My rule of thumb, when selecting merchandise for the gift shop, is it has to get a "Wow! I love that!"response. I look for things that are fun, creative, artistic, unusual but useful --and whenever possible, easy for our guests to pack. Secondly, I have to 'click' with the artist or craftsperson. I've established wonderful working relationships with many of the artisans we represent. For example, a couple of times during the summer I drive out to the Puyallup Valley to buy cases of Marionberry, blackberry and raspberry jams and syrups from Carol Moon, the owner of Puyallup Jam Factory. She's so friendly and always takes time to visit. Another artist, John McCuistion, opens his ceramic studio in Tacoma to me and let's me pick and choose from his many wonderful pieces. Then there's Beth Scott.
She's a ceramic artist from Seattle. A few years ago, she came to Alexander's to deliver our first big purchase of plates, platters and bowls. Since then, her husband, John --who just happens to be a Mount Rainier tour bus driver--drops off new shipments on his way up to the Mountain.Another special artist I have to mention is Angela Maria Isaza. That we ever found each other is a story in itself. Here's the story. I love textile arts and I also love gardening so whenever I travel, I always visit the local museums and botanical gardens. A short time ago, Jerry and I were vacationing in Sarasota, Florida and spent a day at the beautiful Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. In the visitors center they had an exhibit of Angela Maria Isaza's "Garden Botanicos. " The batiks were very large and colorful...many of orchids and other tropical flowers. Angela lives and works in Bogota, Colombia. I fell in love with her work. When we returned home, I found Angela on the Internet and e-mailed her. She wrote back the same day--very excited to hear from me and to tell me that Mount Rainier just happens to be her most favorite place of all! She sent me four of her batiks--one is a stunning piece of Mount Rainier's wildflowers. (See photo)
I hope that some day Angela and I can meet in person.
One of our better-known artist's is Art Wolfe. Our guests love Art's stunning nature and wildlife photography and take home some of his notecards, one of his books or a framed limited edition photograph of Mount Rainier. Art is so thoughtful--he's actually delivered some of his framed photographs and even helped hang them in the gift shop. His photographs are breathtaking--and our guests love just gazing at them.
I really enjoy working with artists from around the Pacific Northwest--and our guests appreciate the unique quality--knowing they can take home a piece of the PNW as a memento of their vacation. But, I'm also pretty inclusive and love finding unique merchandise from around the world. From Novica, I buy jewelry, gorgeous wood sculptures and ceramic vases. Each piece comes with a personalized card from the artist. Novica, along with National Geographic, promotes fair trade practices when working with crafts people in third world countries.
This past winter I discovered a couple of new (for us, anyway) artists and I'm excited to bring their work into the gift shop for all to enjoy. One of our new artists, Marijke Janssens, lives in Belgium. She creates fun and colorful note cards with old Baroque illustrations. They are light-hearted and just delightful. I know our guests will just fall in love with her whimsical cards!
