An Attempt to Curate My City

I am tempted. I am tempted to take this little blog outside Seattle. I absolutely love to travel, and these past months led me to Israel, Turkey, Greece, Whistler, and a North Carolina sailing village – complete with crab boils and cast-net fishing. Do I go there, here?

I desperately wanted to put up some photos from those trips, but realize that the scope of this blog is meant to focus me: “Seattle and her Surroundings.” And this narrow focus helps me to see and think creatively here at home – to look for the excellent, the charming, the intriguing. It gives me space and boundary.

So I made a decision: it is time to stay home and curate. I'm going to start recording a mixed-tape – a compilation – of some of my favorite Seattle places. Over the next two weeks I am going to take one spot every day and explain why I find it:

1. Excellent (possessing outstanding qualities that are impressive)

2. Charming (have some sort of magical quality or power that makes me want more)

3. Intriguing (accomplish something new and wonderful - or old and wonderful)

I am going to begin with a boutique I visited this weekend in Fremont: Les Amis , owned by tasteful guardian, Becky Buford.

(photo compliments of Les Amis)

1. Excellent: Understated good taste. Taste you can live in. French taste. The brands they carry says it all: Graham & Spencer, Pas de Calais, Gary Graham, Souchi, Giada Forte, Vince, Lem Lem... The list can go on. All I know is that I find rack after rack of textiles I want to live in, jewelry I would be honored to don, and kind service that feels luxurious.

2. Charming: It feels like you've stepped into a French countryside market full of things you want to cuddle and feel and wrap around your body. Cashmere and hammered metals. James Perse simplicity and local Seattle oddities.

(photo compliments of Coco + Kelley)

3. Intriguing: Les Amis has a growing family. One of the best stories of this place is simply how it keeps creatively growing. Les Amis came first, and then Essenza opened up to show off the best French soaps, botanical scents, and delicate jewelry in town. (Essenza deserves a post of it's own). Recently, Les Amis partnered with Lambs Ear and adopted yet another spot next to Essenza - dedicated to shoes - called Thistle. They carry coveted gems like A Detacher, Rachel Comey and Zeha Berlin. I love that the owner is not content to simply display all jewels, triple-milled French soaps, and handmade leather shoes next to her clothing in Les Amis - she dreams of space! It is as if she loves these other products enough to give them their own room to move and grow and show-off. I hope Becky Buford keeps going until every other store in Fremont is under her care.