News – Tagged "made in Oakland" – Marion + Rose Fine Goods -Unique objects for living a life surrounded by comfort, craftsmanship and love.

Plaid Weekend?

Plaid Weekend is many things. This year in Oakland it is two days of local love- Plaid Friday- the shop local alternative to the big box “Black Friday” and Small Business Saturday- a perfect way to kick off the holidays by shopping local and supporting small business.

Did we mention that IT’S OUR 6 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!! Holy Moly, we can’t believe it. We are celebrating by thanking our customers with some fantastic offerings:

-Chance to win a Faribault throw blanket

-The first 50 people to spend $50 get a free goody bag with a limited edition exclusive M + R scent candle by Illuminate Waxworks, a mini chocolate bar by Endorfin foods and surprise discounts from 10% to 50% off.

nibble delicious cookies by Hen House
Sample Juniper Ridge White Sage and Wild mint tea
We’ve partnered with SKUE to present local maker pop-ups with Zelma Rose and Company Confections

SMALL BIZ SATURDAY

Maker Pop-up with VARTAN 12-4pm

Vartan textile studio is located in downtown San Francisco, where we find inspiration in both the romantic and practical purposes of a simple piece of cloth. We use modest and often ancient construction methods, such as Japanese Shibori dyeing techniques and delicate hand-rolled hems, to create thoughtfully-crafted pieces made from the highest quality fabrics and dyes.

Some History of Plaid Friday

Founded in 2008, Plaid Friday is a national movement to support independent businesses during the busiest shopping day of the year. The plaid symbolizes the weaving together of individual small businesses to create a strong community fabric that celebrates diversity, creativity, and unique offerings. This year the City of Oakland, Oakland Grown and Townsquared have partnered up to make Plaid Friday a weekend long celebration of small business in Oakland. Oakland's Plaid Friday Weekend is the perfect way to shop, eat, and indulge with your loved ones while exploring the many vibrant businesses in Oakland. Can you believe there is even free parking all weekend long!

Posted on November 16, 2017

kerri johnson

Artist Spotlight: Q & A with Michael McConnell

Michael McConnell is one of my favorite people, so I am always super excited to have his work in the shop. His latest exhibit You Are Here, opens Thursday, May 12th and runs through June 12th. The reception May 12th is from 5:30-8:30pm, featuring treats from Natty Cakes. Check out the Q & A

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
I tend to be a very active person, always on the go. I own a small coffee shop/ retail space in the Mission District (Faye’s Coffee & Video) and help raise an 11 year old with my complicated Bay Area "family”. As if those things don't take up enough of my time, I try to have a steady studio practice where I've been exploring the ideas of domesticity.

What inspires you?
I am inspired by the complexity and simplicity of relationships, whether it is examining my own personal human relationships of the past and present, or the way that if you put an orange next to an apple the reflective color effects both of their coloring. I see myself as very observant and I am constantly taking in things around me and being effected by them. Often this overwhelms me a bit and so you'll find me zoning out or scrolling madly through my instagram feed that is also another source of inspiration. I love being able to see what my artist friends are up to on the east coast or building relationships through imagery with people I've never met.

Do you have any rituals when you are in the studio?
When I am in my studio I am often listening to music and drinking coffee. I frequently have more then one project going at a time and I bounce around between them. I have 3 other studio mates and we often have lunch together and check in with each other on the progress of our work. I also am very messy, but I know exactly where everything is in my mess.

Do you listen to podcasts or music when working? What are your fav songs/playlists or podcasts right now?
I do not listen to podcasts or books on tapes in my studio, or ever really. I honestly have a hard time comprehending when someone reads aloud to me. But I do listen to a lot of music, even though I consider myself musically challenged. What I mean by that is that I never know really what I am listening too. I'll let Pandora or Spotify randomly choose things or I'll listen to mixes that my brother has made me. I am drawn to music that have good lyrics… i like the words. A few of my favorites that I'll use as a jumping off point are Monsters of Men, Frightened Rabbit, Mates of State and The Avett Brothers.

Do you have any advice for other artists?
My advice to other artists is just keep making work in your own voice. The art world is so crazy and I don't think there are any rules so don't try to make sense of it. Things happen when they happen. I was with a pretty substantial Bay Area Gallery for years, and after they closed I've joust been sort of drifting around. It would be great to at some point have the stability of a gallery (in LA hopefully) but until then I'll just keep making work.

What are your 3 favorite instagram accounts right now?
Three instagram accounts that I love… that's hard because there are so many… but I really love Dailydoodlegram, knitboy1, and lindsayvictorialee. I also follow some crazy taxidermists that I love seeing as well.

Michael McConnell can be found on Instagram @poopingrabbit

and online at poopingrabbit.com

Posted on May 10, 2016

kerri johnson

2 comments

Mother's Day Gift Guide

We know it's not always easy to find that special something for Mom, so we put together some gift ideas that we think will help you go straight to the top of the list as the "favorite" child (or score major brownie points as a kick ass Husband or Partner)!

Faribault recycled cotton throw blanket and oversized tote bag, perfect for a picnic or summer travels. Blanket $95 Tote $140

Beautiful hand screened cotton tea towel, so pretty it could be used for a hand towel, in a bread basket or even as a placemat on a tabletop. $16

These ceramic iPad holders pull double duty- hold your iPad while cooking for easy, no mess viewing of your favorite recipe, while holding all of your best cooking utensils in the back. $72

We made it easy to give Mom something unique with our custom curated gift sets that come wrapped and ready to go. We went with a pampering theme for Moms starting at $16