Shopping Around: New Store Openings
A second Bump is born, urbane clothing at JJ and luxe soap at a new Sweet Petula
By Seattle Mag December 31, 1969
Category: Shopping + Fashion Articles
Sibling Rivalry
After learning from the first one, raising the second child is said to be easier. And so it seems with Bump number two at Bellevue Square, birthed last August. While offering a similar selection of merchandise as its Seattle sibling—stylish maternity clothes, body care for the mom-to-be, delightful baby garb, gifts and gadgets—the setting is sleeker with a sense of simple chic. A chocolate wall contrasts with hot pink, a white glass chandelier hangs above the playpen and an avocado-colored couch welcomes you to sit. Catering to the Eastside mama, owner Kelly Buck has stocked this store with a larger selection of premium jeans from the likes of Chip and Pepper and Paige Denim (around $200), along with Michael Stars Maternity tees ($50–$75).
Bump Maternity, 1075 Bellevue Square; 425.454.BUMP [2867].
Dressed for Success
By association, Sandy Chac and Chanda Mak, friends and co-owners of Capitol Hill boutique JJ, which opened last August, understand sartorial style that goes beyond fashion into the realm of fabric and construction. (Chac worked at her family’s dry cleaning business as a teen; Mak observed as her mother, a tailor, turned out beautiful hand-sewn clothing.) Their familiarity is reflected in choices of clothing more urbane than you’d expect to find in this hipster neighborhood, such as the man-tailored designs of Henrik Vibskov from Denmark, oversized and casual ($100–$300). Or the ultra-femme dresses from Sretsis of Thailand, ruffled and silky ($300–$500). There are accessories to match: polished shoes from Eley Kishimoto ($300) and simple sterling silver jewelry from Refine, a small Vancouver, British Columbia, designer. The sophistication of this streamlined shop measures up to any other with a graphic “ruler” adorning one wall, galvanized steel fixtures and a modular, civilized couch for guests.
JJ, 606 E Pine St.; 206.329.1105.
Soap Dish
Cory Smith thinks of her second Sweet Petula shop, opened in Pioneer Square in October, as a lab—a place to make her products sold at both stores (the other, in Madison Valley, is a bed and bath boutique where she carries her products plus luxurious bedding, pj’s and more) and try out new ideas on drop-in customers. Here she focuses solely on her own lines: Sweet Petula body luxuries and Good Clean Dog natural pet care. In the robin’s egg blue retail space, clean white shelves are lined with prettily packaged soap, lotion, body washes, bath salts and scented candles ($2.25–$22). Against the hallway wall, bars of soap cure, while in an industrial kitchen in back, Smith busily makes each item from fresh ingredients turned by hand. Deal alert: This is the only place to buy Sweet Petula’s signature soap scraps (in scents such as Sweet P, Ginger Blossom and Ruby Grapefruit) in bulk for about $8 a bag.
Sweet Petula, 208 S Jackson St.; 206.246.3488.