30 June 2009

Holiday Weekend Hours

Vintage Independence Cherubs by local artist Susan Fogle.

In honor of Independence Day, please see our shop hours for this weekend:

Friday, July 3rd, 10 AM - 2 PM
Saturday, July 4th, CLOSED


Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

29 June 2009

Visions from Indie Girl


Hope you enjoy these photographic moments from Saturday's über-successful Indie Girl Trunk Show. And I LOVE being able to call this event über-successful because this time, THE BLISSFUL can't take all the credit for it. We were beyond thrilled at the crowd our five indie artists drew--hundreds of our regular customers and many, many new faces thronged the store to get first dibs on the artists' debuts. We were surprised at how overwhelmingly enthusiastic were customers' responses to this event because we've never done anything quite like this before to feature local artists. By popular demand, we'll definitely be adding more of these types of events to our yearly roster!

Artist Angie Lamielle of The Canton Box Company pauses for reflection.


Careful preparations were made.


Our little Trunk Show mascot, artist Kathleen Houston's baby peacock, "Mr. Indie."


Showing off the goods.


Artists provided individual attention to customers.


A plethora of imaginative works.


Such a fan, she signed up for more details.



























26 June 2009

Indie Girl Preview

Some snaps I snuck in just for you. . .a preview of tomorrow's Indie Girl debuts:

Strand by Kelly McGreal





The Canton Box Company




love, zoey designs





Melissa Jackson





Kathleen Houston




See you tomorrow from 10 AM - 5 PM!

25 June 2009

Momentous Saturday


This Saturday, June 27th, from 10 AM-5PM is the first-ever-of-its-kind Trunk Show event at THE BLISSFUL featuring five local artists {four women plus one husband-and-wife duo}. We call it Indie Girl and we're pretty excited about it. Did you have a chance to check out our recent Q&A's with each artist? If not, click on each artist's name to be transported directly to the interview and put a face and a story with the name: Zoey Bond of love, zoey designs; Kathleen Houston; Angie and Tyson Lamielle of The Canton Box Company; Melissa Jackson; and Kelly McGreal of Strand by Kelly McGreal.

But what's an "indie" anyway? For a moment, I'll let Wikipedia do the talking: "The indie design movement is made up of independent designers, artists and craftspeople who design and make a wide array of products without being part of large, industrialized businesses. They are supported by a growing number of indie shoppers who are seeking niche and often handmade products as opposed to those mass-produced by corporations. . .The indie design movement can be seen as being an aspect of the general indie movement and DIY culture."



From the very beginnings of THE BLISSFUL, we have carried a wide selection of indie work that is handmade throughout the U.S. and beyond. Our point of view as a shop is to scout out and bring home that which is not otherwise found in our area. In an economy struggling in part because of the failure of large corporations to keep their promises to their customers and clients, we believe more than ever in shopping locally and indie as often as possible and supporting the types of small, independently owned businesses on which our nation's economy was first built.



On Saturday, we honor the local indie talent that has caught our eye. We are thrilled and honored to present these intrepid artists and their imaginative works to you and we hope you enjoy.


See you Saturday at Indie Girl! Please note that the shop will be closed tomorrow, Friday the 26th, for set up. We'll reopen at 10 AM on Saturday for the show!



P.S. If I were you, I'd shop early for the best selection!

24 June 2009

Indie Girl Q&A: Zoey Bond


We wrap up our introduction of our Indie Girl Trunk Show artists with a familiar face for many of our local customers. It's Zoey Bond, who up until recently was one of THE BLISSFUL's own stellar shopgirls.

Q: What would you like to tell customers about your line, love, zoey? What plans do you have for the line down the road {i.e. expanding into other items beyond jewelry}?
A: love, zoey is the manifestation of years of thoughts, notes, journal entries, and day-dreaming about what I wanted to be when I "grew up." An amazing friend recently inspired me to try my hand at the world of jewelry design and was the perfect fit as the first step in building my long-awaited design business. I have always been inspired by all facets of design and plans are in the works over the next few seasons to broaden the love, zoey line to include some hand sewn apparel and home decor treasures. I truly thrive when I am creating.



Q: What are some words or phrases you'd use to describe the feel/mood of the pieces you're creating right now?
A: Fresh, clean, and original with bold pops of color! I aim for a combination of fun frivolity and timeless elegance. I don't want my pieces to be taken too seriously, but I do want them to be special enough that they become the wearer's "go-to" statement pieces.



Q: What or who inspires you as a designer, or, give us a peek into your creative process.
A: As you know, my husband and I recently moved [to the Cleveland area]. Our new home is situated in the most inspiring farm-like setting. Here I am surrounded by nature. We literally live within a bird sanctuary area! I see each piece I create in a very organic way. Pulling from our new farm life, every item in this season's line is representative of Summer's bounty. The chain pieces are chosen to represent plant stalks and tree trunks, and the jewels and other findings are reminiscent of the leaves, fruit, and flowers of the plant. Vegetation is so perfectly adorned, shouldn't we be as well?



Q: Word is you're doing something special for customers during the Trunk Show.
A: Right! To celebrate all that is wonderful about THE BLISSFUL and its customers--[oh, stop]--I'm having a giveaway at the Indie Girl Trunk Show. Shoppers can enter a drawing to win the pair of love, zoey earrings of their choice.



Q: Where can fans find more of your work?
A: My Etsy shop will be opening very soon, but for now my blog is the best way to see sneak peaks and insights into the latest creations in the love, zoey line. Fans can also sign up for our e-mail updates at our booth at the Indie Girl Trunk Show or by e-mailing us at lovezoeydesigns@gmail.com. They can also follow us on Twitter here.


Save the date, invite a friend, and we'll see you at Indie Girl!