Alexandra477

Short North Hidden Gem: Dames Bond Marketplace

 

 

 

 

 

Covert parking spots. The identity of Vinchen. Jeni’s Salty Caramel recipe. Some Short North secrets are best kept hidden. Dames Bond Marketplace shouldn’t be one of them (even if its name is inspired by a certain secret agent). The 1,500-square-foot Garden District boutique opened last October and offers a smashing array of apparel, jewelry, accessories, artwork, candles, body care, and home décor.

 

 

 

 

 

But here’s the thing. It only sells items made by women in our community. The brainchild of Dames Bond founder and CEO Mary B. Relotto, this place truly is one of a kind.

 

 

 

 

 

“The Marketplace gives women an opportunity to showcase their talent and participate in a retail experience, Mary said. “I did a lot of research, and there’s nothing like it in Ohio or the Midwest.”

 

 

 

 

 

When it opened, the Marketplace featured 30 vendors. It now has 43, half of which use Dames Bond as their only brick-and-mortar location. Mary designed and merchandised the space, and the vendors work on consignment. It also serves as a small business incubator, offering vendors monthly workshops about trends and marketing.

 

 

 

    “This is all about championing women and giving them an opportunity to create something,” Mary said. “Social norms have stopped us from being our best selves, and I want to break that.” 

 

 

 

       Two new vendors joined the Marketplace yesterday: Sweet Simpliciteas dessert tea and Dragon Ikka Japanese jewelry and gifts. Upcoming events include a Bella Beads trunk show for tonight’s Gallery Hop; a silversmith demonstration tomorrow by Kristi Ross of KK Makes Things; and mother/daughter make-and-take journals with Thrive Theory on May 11. 

 

 

 

Kohl’s and the Million Dollar Hoodie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                             I can be a tiny bit obsessive. When I like something, I overindulge to the point of delirium. This includes eating the same breakfast for two decades and listening to the same Michael Jackson album 330 times in a row. You live yours, I’ll live mine.

Recently, I discovered a palace of fashion-forward, sensibly priced ready-to-wear known as “Kohl’s.” My father shipped us a surprise mammoth box of red holiday plates, bowls, and trays from this establishment, and a couple of plates arrived broken. I went to the nearest store to exchange them, and that’s when I saw it.

The Hoodie.

Shining like a beacon of well-groomed cotton, it hung on a corner endcap in the ladies department. Such a masterpiece of elegance and ease I hadn’t encountered. It was the type of good quality item one might expect to find at Nordstrom, or even Saks. It’s comfortable and stylish. The three neckline buttons (no hanging cords!) take it from day to evening to pajamas. The drape is pristine. The pockets are sturdy, the hood is substantial, and the interior piping is well constructed. It’s long enough to be worn over leggings, yet looks sharp with jeans. A humdrum hoodie this is not. I tried one on in coral pink seven days ago and have been wearing it ever since. 

I must share The Hoodie with others, I thought.

The first Kohl’s was sold out of my desired color and size combinations, so I went to another one. And a third one. By the time I visited the fourth Central Ohio store, I worried that they were onto me and wouldn’t let me buy any more. As any levelheaded obsessive would do, I devised a strategy whereby I would hide my precious-es in different departments and have my husband stop by after work to get the goods. I delivered such a robust soliloquy about The Hoodie to the nice lady working at cashwrap that she put one on hold for herself. I really feel that every woman should own at least one of these things.

“Retail is detail,” my dad always says. So true.

If you get The Hoodie from me for Christmas, you’ll know I love you. Kohl’s, thanks for helping me help you move some product.

Craftin' Outlaws.

The eighth annual Craftin’ Outlaws alternative craft fair takes place on Saturday, November 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Gateway Film Center. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. Modern handmade goods from more than 50 Midwest vendors will be for sale, including clothing, jewelry, paintings, posters, ceramics, knitted accessories, stuffed animals, soap, stationery, skateboards, and home décor. Early Bird Passes (for shopping access from 10:00 to 11:00) can be purchased online or at the show for $5. Early Bird shoppers will be invited to participate in an Early Bird Raffle, the proceeds of which benefit Project: Zero Ohio.

“At Craftin’ Outlaws, you’ll find gifts that you can’t just get at a mall,” said Megan Green, Craftin’ Outlaws lead organizer and Owner of Stinkybomb Soap. “Each one tells a handmade story.”

Related posts: Craftin' Outlaws 2011 and Craftin' Outlaws 2010.

 

Courtesy of Jessica Miller Photography.

Short North Yard Sale.

This year’s Short North Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, June 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Hosted by the Short North Civic Association, it takes place throughout Victorian Village, Harrison West, Italian Village, Dennison Place, and The Circles. The daylong treasure hunt of furniture, clothing, accessories, toys, and knickknacks is the largest neighborhood yard sale in Columbus. Short North area residents can register in the official listing here.

       

  

Craftin' Outlaws.

Certain seasonal rituals should never be disrupted. Every October, I fire up the pumpkin candles, bake obscene amounts of acorn squash, and start my holiday shopping at Craftin’ Outlaws Alternative Craft Fair. This helps achieve balance in the world, or at least in my head. Yesterday was the seventh annual Craftin’ Outlaws at the Gateway Film Center. It featured more than 50 local craft vendors selling handmade items including screen printed shirts, knitted scarves, plush creatures, letterpress prints, journals, aprons, corsets, soaps, hand stitched bags, and rock ‘n’ roll jewelry. A portion of the event’s proceeds benefits Rwanda Knits, which provides knitting machines and business training to low-income Rwandan women.

“It’s exciting that after seven years, we still have so much buzz,” said Craftin’ Outlaws organizer Megan Green. “We’re really grateful for the continued outpouring of love and support from the Columbus community.”

Click here for more photos.

 

Why I Wore Red To My Wedding.

Traditional weddings aren’t really my thing. Don’t get me wrong, I like dressing up and shaking my booty like the world’s ending, but typical bridal expectations make me sick. I got married a couple of days ago. To a charismatic, ambitious, outrageously funny human being who doubles as my best friend. This meant that I had to make peace with the wedding process and find a way to make it mine.

I’ve never been one of those girls who dreamed about her wedding day. I’ve dreamt of winning large PR accounts, living in Spain, and owning a horse, but not traipsing down a petal-covered aisle swathed in white lace. Me wearing white to my wedding felt about as natural as a pink moose. For me, there was only one choice: Red. As in 1940’s-era scarlet with a shot of flamenco. Unsurprisingly, most wedding dress designers didn’t share my enthusiasm for a red wedding dress. Thank God for Monqiue Lhuillier, whose staff embraced the idea with fervor.

Weddings don’t have to be what people tell you they have to be. They can be as individual as the people tying the knot. Otherwise, what’s the point? You have one day to unite your family, friends, and lifelong confidantes. I see it as an opporunity to create a unique experience. So for anyone who seeks nontraditional ways of planning a wedding, I submit these alternatives. They all worked for me.

1. If you don’t feel like reading bridal magazines or attending bridal shows, skip all of that. For me, it was liberating to dilute the power of the traditional bridal industry by not buying, reading, or attending any of its stuff.
2. Veils were traditionally worn to hide brides’ faces from other men. If that creeps you out, don’t wear one.
3. If you consider tossing a bouquet to be humiliating for single ladies, don’t do it. And if you plain just don’t feel like carrying a bouquet, don’t. There are no rules.
4. If spirituality and human kindness impact you more than organized religion, hold a nondenominational ceremony.
5. If awkward party games and penis lollipops don’t appeal to you, ax the wedding showers and bachelorette parties. Have a small dinner with your best friends.
6. If you feel badly making bridesmaids (or groomsmen) buy expensive outfits they’ll never wear again, ask them to wear a color. Let them choose something that works with their style, body type, and budget.
7. If registering for gifts makes you uncomfortable, set up funds with charities that mean something to you, and/or ask guests to donate to nonprofit organizations of their choice.
8. Write thank-you notes as you receive gifts (and/or donations) instead of doing them all at once after the wedding.
9. Don’t let anyone, at any time, tell you what to do or how to feel, and never allow them to make you feel badly about breaking tradition. They had their time, and this is yours.
10. Remember that just because you’re participating in an act that’s considered traditional, nothing else about it has to be. Modern women (and men) have a chance to show future generations that our world is continually moving forward. Own it.

Short North Yard Sale.

The 2011 Short North Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, June 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Presented by the Short North Civic Association, this daylong scavenging adventure takes place in Short North neighborhoods including Victorian Village, Harrison West, Italian Village, Dennison Place, and The Circles. More than 150 homes participate in the event, making it the largest yard sale in Columbus. Short North area residents who’d like to register in the official listing should visit yardsale.shortnorthcivic.org. The online listing features an interactive map and detailed descriptions of the various items that will be for sale, such as furniture, clothing, toys, and jewelry. Here are some photographs that I took of last year’s sale.

As a Short North resident and Short North Civic Association board member, I love the Yard Sale because it unites our neighborhoods and highlights our ever-abundant spirit. From a vintage sewing machine and barely-worn rollerblades to strange plants and turquoise lamps, you just never know what you’re going to find. Our wedding is on June 4 so I’ll miss out on this year’s treasure hunting madness. If you happen to go and you happen to find any My Little Ponies and/or pieces of George Michael memorabilia, please buy them for me and I’ll pay you back. I’m serious.

Substance For Fashion Conscious People.

Substance just celebrated its five-year anniversary. The Short North boutique, which offers sustainably made clothing and accessories, recently launched Substance Lofts on its second story. The new Lofts space features custom-made items by Elizabeth Ashleigh Designs; J Squared Organics fair trade soap and candles; vintage-inspired clothing by Isolda Couture; and pieces from C & E Vintage Jewelry.

Armed with a thoughtful trio of fashion, sustainability, and community involvement, Substance thrives in multiple ways. It carries organic tops and dresses, fair trade items, and vegan handbags. Its Design Lab repurposes fabric from discontinued pieces and has saved more than 300 pounds of clothing from taking space in landfills. It donates a portion of all sales to children’s education programs. So where there’s Substance, there’s style — and heaps of compassion.

As someone who owns enough scarves to wrap around the world at least once, I’m giddy about Substance’s Scarfscription. In lieu of fruit or jam, this is the gift that keeps on styling. Those who sign up for a three-, six-, nine-, or twelve-month Scarfscription receive seasonal scarves and/or wraps that match their personal fashion profiles. Brilliant.

         

 

Engagement Pictures, Mad Men Style.

When Kevin and I got engaged seven months ago, there was only one option for our engagement pictures: throwback supper club with a splash of spunk. We’re talking dark wood paneling, old timey cocktails, and fedoras. In other words: Mad Men. Kevin’s a creative director for an advertising agency, I’m addicted to vintage dresses, and we’re both fans of the show — so Don and (brunette) Betty Draper it was. In our quest to create an authentic 1950’s atmosphere, we enlisted the expertise of The Top Steak House, Ely Brothers Photography, Virtue Salon, and The Curiosity Shop. Yesterday afternoon, we posed in various barstools and banquettes at The Top in Bexley while Caleb and Levi Ely snapped shots of us sipping Manhattans and looking austere. Just like we wanted.

Through their uncanny expertise of vintage hair and makeup, Melanie Long and Sarah Harshbarger from Virtue Salon made me look like I just stepped off the train from 1952. Melanie is a sorceress of tresses who spent hours teasing, curling, and pinning my hair until I looked in the mirror and saw a young version of my grandmother. Hello, surreal. And the lovely Sarah, who went out on her own to buy the perfect shade of red lipstick for my getup, painted my face with exquisite precision. The vegan salon opened last year in Clintonville and is a beauty playground filled with talent, grace, and whimsy.

For vintage jewelry, I visited The Curiosity Shop, also in Clintonville. Every necklace, earring, bracelet, and ring in the store is vintage and in perfect condition. With the assistance of owner Lou Slowek, I bought pearl earrings and a matching necklace for the engagement shoot, and a pair of chandelier earrings for our wedding day. Lou is a walking Wikipedia of vintage jewelry whose ability to pair jewelry with clothing is frighteningly cool.

We extend our deepest thanks to The Top, Ely Brothers, Virtue Salon, and The Curiosity Shop for crafting such a genuine, and genuinely fun, engagement picture experience.  

              

Think Giftily, Shop Locally.

This holiday season, I again challenged myself to buy as many locally made gifts as possible. In addition to Craftin’ Outlaws in October and Viewfinder in November, I attended two Columbus handmade events this week: Etsy Team Columbus Holiday Art & Trunk Show at Wild Goose Creative and ARTillery Holiday Art Market at the Gateway Film Center. My reasons for this are passionate and plentiful. Supporting painters, photographers, jewelry makers, paper artists, sculptors, and fashion designers in our community means that we enable them to keep creating. It provides opportunities for like-minded residents to meet and form friendships. It keeps dollars in our local economy and positively impacts our country. I find balance by purchasing as many homegrown gifts as ones from national retailers, and I’m continually reminded that personal conversations and spirited craftsmanship mean more than shrink wrap and conveyor belts. Plus it feels darn good to buy a product from the hands that made it.

     

Homage Clothing.

Not many things in our material world can trump homegrown, vintage-inspired T-shirts. Homage Clothing is a rapidly growing Columbus-based engine of fierce sports team devotion. Visiting Homage’s new Short North retail shop is like entering some sort of 1970’s athletic micro shrine. Amidst the foam fingers, pennants, and flat-packed bubble gum, one thing’s resoundingly clear: Pride is cool. And unlike mass-produced graphic tees, Homage shirts aren’t ironic. Each American-made unisex Homage creation effuses true nostalgia and timeless style. I’m a big fan.

             

Los Angeles Part II: Wedding Dresses & Being A Total Tulle.

Earlier this week I tackled the journey of Wedding Dress Shopping, otherwise known as Oh My God I Have To Get A Wedding Dress; Holy Crap, The Most Important Thing I’ll Ever Wear; and Screw This, I’m Just Going To Have Fun With It. Contrary to myth, you can have a gigantic amount of fun shopping for your wedding dress. Princess is such a dirty word nowadays and none of us want to be smooshed inside of a meringue, but my gown-hunting mission was as euphoric as it was memorable.

And I’m one picky chick who has always exercised my constitutional right to wear whatever the heck I please. The evolution chart of my fashion phases goes like this: Preppus Ridiculous (Pollock-esque vomiting of Polo shirts, Sebagos); Punky Brewstasaurus (unicorn socks, cowboy hats with clip-on feathers, orange safety goggles); Gothica Overwhelma (Doc Martens, ever-present scowl); Hippie Magnanamus (bell-bottomed thrift store Levi’s, Birkenstocks, shirt with frog saying “Hop over to my pad”); Bohemianeeva Wannabeeya (berets, vintage skirts, appliqués); and Idontcara Anymora (jeans and T-shirts).

So there was only one wedding dress designer for this fashion anomaly: Monique Lhuillier. She is real and deft and fluidly feminine, and her flagship salon was worth every step of the 2,259-mile trip from Columbus. Thanks to the graceful yet razor-sharp assistance of Monique’s assistant manager, I frolicked in a forest of satin, lace, and organza for an entire morning. I forgot about the stress of work, life, to-do lists, and wedding planning — and was simply encouraged to be what I am: A Girl In Love.

   

Craftin' Outlaws.

The sixth annual Craftin’ Outlaws alternative craft fair takes place today at the Gateway Film Center until 5:00 p.m. With 50 regional crafters selling everything from handmade necklaces and screen printed T-shirts to beer soap and bacon candles, this daylong affair is equal parts community supporter, DIY-inspirer, and camaraderie propeller. Christmas is 10 weeks from today, and nothing bolsters a local seasonal economy more than buying handcrafted gifts created by individuals who are reinventing the American Dream one factory-free item at a time.  

           

Real Fashion, Fake Flowers, & Catastrophic Pizza.

Autumn in Manhattan gets me every time. Maybe it’s the golden leaves in Central Park and rows of pumpkins at every corner shop, or the knitted sweater coats and clusters of school kids with shiny new backpacks. Earlier this week, my fiancé and I traveled there so that he could accept a medical marketing award and I could begin the fascinating anthropological experiment known as wedding dress shopping*.

In the Garment District, where sewing machines never sleep, my mother and I visited the studio of charismatic designer Gilles Montezin. He creates wedding gowns and ready-to-wear pieces with stunningly unique drapes and pleats. Surrounded by pattern cuts and spools of satin, we learned about the intricate and tedious art of fabric manipulation. It’s probably good that I didn’t know Gilles constructed textilian masterpieces for Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker. Even though Sex and the City is resoundingly not my thing, SJP is the Mary Magdalene of the sacred couture universe, and I bought a dress at Old Navy today for $2.99. In the nearby Flower District we weaved through oceans of bulbs, blossoms, and branches, but the most impressive blooms weren’t living at all. PANY Silk Flowers carries hundreds of silk flower varieties from Thailand, and they’re the realest looking fake flowers you’ll ever find.

Later on, we walked by Ralph Lauren’s new store at 72nd and Madison. It’s an incredulously posh mansion of a retail experience that opens tomorrow and took several years to build. The decadently macabre windows are filled with black chandeliers, dangling chairs, and pouty mannequins. A man of the people Ralphie is not, but it’s always fun oogling his unattainable dioramas. A few blocks away, we feasted on a seasonal pistachio and avocado dish at the hopelessly cozy Italian eatery otherwise known as Il Riccio. And down in Greenwich Village we stopped by John’s Pizzeria, because no trip to The City is complete without one of their half cheese, half garlic meatball pies. It’s the Best Pizza In The World, so not indulging in it would be a travesty of unparalleled proportions. Only in New York, baby.

* More about this later. I promise.

Etsy Team Columbus Hosts Craftacular In Clintonville.

Clintonville is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Columbus. Bohemian, family-friendly, and socially aware, it’s the perfect setting for this weekend’s Eco-Chic Craftacular. Presented by Etsy Team Columbus and held at the Whetstone Community Center, the second annual Craftacular showcases more than 60 local crafters of handmade clothing, jewelry, accessories, journals, artwork, toys, body care, and more. It also features local food vendors, musicians, and kids activities.

Some of the highlights of this two-day craftavaganza include the traveling art adventures of Columbus Artmobile, sassily modified threads of Label Yourself, guitar pic jewelry from What The Rock?, hand-poured soy candles from The Candle Lab, and vintage repurposed jewelry by Once Lost. The free indoor/outdoor event runs until 5:00 p.m. today.

    

ReFINDesign Workshop Opens In The Short North.

Sometimes I’m so overcome when entering a space that I literally forget to breathe. These moments don’t happen often, but when visiting the newly opened ReFINDesign Workshop on Saturday night, I was utterly captivated. Put (somewhat) simply, ReFINDesign Workshop is a zero-footprint studio that creates and sells “upcycled” art, furniture, clothing, jewelry, and accessories. It’s equal parts art gallery, idea incubator, retail commune, resource center, planet saving headquarters, and vintage treehouse. Saturday night’s opening festivities included vegan cookies by Dreddie Page Bakery and local band Gelatinous Cube, which was recruited from its earlier same-day sidewalk performance on High Street. I’m already inspired and elated by this collective of mindful people, reinvigorated objects, and passionate ideals.

Zac Posen for Target.

The new Zac Posen for Target women’s clothing line launched this past weekend. Yes, it was marked on my calendar. It’s not every day that a swanky New York designer whips up a collection of dresses, swimwear, tops, and bottoms for Price Conscious Middle America.

Overall, I found the Posen frocks hanging in my nearest Target to be sweetly intriguing. They were frisky with unexpected spurts of sass, like a cutout here or an exposed zipper there. But unlike Isaac Mizrahi’s classic and safely elegant Target creations, several of these getups weren’t 100% wearable, meaning that eating, drinking, sitting, walking, bending, or playing Charades wouldn’t be feasible. Perhaps we should think of them as standing-still dresses¹.

The polka-dotted v-neck dress was undoubtedly the assortment’s signature piece². The floral brocade dress was also quite lovely and would be a stunning choice for a bright-eyed prom-goer. My only real gripe, which applies to every diet couture label, is that this line doesn’t solely rely on soft, comfortable fabrics. If cotton is the only fabric that these bigwigs can afford en masse, it’s the only one they should source. Because the polyester of the snap tape top felt as appealing as sandpaper négligée. Either way, most of the dresses sold out immediately online and were probably purchased by big city gals who’ve never even seen the inside of a Target. Now that’s what I call beautiful irony.

1 A friend of mine once referred to her five-inch stilettos as "sitting shoes."
2 In terms of wearability and intended audience.  

 

Tiny Canary Indie Design Market.

Eggnog bottles have been stocked on grocery store shelves and festive tunes are humming across radiowaves. The holidays really are just around the bend, but it’s sometimes hard to gear up for maneuvering overcrowded mall parking lots and sorting through gobs of mass-produced merchandise. It feels darn satisfying to buy one-of-a-kind handmade gifts for loved ones while supporting local craft artists, which makes Tiny Canary the perfect alternative holiday shopping experience. The third annual event takes place today and tomorrow at Junctionview Studios and showcases more than 50 independent vendors selling everything from soap and t-shirts to posters and stationary.

 

 

 

Goat Shoes.

Nothing makes me happier than my trusty goat shoes. I bought my first pair several years ago in Chicago while working at a retail design trade show. The sleek high heels I had been wearing didn’t look so suave when I was hobbling around in pain. After a harried hunt for cute but comfortable footwear my goat shoes called out to me.

“Baaaaa. Come hither, blistered one.”

With goat shoes your big toe is separated from the rest of your toes, resulting in tremendous comfort and superhero-like dexterity. I think that everyone should have at least one pair because they’re fun to wear and even funner to say. Just don’t forget the goat socks.