Retail Shops – Oh, the Places We See . . .

Beautiful dilemmas: Rug shopping in Marrakech

You see them from rooftop restaurants . . . and you pass them by on your way in and out of the medina . . . but there’s nothing like a couple of hours being courted by salesmen in a Marrakech rug shop! From the minute you step in the door, you’re bombarded with colors, […]

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Memories of Marrakech: Shoe Fetish

There’s nothing dark and mysterious in the medina of Marrakech, especially if you’re in the apparel section. Shoe stalls literally screamed color. Cramming hand-made leather slippers onto the walls of tiny nooks must take patience and skill, but every shoe stall was packed to overflowing. From pom-poms to fancy stitches to pointy toes, the shoes […]

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Warm up with an heirloom: Swans Island Blankets

It would have been easy to drive past Swans Island Blankets on Maine’s Route 1. The brown-shingled house next to a weathered barn doesn’t exactly scream, “Come in and see for yourself.” But it should. After all, a simple showroom featuring understated, lovely hand-woven goods is a joy to behold — at least it […]

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Mainely craft: Inside Windsor Chairmakers

Touring Maine doesn’t only mean frequenting tourist shops filled with lobster magnets, moose-shaped chocolates, and blueberry muffin mixes. It also means, at least for us, looking for quality products designed and created by local craftsmen. So you can imagine that Windsor Chairmakers in Lincolnville, Maine, was quite the find. With a passion for fine craftmanship […]

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Mainely Art: Three places we loved in Boothbay region

In Maine, art is all around. From colorful harbors that shimmer by day to pristine white houses standing alone near fields of wild blueberries. Artists flock to the region for inspiration, and those of us who love to shop are rewarded with delightful renditions of what artists see and, in turn, share with us. […]

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The charm of vintage industrial at Cincinnati’s Elm & Iron OTR

Cincinnati’s old-but-now-new Over the Rhine section has quite enough going for it to warrant a visit by any tourist or city resident. In fact, it’s almost pretty in an urban sort of way with freshly painted, architecturally rich buildings and edgy businesses springing up in tiny spaces, spilling out onto sidewalks where musicians entertain passersby […]

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Shopping local feels good at The Traveling Bazaar

As a former antiques dealer and flea market hound, I loved the idea of The Traveling Bazaar. Brainstorm of organizer Tamara Cook, this gathering of artisans, antiques dealers, and in-home makers of goods I love known as The Traveling Bazaar appears (not by magic, of course) once a month at Buddy’s Banquet Hall in Knoxville’s Bearden area. […]

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Born, raised, made in Knoxville: Marc Nelson Denim

Dogwood Art DeTour 2015 took us a lot of places from the open studios of Diana Dee, Melanie Wood, and Shannon Davis to the heart of Knoxville on E. Depot Avenue for the art of manufacturing at Marc Nelson Denim. Oh, sure. We’d seen the ads of a handsome couple sporting whiskey-stained denim, but never […]

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Relocated and renewed: The Salvage Shop of Knox Heritage

First Friday in Knoxville (especially during Dogwood Arts Festival) brings on new openings and new opportunities to view art and reconnect with community. But picking one or two events becomes a challenge in and of itself. The opening of the newly relocated Art and Salvage Shop of Knox Heritage hit home with us: we love […]

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Searching for blankets in Lesotho

Ask any woman who travels this one question: What one thing do you love to do when you travel? And what you’ll hear is almost universal: SHOPPING! At least that’s how it was among all the women (including me!) on our recent Habitat Global Village build in Lesotho. And we knew what we were looking for […]