glassybaby tales

Mom

   Signature of the week?...Mom, and it is so sweet. All sorts of mixes have gone out the door. One encounter made me smile. A dear customer carefully chose 2 four packs of glassybaby. The first quatro for her 'colorful' mother included Poppy, Tang, Seattle Sunset and Lipstick. The second mix was going to her 'neutral' mother in law, a really handsome mix of Toffee, Chocolate, Warm Gravy and Chocolate Cherry. I love it...the ownership of color or even lack of color.

   Again a tale in the spirit of motherhood. A lovely customer brimming with baby in utero came into our shop. She seemed to just take in the time, enjoying color choice. As I boxed our exchange went something like this:

me: 'When is the baby due?'

her: 'I have one and a half weeks to go.' (accompanied by a sweet, yet deep    exhale.)

me: 'How are you doing?'

her: 'I am on bed rest.'

   And then there was the alternative Mother's Day encounter. An athletic, brisk and friendly customer came in for 2 colors. Her move toward Wet Dog and Greenlake was decisive. My subsequent, always there, banter revealed this... she was celebrating the good news from her veterinary surgeon, that her sweet 'bowser' had made it through a rather significant surgery very well. Doggy would be receiving the Wet Dog glassybaby as a get well present. Her other dog would receive the Greenlake glassybaby as a Mother's Day present.

   So wonderful. Woof. Happy Mother's Day in whatever form it takes. Until Next Time, Nicola               

The Grace of Jill

   We have a dear and treasured customer who frequents our store. We have learned of her story through her visits...knowledge that we hold sacred. Over a year ago, her 8 year old son passed away, an unimaginable loss that has touched us all. What is so palpable from her presence in our store is her strength, her grace, her absolutely beautiful smile, the surround of her family and friends, as well as the depth of her loss.

   Because of the inherent sanctity of this tragedy I have not written of it before this time. However, in a way of honoring Jill's grace and soulfulness it feels appropriate to share a recent store encounter with her. She came into our store in all of her loveliness. It is always a pleasure to see her. She began to study color, lighting glassybaby within the store shadow boxes, taking careful measured time to choose just the right trio. I learned that she was taking a gift to strangers.

   Recently, tragedy has befallen another Seattle family. Their son passed away in a skateboarding accident. Again, a  life much too young to leave. Jill felt compelled to go to this family. She described to us so eloquently the kind of comfort and warmth and prayerfulness that candlelight and color have given her family. Her gesture and impetus to find this grieving family just gave us awe.

   Despite the gravity...this all strikes a chord to Mother's Day which arrives one week hence. The enduring, abiding, deeply soulful love of a mother and her selfless desire to provide solace to another family in their kindred loss.

   Until Next Time, Nicola

The Color of Hibiscus, Secretaries +1, U Village Revisited

   I love this... two glassybaby gift sets sent by our 'Fresh from the Oven,' same day courier service...speak a thousand words. This unfolded in the store last Monday... a lovely customer entered and spent careful glassybaby time perusing the multitude of color. For lovely set #1 she chose Coral Red, inspired by the Hibiscus color woven into the fabric decorating a Hawaiian get away home. Our customer and her husband had recently stolen away to these great digs for an island retreat generously provided by their dear friends. She was choosing the right color by holding up a cell phone photo. She nailed it...Coral Red will be smashing. Next came lovely gift set #2... a handsome combination of French Vanilla going to, and here is the thousand words part, the other generous family friends who took care of the kids while mom and dad lanai-ed at the Hawaiian oasis. So perfect and stylish to use glassybaby and our same day delivery service to thank the generosity of these collective friends.

   Other notes from the store. On the eve of Secretary Day, a dear and familiar customer swooshed through our door. She chose four gorgeous glassybaby in the pinky purple palette (Prom Dress, First Kiss, Sister and Taffy.) Four secretaries would each receive this recognition vessel...add ons to their growing collections. Our customer stealthily tossed in a fifth glassybaby at the last minute and half whispered something like this:

'My husband will kill me if I buy anymore glassybaby for myself...but of course...I can't resist.'

Then their was a rousing exchange between all the shoppers in the store about the virtues and pitfalls of shopping 'smoke and mirrors.' Your secrets are safe with us.

   End note. We have once again arrived at University Village. We love and appreciate this partnership revisited. Our Village housing trajectory? We have gone from tent to shed to storefront. Lee and Jeanine, our C.O.O., steered the design ship and the store looks absolutely fab. Just imagine, verdant plantings in long boxes, 'floating' shelves with glassybaby in the windows, a projection of glassybaby being made, custom Russian Birch tables for lighting the glassybaby, and a macho shelving unit with every color in our Spring palette and more. It is a great little outpost for us...during May and June. You can find us just adjacent the kids play area. The Village annually commits a weekend in May to raising shopping dollars for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Many vendors take part in 'Shop to make a Difference.' We will multiply that weekend into 8 weeks plus of raising funds. Four dollars from every Village sold glassybaby will go to Fred Hutch. We extend our gratitude to the University Village for this opportunity so parallel to our abiding commitment of giving to cancer causes often and forever, Come find us. And...don't forget Mom.

   Until Next Time, when hopefully my down coat will be in the closet. Nicola