January 2008
Discover Local Writers at the Off Hours Reading Series
Stop by Sole Repair in Capitol Hill (1001 East Pike St., solerepairshop.com) for the Off Hours reading series, featuring among others, former Rocket editor Charles Cross and Open Books co-owner Christine Deavel. Doors open at 7:30pm, which gives you plenty of time to order a specialty cocktail (always named after one of the readers) before…
Four Shared Office Spaces are Sanctuaries for Freelancers
Independent contractors converse, collaborate and work at these coveted coworking sites.
Freelancers know it well: that stir-crazy feeling one gets when working alone at home (especially when the cat refuses to help with brainstorming). Coworking spaces, such as Capitol Hill’s long-running Office Nomads ($30/day, $60 and up per month. 1617 Boylston Ave.; 206.323.6500; officenomads.com), aim to eliminate isolation and increase connections—and they’re popping up in increasing…
A Theater of Culinary Delights
Café Nordo is back with its biggest concoction to date.
If the walls of the century-old Washington Hall in Seattle’s Central District could talk, they would recall legendary happenings, including performances by Billie Holiday and Jimi Hendrix. But the former community dance hall may not have seen anything quite like Café Nordo, an event featuring an elusive chef (or team of chefs; it’s a secret)…
Mid-century Modern Homes
Mid-century modern houses are architecturally en vogue—so much so that in Seattle, people are willin
Epitomized by the work of influential California architects Charles and Ray Eames and real estate developer Joseph Eichler, mid-century modern homes took root in Seattle when the city was expanding beyond its core into neighborhoods such as Magnolia, View Ridge and West Seattle. “The mid-century design was a move away from traditional, compartmentalized floor plans,”…
Learn Olympic-style Archery
Take your favorite 'Hunger Games' fan to the newly remodeled Next Step Archery facility in Mountlake
Bounce-house-weary moms and Hunger Games–crazed kids have a cool new birthday party option: archery. The newly remodeled Next Step Archery facility in Mountlake Terrace offers kids (and adults) a chance to learn Olympic-style archery, either just for fun or for competition. Parties include a short lesson, archery challenges, and lots of games and moving targets….
Zomsters Kids T-shirts
Kids love the crazy characters created by Snoqualmie mom Ronda Bergman for her new children’s clothi
What do a sports-loving snail, a deep-sea-diving walrus and a trapeze-artist monster have in common? They’re all part of the colorful (and earth-friendly) pack of creatures known as Zomsters, imagined by Snoqualmie mom Ronda Bergman for her new children’s clothing line. Bergman, a former clothing designer for Northwest outdoor clothiers (Columbia Sportswear, Outdoor Research and…
The Beer Calculator
The Seattle founder of a social networking site for home brewers is poised for more pints.
“I’m actually not that great of a brewer,” confesses Ballardite Todd Gehman, founder of the homebrew recipe sharing website Hopville (hopville.com). “I’m much better at making a site for brewers.” He’s certainly right about the latter. Launched in 2008, Hopville’s site traffic has roughly doubled each year since, and currently has 6,000 active users sharing…
Personalized Skinny Tie Clips
Cool custom-engraved metal tie clips add a personal flair to any guy's three-piece suit.
Gents, pair your dapper skinny necktie with a clip made to fit: Kirkland-based jewelry artist Paige Forland forges her 1- to 3-inch-long tie clips from an array of burnished metals, such as copper and brass, adding modern textural designs or custom engraving for a polished finish to your power suit. $12–$25 at purelypaige.etsy.com.
Channeling Chanel
Andrea Voss’ clothing designs blend classic and cool.
Lynnwood-based designer Andrea Voss’ muse list reads as follows: Coco Chanel, early-’90s rockers like Axel Rose and the costumers of Star Trek. The women’s and menswear designer cites the quirky assemblage as influences behind her ultramodern Voss Rock line. A graduate of Los Angeles’ Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and a veteran of multiple…
Anthousa
Follow your nose to this boutique fragrance store in South Lake Union.
It isn’t the soft-lilac-hued walls or sparkling chandelier that first draws shoppers into the new Anthousa (South Lake Union, 900 Lenora St., Suite 105; anthousa.com) so much as the wafting aromas of crisp cucumber or spicy nectarine. The antithesis of a cloying scent shop, the pocket-sized boutique is the new headquarters of local fragrance guru…
Collectors Joe and Jill McKinstry Fill their Home with Local Art
This Seattle couple has an art collection built on personal history.
“The problem is, we don’t have enough walls.” It sounds ironic, coming from Joe McKinstry, owner of prominent Seattle homebuilding and remodeling company Joseph McKinstry Construction Company. But once you experience the sheer volume of art in his house—a lovely Mount Baker Craftsman, where he lives with his wife, Jill, director of the University of…
Old Main in Bellevue
Chic boutiques and charming new cafés occupy this classic Eastside shopping district.
Bellevue may be best known for the brand-name mecca Bellevue Square mall (or more recently, for being at the opposite end of the grumble-inducing 520 bridge toll), but just one block south of the downtown park between Bellevue Way and 100th Avenue lies the sweet Old Main Street district with plenty of new draws that…