Artful creations, in time for the holidays
Shoppers milling around Downtown Crossing on a recent Saturday might not have noticed the new indoor design and art market, Wears+Wares, tucked in a lobby near the Men's Wearhouse on Summer Street. A couple of balloons marked the entrance to the space, where colorful and eclectic creations, from fashion to furniture, were for sale.
"We had planned on having big banners announcing the market," said Kelly Harris Smith, who along with Ann Theresa Karash are the architects of Wears+Wares. "But we found out the City of Boston has special rules and regulations for that," she said.
Even so, the first of what will be a regular Saturday market through the Christmas season, with plans for a permanent one in the spring, opened for business.
Thirty vendors have lined up for December. (The market is closed this Saturday. ) They include jewelry maker Danielle Maveal's witty modern creations (daniellemaveal.com ); cute bags and accessories from Mass Art grad Erica von Schilgen's Vonica Designs (vonicadesigns.com ); RISD-trained Chris Haines's cool ideaKA housewares and lighting products (ideaka.com), the name being a clever play on a certain Scandinavian store; Fort Point-based carpenter Quentin Kelley's elegant furniture line, Infusion Furniture (infusionfurniture.com); and natural handmade bath and body products from Dawn Fayard a.k.a. Raisingyrl (raisingyrl.etsy.com ).
On opening day, Portsmouth, N.H., furniture maker George Beland (georgebeland.com) displayed his elegant, minimalist small tables.
"Bigger pieces are hard to haul," he said. "But apart from actually selling things here, I hope to attract commissions that'll give me work in months to come."
The cute felt purses at Etcetera Media's table (etceteramedia.com) were none other than Smith's own creations. Both she and Karash are trained designers. Smith, a 27-year-old Virginia native, moved to Boston in 1998 to study architecture at Northeastern, and 29-year-old Boston native Karash works in graphics and web design.
Rather than locate Wears+Wares in a high-end area, such as Newbury Street or the South End, the women aimed for a spot that was more affordable and hungrier for retail traffic.
"I wanted somewhere where lots of people come in, local shoppers and tourists too. Downtown Crossing has gradually been losing shops," said Harris. "I walked around researching and there are all these empty shops."
"I can remember shopping here with my parents," said Karash, "but the only reason I would shop here now is maybe to check out Filene's Basement."
Both women say they are optimistic that this initial holiday-season market will result in a permanent space in Downtown Crossing or the Ladder District.
"We haven't really figured that out yet," said Smith. "Our main goal is to build up a customer base and presence."
Wears+Wares is at 101 Arch St. (entrance on Summer Street) on Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., through Dec. 16. Information: wearsandwares.com.
