I wanted to do a dance with the landlord and gush about how much I loved everything about it–it had a bathroom INSIDE for goodness sakes!  In just a few days, I had fallen head-over-heels in love with the neighborhood and I wanted to run to the rooftops and tell the world that it was ours.  But…that’s not how it works when you’re looking for a space.  You have to be all formal and pretend that you could go either way.  So I pretended that the space was alright and might work for us if we choose to make an offer.

This part is the boring part: negotiations, paperwork, lawyers, numbers, meetings, etc.  What’s important is that they all lead to the same thing: WE GOT THE SPACE.  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We got it!!  We love it!  We love our landlords!  We love the neighborhood!  We love each other!  We love our jobs!  We love it all!! …

And now we have to make a shop out of it.  Oh yeah YEAH YEAH. The weekend of the signing, we had a HUGE show in San Francisco then on to a trunk show in Santa Cruz, then on to important meetings and two MORE shows in LA.  We decided that Will needed to stay in Portland to get started immediately on the shop (of course, we’ll be doing all the build out work ourselves, with the help of some amazing friends) and that I would head on to California with Lupe.

It was Friday, June 3rd.  The signing took so long that we didn’t get on the road until 4 pm when we had planned to leave by 10 AM at the latest.  We had to be up by 6 am to set up our booth for the Union Street Fair in San Francisco the next day.  It takes 11 hours to drive to SF…

stay tuned for part 2.

missed you guys!!

xo~betsy

***Song of the Moment:  When the Deal Goes Down, by Bob Dylan***

There is a feeling of love that comes over me when I learn that someone wants to wear my designs.  It’s more than satisfaction.  I still have thoughts like: really, you want to wear this thing that I dreamed up?? really? You’re soooo great!!

It makes those breaks feel so much more special.  We worked hard, really hard, and it was worth it.

And then…

I have a moment, finally (usually on the plane or in the car), to remember why I do it all in the first place.  A moment to sit down and realize how important it is that we make time for space.  Because that’s where the magic happens.

Magic =

1) Gingham meets her auntie and uncle dogs.  And plays a LOT.

2) We see some of the most important people in our lives:  family.

3) We see each other.

4) We play.

5) We eat Christmas cookies.

6) We experience the real kind of love.

7) We hear new music.

8) We tell stories.

9) We have amazing conversations.

10) We enjoy the silence.

Now we’re back.  Now I know why we’re really here.

I hope you all had the most wonderful breaks and saw what you really needed to see.

Hope to see you in the New Year!!

xo~betsy

Song of the Moment: All You’ve Got to Do is Fall in Love, by Benji Hughes***

For awhile now, I’ve felt satisfied with the space I’ve been in.  I was happy in the smaller space, excited by how quickly my world was moving forward.  I felt the wind at my back and I just started rolling with it.  Though all of this was beautiful and inspiring for me, I never quite felt like the workspace was completely in its notch.  The puzzle pieces were next to each other.  You could see that the outer edges suggested a match, a perfect match, but they weren’t hugging each other yet.

those hands

I feel like that day has come.  The clicker is working, the bell is about to ring, the birds are chirping, and the puzzle is about to be solved.  The current space and the way it’s coming together is —blowing. me. away.  I am walking into this space in the mornings thinking—wow, I am exactly where I want to be.  The hands that have made this what it is becoming are all hands I know, all hands I’ve touched.  …and my own.

where will these be?? come find out tomorrow!

eeeeahhheeehahhaaahhh!!!

I LOVE my saw, says W.

I think we can make it!!

Now we’re down to the final hours.  It reminds me of all my time in theatre.  Those last few days before the show goes up, one is often left thinking–how in the name of all that is good will we EVER be able to get THERE. And then after the curtain comes up, you make eyes with one of your partners and only you know where you’ve been to get …there.

transformation time.

Only you know that just last night, you were re-hanging the lights with bits of who-knows-what ALL over the floor, your biggest dreams and visions only moments away from being squashed, paint splatters where they shouldn’t be, things falling off the walls, trips and near misses, tired eyes and hands, probably tears…disaster, really—-lots of voices in your head saying–there is no way you’re going to make it.   but you know what????  screw those voices.  because ————– You do make it.

That’s just it:  you made it.

I can’t wait for that moment when we all look at each other…only us knowing how far we’ve come.

If you’re around between 3 and 9 pm tomorrow, please come by and see how far we’ve come.  Click the link for details: http://tinyurl.com/285lvj7

LOVE to you all.

b

***Song of the Moment: Vesuvius, by Sufjan Stevens***

The road trip was so dang successful that we’ve been working like MAD PEOPLE since our return.  We picked up TEN new stores in Boulder, Denver, Lawrence, Kansas City, Chicago, and Columbus.  For all you kids in the middle of the country, check out our updated Where to Buy page here!

We’ve got big things happening right now.  Expect more updates VERY soon.  In the meantime, check out our current biggest DISTRACTION:

Meet the newest addition to our family, Ms. Gingham Macpherson…

Also, come to our Grand Opening Party on Friday from 3-9 pm.  Check out details here:  On our facebook event page!!

Check back in the next few days.  We will be posting some studio-fix process photos to entice you in.

See you Friday?

xo~betsy

***Song of the Moment: El Carretero, by Buena Vista Social Club***

Meow Meow in Boulder: cute gift shop.

Unity Boutique in Denver: hip, colorful boutique with lines like Three Dots and Tom’s.

Fancy Tiger in Denver: with a craft shop across the street under the same name, FT is a fashion oriented DIY boutique.

We’re thrilled to have the line in ALL of these shops.

A shot that just doesn't do justice to the well-curated inside of Fancy Tiger.

We’ve met with old friends on this sojourn, shacking up with a professor of Betsy’s in Boulder, and running into a theatre colleague of mine from my east coast days.  I couldn’t have wished for better chats and more warmth, laughter, wit… jeez, this is starting to sound like a Betsy post ;-)

We listened to a Radiolab podcast on the drive in and they were examining sleep: what it does, why we do it, etc.  A researcher proposed that sleep is imperative to learning.  That, through the magic of the sleeping body, synaptic connections made during the day are actually weakened, allowing the unimportant stuff to slip away and the the important to persist and grow stronger over time.  It’s a powerful realization to think about this in relation to the way I feel now (happy, excited by people and places, with a sense of discovery and destiny sparkling up the day).  You start to realize the significance every day has on the physiology of your brain, and indeed, your brain’s propensity to stay active, agile, optimistic, curious, social.

Will, Betsy, and Robert Frost on the CU campus.

Wonder what my brain will look like after two more weeks of this.  Two more weeks of new places and old friends, good sleep, good food, and continued success.  I love my job.

***Song of the moment:  Open the World, by Sam Phillips***

so ripe

Both Betsy and I grew up eating tomatoes out of the garden.  Well, I can’t say I grew up doing it, really… I remember growing out of my aversion to the gooey seed stuff later.  The only thing missing to take me all the way back is skinned knees and dirty nails, my dad smelling like a lawn mower, and a wooden bowl of Cheetos in the middle of the table.

too yummy to wait for the photo-op

What about you?  What have you been eating for lunch?

***Song of the moment: Sycamore, by Bill Callahan***

hilarious kid pic from www.wildindiana.com

Well, it’s for realz now, because we’re driving across country in 4 days.  Wow, I just scared myself.  4 days!?  Are you kidding me?!?

So help a brotha and sista out.  What can we absolutely not forget to take on a 3,969 mile drive??  We promise to recite them all before adding our own travel necessity and passing it on ’round the campfire.

***Song of the moment: Nonpareil of Favor, by Of Montreal***

OH!  You’ll also be pleased to know that it only took us three tries to figure out we have to shoot these in landscape instead of portrait, so stay tuned for fatter videos.

Here’s what the Huzzy-cam saw:

And now, the Betsy-cam version:

***Song of the moment: Something to Say, by Stevie Wonder***

Yes, folks, we’ve drunk (drank? drinken?) the kool aid and we’re VERY pleased about it.  We’ve FaceTime’d from opposite sides of the same room.  We’ve sync’d up our calendars and turned off our push notifications (you’re welcome, battery life).  We have, in short, iPhone’d ourselves.

Oh.  And we’ve made a LOT of videos.  We’re looking forward to sharing our upcoming betsy & iya Great Road Trip of 2010 with you through these magic boxes.

Until next time-

***Song of the moment: She Moves She, by Four Tet***

opening the door, seeing outside, closing the door, walking, being happy, sweeping, & finding appropriate storage space for our mountains of cash.

So, it’s easy to see why we liquidated our last cubicle ages ago.  This is a move I fully supported before coming on board and one of many things I love about my new job.  Here’s the full and growing list:

no paychecks: because the coolest thing about every other Friday should never be the larger number in your checking account. (ps, IRS: Lupe totally gets a regular paycheck.)

working through lunch: We ate lunch at 4:45pm yesterday.  Who knew caloric deprivation could be so satisfying?

making my wife snacks/eating snacks my wife makes: quickest way to a man’s productivity.

stealing kisses in the break room: shhhh… don’t tell Lupe.

dance parties in the morning: easier when you’re not wearing a tie.

my boss telling me she could care less if I shave: more time for dance parties.

grocery shopping at 10am: SO. MUCH. ROOM!

the whiteboard: SO. MUCH. ORGANIZATION!

but most of all: making up my own job and wanting to be the best at it. I mean, where else do you get to spend hours on Photoshop, use power tools, develop marketing plans, write blog posts, sweep and mop, pack up cars, have fun with sweet customers, drink a beer at 2pm, work until 1am, plan road trips, go on road trips… et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

***Music Video of the moment: End Love, by OkGo.***