Latest Arrivals
We are always excited to get new items in the shop. Check out the latest arrivals..
We are always excited to get new items in the shop. Check out the latest arrivals..
Local Maker Spotlight: The Ladies edition
The spotlight is on 4 local makers Calliope, Humble Salve, JFish Designs, and gâté comme des filles chocolats.
Makers Spotlight: Q & A with Curbside Creamery
It is such a fun time to live in Oakland. almost daily there are new shops, restaurants, bars and businesses opening throughout the City.
It's Wedding Season at the Shop!
It's wedding season here at Marion & Rose! And more and more folks are coming into the shop – either to find the perfect, heirloom-quality wedding present or a card that lovingly celebrates the tying of a knot.
And you know what wedding season means… lots of anniversaries happening as well! Our jewelry cases are chalk full of unique, one-of-a-kind items by local metalsmiths that are keep-sake worthy and could be worn until you're old and grey.
Come visit us, and we'll show you what we've got for the love birds in your life!
American Made
We are excited that some of our vendors are nominees for the Martha Stewart American Made award!
As you know, Marion and Rose's Workshop is committed to the American Made movement and shares in the thought that change happens on the street level with small businesses supporting one other and sharing their message to customers. We feel that planting the seed and helping it grow is our job and it is our commitment.
As proponents of the movement it makes us happy to see a large company embracing these small makers. It's these steps that will help rebuild the Main Streets of small towns and Cities, restoring pride in these communities. When you can say "I helped make that" or "this is my neighbors company", it gives you a renewed desire to support your neighbor and your community. Quality, craftsmanship and knowing the maker are all important aspects of how we curate the shop, and we are so happy to be able to relay their stories to our customers.
Our friends at Modestics put together a great reference list to make it super easy to vote. Included on the list are a few of our vendors Blue Chair Fruit, Cuppow, Native State, Peg and Awl. and Peterboro Baskets (these guys have been around since the 1800's!) We've also added a few links below to more of our friends and neighbors.
Outlaw Soaps (soon to be a vendor at the shop!)
Poppy Von Frohlich - amazing jackets made in SF. Want them all.
Kate Ellen Metals- our awesome neighbor and amazing jewelry designer
Please vote for your favorites, you can vote up to 6 times within a 24 hours period.
Thank you for your support of the American Made movement and of our little shop!! We are cannot express how happy we are to be here.
Remember "We are all in this together".
-M & R
Day Tripping Inspiration from Quail Lane Press
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.
Early Fall Arrivals... A Sneak Peek!
There's a slight breeze blowing through Old Oakland today, and while it's still warm and sunny out, there are some leaves on the ground and Fall is in the air. And you know what the coming of Fall means... new goodies in the shop! Some new merch is already starting to roll in, and we want you to be the first to hear about them. Here are a few of the things that have come in that we're especially excited about:
Earrings from Amano Studio! We first spied these charming adornments at a hip little boutique in Silver Lake, and had to have them for our shop. Turns out they're made right nearby in Sonoma. Our faves are the cast metal crystals.
Beautiful new bear prints from Michael McConnell. Michael really put his BFA in printmaking to good use with these prints, and drew on his love of watercolors as well.
Cards, wall art, and calendars from printmaker and illustrator Rigel Stuhmiller. Don't let your desk be calendar-less in 2014.
Letterpress maps by the hubby and wife team at Quail Lane Press. These beauties are pressed and watercolored by hand in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
So many lovely things! Come and see us at the shop and we'll show you around.
Seasonal and Sweet – A Q&A with Rachel of Blue Chair Jams
With all of the amazing press and accolades that Blue Chair has gotten recently, it's sometimes hard to believe that their kitchen is right here in Oakland. Rachel Saunders, their head jammer, is a visionary with a penchant for creating seasonally inspired artisan marmalades and jams in tiny batches in traditional French copper jam kettles.
She loves to share her know-how with the local community, and you'll often spot her or another one the of Blue Chair staff out at farmers markets peddling preserves, as well as The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook. With figs, tomatoes, apples, grapes, stone fruits coming into season in September and October, you can bet she's going to have a busy Fall. Here's a Q&A with Rachel:
We hear you studied jam-making for 10 years before you launched Blue Chair. What was the research process like?
It was an extremely arduous process of trial and error. I spent all my free time pursuing jam and fruit, and had many days of despair and torment. Mastering the art of jam making is not for the faint of heart!! When people taste my jams today, they cannot imagine what it took to get where I am; I make it look easy now. I am a true believer in the 10,000-hours theory of mastery. And 10,000 hours is just the beginning!!
Do you really still make all of the jams by hand? What are some of your most exciting creations? Yes; all of our jams are completely handmade. Every flavor is exciting! We just cooked a nectoplum jam – a rare hybrid fruit of white nectarine and plum. We also just did a tomato and Adriatic fig jam.
It's pretty cool that you host jam-making classes. What's coming up in the schedule? I absolutely love to teach, because I love people and I love the chance to share some of what I know. My next classes are a Jam 101 class at Ramekins in Sonoma on September 6 and a Flavor Construction class at our kitchen in Oakland on September 8. Information about both is on our website. In mid-September, I go to Seattle to teach for several days at the Pantry at Delancey.
It seems like you guys are always out at the local farmer's markets. Where can we catch you here in the East Bay? Grand Lake on Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Temescal on Sundays from 9 a.m. -1 p.m.
How can locals support you and stay in touch? The best way to follow us is on Facebook or Twitter; our name is bluechairfruit. You can also join our mailing list on our website for news about classes and new flavors!
Of course, you can always find a selection of Rachel's latest creations for Blue Chair at Marion and Rose's Worksop!