Girls Guide to City Life: Seattle » Shop

Open Books

Amanda Ford — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:49:07 +0000

I met Tennyson when I was in the third grade. Anne Shirley introduced us and ignited what has become my quiet affair with poetry. Upon hearing Anne recite Tennyson, I took myself straightaway to the library and told the librarian, “I’m looking for the poem from Anne of Green Gables.” She knew immediately: “The Lady of Shallot.”

I spent the next week memorizing the poem’s twenty stanzas. At age 8 I had never experienced the type of heartbreak described in the poem, but that did not matter. I recited those words over and over. I felt the Lady of Shallot’s loneliness. I knew her longing.

After Tennyson, I memorized Lewis Carroll’s “The Jabberwoky.” For years mimsy and Bandersnatch were my favorite words, although I never spoke them aloud for fear that my friends would think me weird for using made-up language.

I memorize poetry the way the devoutly religious memorize scripture. Emily Dickinson, Robert Herrick, Kenneth Rexroth, Sandra Cisneros, e.e. cummings, Rumi, Dorothy Parker, Shell Silverstein, Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, Naomi Shihab Nye…and these are just the ones coming to mind at this moment. There are so many whose words have sunk into my bones. The lines of these poets resurface from my subconscious like old friends: Unexpectedly and when I need them the most.

You can imagine, then, my delight upon discovering Open Books, a sweet store dedicated entirely to poetry. Tucked into the first floor of an old house on 45th, the store’s slim shelves are filled with poetry from the known to the obscure. The white walls are decorated with quotes like this one from Wallace Stevens, “One reads poetry with one’s nerves.” Oh yes! Glorious!

I bought two slim volumes on my recent visit. The first is entitled War by Klaus Rifbjerg, because it is the subject on all of our minds lately. The second is a small selection Tennyson’s poems. It has been nearly twenty years since I spent time with the Lady of Shallot, and I figured it’s about time we catch up.

Open Books
2414 N 45th ST
(206) 633-0811

In Vogue

Amanda Ford — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 01:20:39 +0000

Shopping at In Vogue makes me want to go on a date with a handsome, tan man at a see-and-be-seen club somewhere in Miami. Or Los Angeles. Something about the boutique’s silky tank tops, colorful halters, strapless dresses, playful prints, and luxe fabrics leave me longing for a Balenciaga bag to hang on one arm and a Ken doll to hang on the other.

In Vogue’s owner, Gee Kaur, is young and chic, and she stocks her boutique with clothes suited for Hollywood hotties like Jessica Alba and Mischa Barton. Items at In Vogue are sometimes trendy, sometimes classic, but always fashionable, feminine, and sexy. Simply stepping into the boutique, with its white walls, crisp lighting, and sleek windows, makes you feel like you are hanging out somewhere much hipper than a busy intersection of Bellevue. Somewhere like St. Barts, maybe. Or Dubai.

Gee herself is a graduate from the fashion design program at the Art Institute of Seattle. While Gee hasn’t had time for much designing since opening In Vogue two years ago, she does dream of stocking her store with her creations sometime soon. When I ask her what celebrity she would want to wear her clothes, she does not hesitate in her response: Eva Longoria. Yes! I could totally see it.

In Vogue
Bellevue Place Building
800 Bellevue Way NE
(425) 468-5765

Liberty 123, Kirkland

Amanda Ford — Thu, 11 May 2006 11:56:30 +0000

When I was a little girl, I used to dream of having my birthday party inside Toys “R” Us. I would invite my best girlfriends and we would spend the night putting on Barbie Doll fashion shows and racing the aisles on pogo sticks and roller skates.
Now that I am a grownup girl, I dream of hosting a dinner party inside Liberty 123. I would invite my closest girlfriends and we would drink wine from goblets and sip lobster bisque from delicate, flower-shaped bowls. We would light candles, dance beneath chandeliers, adorn our necks with jewels, converse with ceramic chickens, and eat hazelnut gelato with tiny spoons crafted from mother of pearl.
Liberty 123 is the type of boutique you never want to leave. This is thanks to mother and daughter owners Mary and Liberty Hanson who each possess a refined eye for choosing only the most beautiful and quality items. They have a unique ability to mix whimsy with elegance, traditional styles with contemporary moods. “It’s my passion,” says Liberty, the daughter of the team and the shop’s namesake. This passion is evident. From the Arte Italica ceramic and pewter dishes stacked high on a darkly stained, heavy farm table, to the delicate handmade jewelry by local designer River Burke, to the John Derian decoupage plates that hang on the walls: everything in the store is a work of art.
Apparently I’m not the only gal longing to linger in Liberty 123 after hours. Years ago I told Liberty, “I want to spend the night in your shop.” She nodded her head in response. “People tell me that all the time,” she laughed.
Liberty 123
123 Park Lane
(425) 822-1232

Sip and Ship, Ballard

Amanda Ford — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 23:34:46 +0000

It only took a few minutes within my first visit to Sip and Ship to realize that I had stumbled upon a special spot. It was a sunny, Sunday afternoon in the middle of December and Sip and Ship (also known as Ballard Mail and Dispatch) was crowded with people shopping for gifts, picking wrapping paper and greeting cards, and mailing packages. Despite the fervor and mayhem often associated with such holiday errands, the staff at Sip and Ship remained beyond attentive and calm. For example, while I stood deciding which set of floral note cards to purchase as a stocking stuffer for my grandmother, a young woman approached me and asked, “Can I make you a cappuccino while you shop?” I was amazed. Not only because I had never before had a salesperson offer to serve me a beverage while I shopped, but also because a cappuccino is my espresso drink of choice. How did she know? (I accepted her offer, of course!)
Part coffeehouse, part specialty boutique, part packaging and mailing service, Sip and Ship is, according to the store’s owners, “Like a concierge service for the neighborhood.” Diana and Stephen Naramore have made it their mission to create a place where people can come to get business done in a relaxed atmosphere. At Sip and Ship you can send off the mint-condition Cabbage Patch Kid circa 1984 that you sold on eBay and then shop for a birthday gift for your girlfriend (perhaps a sweet-smelling bar of soap or a container of gourmet hot chocolate or, my personal favorite, a zip-up Ballard sweatshirt). They will wrap the present for you on the spot in artsy paper while you sit checking your email on the store’s free Wi-Fi and eating a bowl of soup next to the big windows that look out onto Market Street. The upstairs loft was created with families in mind and is a place where kids are welcome to sit and play while their parents check a few errands off their to-do list.
Stephen and Diana attribute their ability to create an inviting atmosphere to the fact that they both spent years working in the cruise industry. I attribute it to the fact that they are both kind, loving people who genuinely care about building community.
Ballard Sip and Ship
1752 NW Market ST
(206) 789-4488

Les Amis, Fremont

Amanda Ford — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 06:25:23 +0000

It would be blasphemous of me to continue writing for this website dedicated to extolling all the girly pleasures that city life has to offer and not mention Les Amis. Les Amis is a classic. A standard. And while it may not be as iconic as say the Space Needle or the Fishmongers at Pike Place Market, for Seattle’s fashionistas, Les Amis is an equally significant part of our city.
With its rustic plank floors and exposed, wooden ceiling beams, Les Amis feels more like a cozy country cottage than a chic urban boutique. But it is precisely this use of raw, earthy materials as a backdrop for delicate, girly-girl clothing that makes shopping at Les Amis a rich and exceptionally tactile experience. The store is full of unique pieces like brightly colored wrap tops by Calypso, Burning Torch jackets made with vintage fabrics, Krista Larson’s gauzy, one-size-fits-most skirts, Italian leather purses, and jewelry designed by local artists. A small candle always burns near the cash register filling the shop with a mild scent, sometimes sweet gardenia, sometimes crisp cucumber and grapefruit. You can also always find a wicker basket filled with beautifully hand-dyed silk scarves. Over the years I have given many of these to various girlfriends as gifts.
Beware: I have heard other women complain about the sales staff at Les Amis being rude. I personally have never had this problem. The women who run the shop are certainly aloof, but I have always received ample help when I needed it, even from the most standoffish salesgirl of the bunch.
Les Amis
3420 Evanston AVE N
(206) 632-2877

Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park

Amanda Ford — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 12:10:22 +0000

In 1989 Ray Oldenburg wrote a book entitled The Great Good Place in which he wrote that there are three essential places that all people must have in order to feel centered in life. The first is a home, the second is a school or workplace, and the third is a community space where a person can gather with others to meet, to laugh, to discuss, to banter, to unwind, to simply hang out and cultivate a sense of belonging.
It was this idea that inspired the name and concept of Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park–to be our city’s “third place.” And just look how beautifully the store has succeeded at its mission! Everyone is welcome here from kids playing, to seniors sipping mid-morning coffee, to students typing on glowing laptops. Friday and Saturday nights bring live music, while a variety authors read from their newly published works nearly every night of the week. Here you can join a book club, watch a movie, meet with a peace group, surf the net, play chess, sip a glass of a wine, eat dinner, and even get your picture taken in a an old-fashioned, black and white photo booth. Don’t forget to check out the thousands of new and used books on the shelves. Like a family room for the entire community, a trip to Third Place Books is truly a life-affirming experience.
Third Place Books
Lake Forest Park Towne Centre
17171 Bothell Way NE
(206) 366-3333

Mercer, University Village

Amanda Ford — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 09:34:15 +0000

Be forewarned: Mercer is a dangerous place. It is not the type of store that you enter, stroll around leaving unaffected, rather it is the type of store guaranteed to dangle some piece of clothing in your face and ask, “Don’t you just love this?” In response your heart will pound a little harder. Your eyes will widen. It will be true. The store will be correct. You will love it.
This is the problem I always have at Mercer. I always find something that I really, really want. I do not, however, always buy as the prices, although not in the exorbitant, no-way-in-hell-would-I-spend-that-kind-of-money range, are certainly not bargains. On the occasions that I do decide to put Ms. MasterCard to work, my glow for my newfound item does not fade easily. Most of the clothes I have purchased at Mercer have become favorite pieces and receive regular compliments from friends and strangers alike. It’s the tropical ocean blue, Twisted Heart, zip-up sweatshirt with dazzling embroidery. It’s the versatile, deep purple, cashmere wrap by Whim. It’s the dark, cropped, Red Engine jeans that, just as the label promises, make my derriere look super sexy.
While the attitudes of the sales staff vary unpredictably from genuinely helpful and friendly to sorority girl super snob, the steady and strong tastes of Mercer’s buyers makes up for this downfall. Those of you living way out east will be happy to know that Mercer also has a location on the Sammamish Plateau.
Mercer
2670 NE University Village Drive
(206) 388-0329