Urban Mercantile

Back again. I-scream for Joanna Mendicino

  Okay. Just so you know, I have not fallen off the face of the earth and nothing tragic has happened. I've been busy, I thought I lost my camera, and I've been on a buying trip to New York. Lame excuses, but that's the best I can muster. If you can believe it, we're already ramping up for the holidays. We'll have a sale starting September 7th and then it's headlong into the holiday season. I'm always excited when all the fun fall stuff comes in. As it arrives, I'll keep you posted and introduce you to some great stuff.

Joanna Mendicino came in today to deliver a fresh batch of her ceramics. These new pieces debuted at the San Francisco Gift Show.They're so pretty I just want to eat them. Glossy-glazed like sculptures of vanilla soft-serve ice cream. Is today's heatwave, approaching 90 degrees in the City, causing me to make the unlikely comparison of pottery and ice cream? Perhaps.

Check out these beauties. Each design comes in three sizes; small $35.00, medium $45.00, and large $55.00. There's the cute bird family, the birds in the trees, the pebble cutouts, and the cobblestone designs. For cutes, yeah?

What's in the window this week?

It's another installment of "What's in the Window" for today's post. I'm calling this creation Logger's Delight.

The other day I was inspired by the color brown. No snickering, please. I know that might sound a little strange, but it's not, really. So many other colors look great with brown. And yet, it stands alone. So that got me thinking.

While poking around the store for a new window display idea, I remembered how popular the tree ring melamine plates have been this summer. And I start to fantasize about outdoor entertaining. Then I see we have these amazing wooden bowls and servers, then I see placemats so appropriate for rich brown table-scapes, and then, and then, and then a window display was born. That's how it works people. No divine intervention here. The melamine plates are obviously no threat to any forest. And the bowls and servers are harvested from fallen trees. So, no animals or trees were harmed during construction of this display. Nor were any loggers enlisted to help.

Bowls, servers, and round placemats are produced by Pacific Merchants. Rectangular silicone mats are by Modern Twist. Plates are by Jill Fenichell (of Brooklynn). Rounding out the arrangement are beautiful ceramic pieces by Whitney Smith (of Oakland) and Maria White Mebane (of Hollywood), and Dana Brandwein Oates (of Connecticut). Also shown are Iittala tea-lights, Dwell Studio napkins, and Fog linen aprons.