A new life for old clothes

To celebrate one year in its current studio, the FXRY—a clothing repair service available via in-person appointments, home pickup, or mail-in drop off—is dropping its first collection. A small batch of reworked pieces, Second Mark will feature 13 vintage barn jackets, cropped, chain-stitched, and renewed into a completely unique, one-of-one item. Jackets, offered at $595 each, will be available on a first-come, first-served basis this Saturday. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. But fear not, if you’re out of town or have a conflict, FXRY founder Calley Dawson, who is passionate about salvaging clothing to keep it from ending up in landfills, plans to offer additional collections under the Second Mark label in the future. Sign up to be notified about these releases here.

Also, if you have any clothing that needs a little love—anything from hemming jeans to fixing a hole in a sweater, to more complicated repairs—I can vouch for the FXRY. They patched up a favorite pair of ecru-colored denim pants that had an unfortunate run-in with a sharp edge on one of the TSA luggage screen belts at Sea-Tac Airport, and within a couple of days, they were repaired and back to me, looking as good as they ever did, with only a tiny scar where the rip occurred. 

The FXRY studio doors open at 10am, Saturday, May 30, 1414 31st Ave S, Suite 101, Seattle, WA 98144.

Walk this way

On Thursday, June 4, during Pioneer Square’s First Thursday Art Walk, you’ll be able to pick up the Seattle History Hip-Hop Walking Map outside King Street Station for free. Created by local music lover, record label owner, and artist Gary Campbell in partnership with Common Area Maintenance and Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, the map features two fold-out routes through the city, plus a 16-page guidebook featuring stories from the first decade of Seattle rap: the early ‘80s to 1993. 

On Sunday, June 7, Campbell will lead a guided walk following the Central District route featured in the guide. “Meet on 23rd Ave outside the entrance of the new Judkins Park Light Rail Station, and we’ll walk through the CD, ‘all the way to Dick’s,’” he notes. The route is 4.1 miles and will take about 3 hours to complete. Both ends are on Sound Transit’s new 2 Line, which makes for an easy loop after the walk. 

Can’t Miss It: The Seattle History Hip-Hop Walking Map will be available for free at each Art Walk this summer via the Common Objects mobile bookstore (a converted Japanese fire truck) parked in front of King Street Station.

Sip, sip hooray!

As I’ve probably mentioned before, I live at the very north end of Pike Place Market, so I tend to have my finger on the pulse of things happening in that area of town. Recently, the market announced its new Sip and Savor pilot program, which will allow visitors (21+) to stroll through its iconic stalls with an alcoholic beverage in hand. 

How it Works: Guests who wish to participate will be asked to show their ID in order to receive a wristband that allows them to buy drinks (served in designated cups) from one of the 24 participating vendors. A full list of participating businesses can be found here. 

Sip and Savor starts on June 5 and runs Fridays through Sundays from 12–5 pm, through Labor Day weekend.

The art of the toast

There are some things in life that you have to experience to understand. Case in point, a friend of mine recently invited me to a Georgian dinner party—the country, not the state. She sent the link to purchase a ticket, which I did hastily without reading much about what to expect. I thought we’d show up, enjoy some food, have a couple of glasses of wine, and maybe meet some interesting people. And while all of those things did occur, the evening we had was truly unlike pretty much any dinner party I’ve ever attended. As I said, it was an experience. 

Hosted by the Supra Dinner Society at the Glassybaby space in Madrona, the evening brought together history, culture, food, people, ideas—and throughout a 4-plus hour meal of incredible Georgian food, the table grew closer, bolder, more open. People cried; people acknowledged those they had lost; one set of brothers Facetimed their mother, who, in her 80s, was celebrating her birthday and took a slug from a bottle of champagne as we toasted her over camera. 

The format is simple, but the experience is nuanced. As the Supra Society website explains: “Everyone gathers at one table with abundant Georgian food and wine. A professional Tamada (toastmaster) guides the evening through a series of toasts—each one exploring a different part of the human experience.” We toasted to hope, love, humor, peace, parents, children, and family. Our talented Tamada, Daniel Padrnos, guided us through the experience with patience, respect, curiosity, and an evident reverence for Georgian culture. I haven’t attended an event where I felt so connected to the people around me, and not over work, but over deeply human emotions that we all experience together as we shared a meal. Food breaks barriers. It’s a connecting point that softens us and taps into our personal histories and memories. 

This wasn’t just a dinner; it was an experience. My friends and I are still talking about it two weeks later. I am already planning on taking my fiancé. I cannot recommend it enough. If you take one risk this year, make it this: book yourself a dinner with strangers and see how the night evolves. 

To learn more about the Supra dinner and book your seat, click here.