What a Long, Strange Trip It Has Been

This could be a lot of things: A wistful, nostalgic post about the evolution of the store over the years. A depressed, pitiful post about the ending of things. A "remember when" post about all the exciting (and not-so-exciting) things that have happened since we opened our doors.

But it's not. Instead it is a time to look back and see that the meandering path led us to the exact place we wanted to be from the beginning, without even knowing it. While perhaps naive, I like to think this is how most of life works...it just takes some time to see it.

Enough with the cryptic philosophizing -- after four years, we are closing our retail storefront to focus on our interior design business. And we couldn't be more excited! The world of retail has been a wild ride and has opened doors to so many people, places, and things we would never have otherwise known, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

But most of all, it has helped to build a flourishing design business, a passion for which has always been the underlying driver of the storefront. And it has connected us with hundreds (thousands?) of people who would become customers and clients--even friends--and that has been the most rewarding part of the entire journey. Since opening four years ago, the city has become a different place to me, filled with familiar faces everywhere I go. What an amazing gift. Thank you for being a part of that, and for sticking with us as life continued to get crazier with more kids, new locations, different business strategies, and more.

We aren't going far -- just to a second-floor spot down the street (1205 East Pike Street, to be exact) where we will have a by-appointment design office that will house all of our wonderful fabrics, wallpaper, product catalogs, and more... We hope you'll continue to follow along on our endeavors; heck, maybe now I'll *finally* have time to blog again!

The good news? We have to clear the decks here before our big move in a few weeks, and there are still some goodies to be had. All remaining inventory (not including already sold pieces --duh, right? -- and artwork) is 50% off.

Stop by Thursday - Saturday from 10:30 - 2:30 to scoop up some bargains and say hello...we would love to see you. Plus we really don't want to move any more stuff.

Thanks for hanging in there with us through thick and thin. We wouldn't be here without you.

A Capitol Idea

In case you missed our "leak" to our e-mail subscribers last week (and buried in our last blog post), it's finally official: Revival Home & Garden is relocating to Capitol Hill, on 12th -- the area now known around town as the "Pike/Pine Corridor."

We could not be more excited to call businesses such as Barrio, Cupcake Royale, Izilla Toys, Tavern Law, Osteria La Spiga, Retrofit Home, and more as our new neighbors. Looks like the news is already traveling.

Our grand re-opening is planned for October 1, and of course you are all invited!

Now back to packing...

Hanging Around

Cane daybed

Original price: $3,350

Sale price: $1,675

Whew! Less than two weeks to go in our current location (yikes!), and while so many of our favorite things have gone to good homes, a number of beautiful pieces remain on the floor, all at fantastic prices. We thought we'd share some highlights of what you have 11 days to snap up!

10' Vintage-Pine Belgian Dining Table

Original Price: $7,000

Sale Price: $4,000

Palomar Table Lamp from Shine Home

Original Price: $395

Sale Price: $237

Fretwork Bench

Original Price: $899

Sale Price: $539

Belgian Slipcovered Sofa

Original Price: $6,000

Sale Price: $4,000

Cru Wine Rack

Original Price: $150

Sale Price: $75

Coconut Bead Chandelier

Original Price: $998

Sale Price: $598

Greek Key Accent Table

Original Price: $265

Sale Price: $159

If you're outside of Seattle, give us a call or drop us a note to learn more about any of the items pictured above. A number of the pieces are also listed on our Web site, but to receive the most updated discount, please call to purchase.

Back to the move....our goal is to reopen in our new location October 1. Where is this new location, you ask? And why have you been so mysterious about it?

Turns out it has taken us a heck of a long time to a) find the right location and b) sign the lease on said location. We're signing the lease this week (can you say "down to the wire"?), but we'll tell you this much: Capitol Hill. 12th Avenue.

Stay tuned for further details! And mark your calendars for Thursday, October 1, when we plan to have one heck of an opening night celebration.

YES!

Thanks to Style Court for helping us discover this sign that could have sprung from our own minds....except for number 5. (Apologies to you jewelry lovers.)

Spanning the Globe

...or, at least, the greater Seattle area. Yes, we now have a SECOND location (sort of). Does that make us sound full-fledged or what?

We are beyond excited to have a selection of our vintage merchandise represented by the fabulous Pacific Galleries here in Seattle. Long one of our own must-shop stops, it was a natural fit for extending our reach and promoting our vintage selection and design services.

Not being the crafty sort, I was a bit nervous about how my concept would come together, considering the execution consisted of me, a staple gun, rolls of grosgrain ribbon and bolts of fabric from Ikea.... I felt like a "Top Design" contestant. Needless to say, the final product is full of color and a bit on the bold side. Shocked, aren't you? Take a look and see what you think.

I used black and white ribbon to simulate panels, and adorned them with great faceted chrome upholstery tacks from Home Depot.... The graphic fabric covering the back wall is from Ikea! Have you shopped their by-the-yard fabric selection? Some of their patterns are really wonderful for light-duty applications like pillows, window treatments, or something more bizarre like covering entire walls.

But back to our Pacific Galleries booth. A parting shot:


For all you Seattle-ites, much better than photos is a face-to-face viewing. Maybe we'll see you there!

Left Behind

Just in--and on sale--carved mahogany Chinoiserie gilt mirror

So by now you know a few things:

1. We're moving. (Details forthcoming...hopefully in the next week!)

2. We're having a sale to minimize the amount of heavy lifting said move entails.

3. If heaven were a store, we would have wings. (We figured we were on a roll, so why not push the envelope?)

You're probably thinking to yourself, "Self, why have I dithered and dathered and not yet gone to Revival Home & Garden to snap up that fab (insert piece of your dreams here)?"

Fear not, gentle customers, for there are many finds remaining, just waiting for you to come take them away from all this.

Finds like these:

Vintage pair of brass and lucite adjustable sconces

Faux python X-base bench (also in-stock in white faux croc)

Vintage swivel-base metal bamboo chair

Vintage pair of ginger jar lamps and custom black linen shade

(Personal note: These are STUNNING! Save me from myself)

Jonathan Adler side chair with custom Schumacher seat cushion

Insanely stunning and long vintage brocade sofa with ORIGINAL FABRIC

Pair of vintage lacquer armchairs

We could go on and on, or you could come by or pay us a virtual visit. Don't let a little procrastination come between you and your decorating destiny.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Spring is finally upon us here in the Pacific Northwest (well, sort of), and in that spirit of renewal, we've decided to do some re-imagining of our own.

You may not have heard (she said sarcastically), but there's a recession underway, one that began, oh, around the same month we opened last year....the same month I was six months pregnant. Yes, we've always had impeccable timing.

In spite of aforementioned economic hardships, we've had a successful initial year--received to-die-for press coverage, met incredible people, designed lovely spaces, and sourced some fabulous finds. But we've had to face the realization that, over the last year, people's buying habits have changed, and as a result, we're redirecting the focus of our business.

Over the passing months, we've observed more and more that customers continue to seek out one-of-a-kind vintage treasures, and they value the investment of time and resources in redesigning their homes, in small or large degrees. But random (albeit cool) tchotchkes? Not so much.

In light of this, we've taken a hard look at ourselves and realized these two most successful areas of our business are also the ones we most enjoy. This realization, paired with our desire to stay lean and mean, means something great for us both: WE'RE MOVING!

Where are we moving, we ask? We don't exactly know just yet. But we promise you will be the first (or at least in the top ten) we tell.

One thing we do know about our new location? It will be much smaller, to enable us to be more intentional with our product offering (with a nice side benefit of keeping our overhead down). And because of this, we are clearing out the shop with merchandise priced to move.

Beginning Friday, May 8, all items in the store (except for a few pieces on consignment we can't discount) will be 30% off. Yes, that's right: almost EVERYTHING. Design books? Yep. Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry? You betcha. Vintage furniture? Uh huh.

So, if you've had your eye on anything, now's the time to act. There will be an additional markdown or two with passing weeks, but many of you will recall from our last big sale the sadness of discovering your beloved items snatched out from under you by someone more risk-averse. Don't let it happen again!

Those of you who know us know how much we love Georgetown, and we have mixed feelings about closing our doors there, but we are also so excited to discover what lies ahead. We hope you are, too.