News / made in america

Lisa Solomon and Candice Gold of Modify/D are two very talented local ladies with a passion for turning high-end fabric scraps (think cashmere and lush jersey cotton) into all manner of wearable and and usable things for the home. Their stuffies, pillows, dog beds, and infinity scarves are always a big hit in the shop. Be sure to drop by the shop THIS SATURDAY the 7th between the hours of 12 and 6 p.m. to meet them in person and peruse the MODIFY/D TRUNK SHOW! Lisa and Candice will be workin' the shop and have a bunch of their merch on hand, including their beloved owl stuffies. Here's a Q&A with the gals to whet your appetite:

You have such fun products. How do you come up with new ideas?
A lot of the inspiration comes from what fabric we get. We look at a swatch and say, "Oh, that will make a great pillow!," or, "That is perfect for an elephant ear, " or, "That pocket is so cute! We have to find a way to use it," or, "We can just take the hood off of that sweater and make a head/scarf thing…"

So all of your items repurpose garments that would have been discarded otherwise?
YES. We work directly with companies and get their extra yardage, damages, discards, samples, overruns, etc. It's fun because we never know what we are going to get. And we try really hard to use up what we are given with very little waste. We even keep tiny scraps to make patches, or scrap flower pins… we even save tiny scraps to use as stuffing. Most of our cashmere and sweater materials come from White + Warren in New York. Most of our knitwear and denim comes from Isda & Co. in San Francisco.

What are your favorite MODify/d products right now?
Hmmm. Always a fan of the stuffies. They are so cute and each one turns out a bit differently since they are hand-cut. Also, we're really loving our super soft infinity scarves, made from an amazing bunch of really lovely high-end jersey. Finally – our Jacquard Pillows are definitely high on the list. We got these super pretty swatches in, and it was fun to match the knit with menswear. 

How did MODify/d get started?
Candice and I have been friends for quite awhile now. We're both interested in fashion (shoes in particular), design, and the environment, and Candice has a history of working in the garment industry. At some point she was working with a cashmere sweater company and showed me the boxes of stuff that were going to end up being thrown away. It seemed criminal to allow such amazing fabric to end up in the landfill… so MODify/d was born. It's great because we have really similar aesthetics. We are also driven to try and make a difference (even if it's small. You have to start somewhere, right?). 

What are your arts and apparel backgrounds?
I'm a mixed media artist who moonlights as a professor and freelance graphic designer. I'm currently working on an exhibition that is exploring the number 1000 – sen in Japanese, with an installation featuring 1000 doilies in 100 colors pinned to the wall. Candice is an apparel industry executive (she owned her own company in New York) and is currently a consultant with Isda & Co. in San Francisco. 

With a long, lazy Labor Day weekend almost upon us, and some new limited edition and hand water colored letterpress pieces in the shop by Quail Lane Press, we're feeling inspired to do some day tripping! We posted up some of the photos below to Instagram with our ideas for some weekend excursions (pretty please, follow us on Instagram if you don't already), and got all kinds of love from folks who can't wait to load up their gear and skip town. We hope these photos make you want to get out and get going on a California adventure.

Weekend excursion #1 – Pt. Reyes. Doesn't that red plaid Faribault blanket make you want to plop down and enjoy a hearty picnic while observing the antlered elk of Point Reyes? We asked folks where they want to take their next day trip and got a bunch of fun answers – Pescadero, Boonville, Napa, Healdsburg, Stinson, Memorial Park, Tilden, Muir Beach, and China Beach. Just don't forget your anchor mugs by Harstone Pottery and mason cocktail shaker.

Weekend excursion #2 - Monterey Bay. If you have a hankering for some beach-side clam chowder, perhaps Monterey Bay is calling your name. Be sure to pack your waxed canvas satchel by Peg & Awl, Kinfolk Magazine, infinity scarf by DDCCSF, woolen iPad sleeve by Willow & Company, and mason jar with Cuppow lid.

Weekend excursion #3 – Anywhere on the California Coast. You can't go wrong on a sunny day, as long as you've got your camera on hand to capture the majesty. Leather camera strap by Uniforma and waxed canvas lunch bag by Peg & Awl.

And just look at this next letterpress piece celebrating the San Francisco Bay. *sigh* There's almost no need to day trip when we live in such a beautiful place.

Happy 4th of July! Hope you're celebrating in style, with fireworks and homemade potato salad and all the good stuff. We're closed today, but will be back in action selling American-made goods on Friday, July 5th. We'll see you in the shop real soon. Have a happy and safe Independence Day. 

Photo credit: Underwood Archives

We keep Sharon Zimmerman's beautiful jewelry right by the register, and it's a rare occurrence that someone checks out without oooohing and aaaaahing over her pieces. Her earrings, necklaces, and bracelets are simple and modern and supremely covetable, so it's no wonder she's living the real life version of the Portlandia skit "She's Making Jewelry Now." Since Sharon's a local gal, we thought we'd do a Q&A with her so y'all can get to know her better.

Your jewelry is swoon-worthy. What's the inspiration behind your designs?
I draw my inspiration from so many places – architecture, nature, travel – almost anything can become fodder for my work. I often take natural and organic forms and simplify them, removing details and adding others until I end up with a piece that is abstract and modern, but retains an organic flow.

How did you get started making jewelry?
A little over 10 years ago, I was bopping from job to job without much direction or satisfaction. I had been making and assembling jewelry for years as a hobby, but had never really seen it as a way to create a business. I stumbled upon a metalsmithing class at a Midwestern Technical College, and it was love, glorious love, at first torch, saw, and hammer. I've been at it ever since.

How is your work informed by the materials you use?
Gold and silver are such delightful materials to work with – ductile, forgiving, and malleable. Their precious qualities lead me into experimentation all the time. I don't fear making a mistake because whatever I make can always be melted down and made into something else. 

We hear you're eco-conscious. How does that factor into your work?
Sustainability and transparency are core values behind what I do. That means that I work with 100% recycled metals from Virginia-based Hoover and Strong. And when it comes to stones, I take it a step further. Once a stone is mined, it becomes almost impossible to tell where exactly it was sourced from, making the phrase "conflict-free" meaningless. I decided that lab-grown stones were the best way to go. Lab-grown stones are grown from a seed of the same material that creates the stone in nature, and produce fully grown crystals that are identical to their mined counterparts in color, weight, and hardness.

What other local jewelers are you inspired by right now?
Yikes! Within my circle of jewelry and metalsmithing friends there is an embarrassment of riches, so it's hard to choose just one. So here are a few:

Amanda Bassolino of Voce Keen – She works unusual materials into beautiful pieces imbued with meaning. I own a pair of her arrowhead post earrings, and I love the detail of the brass circle hanging off the ear back.

Derek of DMD Metals – I was lucky enough to attend the Revere Academy with this talented dude almost 8 years ago. I have long been a not-so-secret admirer of his creative talent and mega-skillz.

Liz Oppenheim – Amongst other jewelry and metalsmithing talents, she is the Mistress of Mitsuro and one of my go-to people whenever I have technical jewelry questions.

Sarah of Sarah Swell Jewelry – Like Derek, Sarah and I met at the Revere Academy 8 years ago. I have always loved her creative vision and talent and it has been exciting to see her work blossom.

Last one, I swear (I could go on for hours!)Kate of Kate Ellen Metals – Super creative, a go-getter, and a woman of great strength and perseverance. I love her work and her ethos and I am so glad to count her amongst my friends.

And then, there's Rebecca Overmann, Lauren Wolf, Kendra Renee, Lemonade Handmade, and Corey Egan… Lord, I need to cut myself off. 

* * *

Sharon's in the shop every Wednesday, and is able to take custom orders. Stop on by and say hello! Don't live nearby? Check out these post earrings available in our online shop.  

We first spotted husband and wife team Max and Linda Geiser of Wallter design in Sunset Magazine, and were immediately enamored with their awesomely designed textiles, coat racks, wall decor, and planters. When we found out they also run Modestics, an online shop with a bevy of solid American-made designers, we were even more excited, and started following their blog about American-made manufacturing and design. 

Lucky for us, Max and Linda are local and eager to share their wares with y'all! Join us June 9-16 for a week-long pop-in where their favorite picks from the Wallter line as well as their ever-popular bedding will be for sale in our shop. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this Q&A and get to know them a little better:

What inspired you to launch a bedding and housewares company, and who is your biggest design influence? 
We started our business in 1999, soon after we married. We needed furnishings, but couldn't find anything we liked – so we designed our own. We're motivated by so many architects, designers, artists, and filmmakers, it’s hard to pick just one influence. But I would have to say Charles and Ray Eames, because they have inspired so many others after them, and had the ability to succeed across all categories.

We love that you're committed to products that are made in the USA. Can you tell us more about this ethos and how you support it on your blog? 
We've been making products domestically since we started our business, and until recently, it's always been a struggle to get people to understand the value in American-made. We want to recognize the small companies and independent designers that are truly making a difference in American design. They are the ones pushing the trend forward. There's more to American-made than what comes out of Detroit.

What are some of your favorite pieces you're selling right now?
I've always loved The Slat Rack. It's incredibly functional. So much so, that the three we have in our house are so loaded up with jackets, backpacks, and magazines, you can't even see the design. 

What's it like being part of a husband and wife team?
It's great. We can totally argue and battle at the studio, but we learned long ago that work needs to stay at work. We don't bring any of the drama home. Although I'm sure our kids would say we do... 

What else are you up to these days?
Promoting the crap out of American-made modern with Modestics. And designing more outdoor products, made in the USA, of course.

Photo by Sunset Magazine

This recipe made it into our Facebook feed, and we couldn't resist sharing it with you all! With a sunny three-day weekend coming up, we hope you've reserved some time in your calendar for some inspired imbibing. Because it'd almost be a crime to turn down a lemon-infused summer cocktail on a warm day.

This recipe came to us courtesy of our friends in Brooklyn at W+P Design, who are also the inventors of a new item in our shop – the Mason Shaker. Not your ordinary cocktail shaker, it's inspired by the iconic Mason Jar and the designers' obsession with vintage kitchenware. After one too many mint juleps poured from a poorly-modified Mason Jar one summer, the idea for a better (and cooler) cocktail shaker hit them like a double shot of whiskey. After a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, the Mason Shaker was born.

Lucky for us, it's now for sale in our shop! You can purchase it in our online store or just pop on down to the shop to pick it up in person. At $34, it makes for the perfect housewarming gift for drink lovers.

Happy cocktailing!