Slow down look around

Art from Al Page
[Charles] I've been avoiding writing about the store closing. I know that. I have some crazy notion that it isn't happening or that something will stop it, but it won't. When I finally sat down to write the "last email" to our customers and fans last night, I had been thinking about it for weeks. Honestly I'm tired of thinking about it, and talking about it, and stressing about it. I'm ready to finish something and move on. We have had a great time and loved having a shop. When it was good, it was really good. We met some of the most amazing people and made friends that we will carry the rest of our lives. Also, we aren't going away so the finality of it isn't really real. Yeah, we won't go in to that location any more, but it isn't really the place that makes us who we are. We'll still be here, working to make the neighborhood and city what it can be. We will still be building furniture in the garage and pi$$ing off the neighbors for running the table saw at 11:00 at night. We love what we do and hope to keep doing it for as long as we are able.

I'm happy. I won't have to write over another check to the landlord that can't bother to repair the building so that it doesn't smell like sewer when the wind blows or so that it doesn't flood the front room when it rains hard. The same guy who can't squeeze out the cash for a real air conditioner won't need any more cash from us. Thanks but no thanks to all the folks that ran up the price of real estate in our city. I don't know how we little guys are supposed to make it.

The part I really hate is not being able to offer space to all of the great artists we've met and loved over the years. So instead of rambling on, I want to give you fine folks a guide to how to find a few of them. We'll keep our Etsy site up so keep checking in on us and who knows where we'll turn up next...

Anika Easter - An amazing artist (remember the "birds on a wire") and beautiful person, you can find her on her website and her Etsy site here.

Anna Vasquez - Nested Yellow - She has turned out some of the most creative and fascinating jewelry we've ever seen. A great friend as well, find her on Etsy here.

Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas - Super cool celebrity couple who've been so supportive of us over the years and have brought amazing pieces into our shop and have inspired us more than they know can be found here and here.

Al Page and Lynn Manos - Another fantastic and supportive couple who've been so great to us and whom we will continue to be friends with for a long time. I'm sorry I don't have a link to Al's colorful and thought provoking work so I showed a piece at the top of this article. I think it covers how we're feeling pretty well. You can check out Lynn's work here.

Thanks to all the artists that have taken us under their wing and to all those that I didn't single out!