Retail Therapy: Relish at Home

Update:  This post originally ran in May, but I just learned that owner Kelly Sperbeck is closing Berkeley's Relish at Home to focus on her own product design business and to relaunch the shop online. Relish at Home's last day as a brick and mortar is Friday, January 16, and until then everything in the store is 30 to 75 percent off, with progressive markdowns as the last day approaches.

A bit off the beaten track in West Berkeley is a tiny gem of a shop called Relish at Home. Despite its modest size, the store is chock full of absolutely lovely little things that are perfect when you need a gift that will surprise and delight its recipient, or when you simply want to treat yourself to something really special.

Opened three years ago by Kelly Sperbeck, an indie artisan in her own right who creates sweet accessories under the name k.autumn, Relish focuses on handmade wares from independent designers -- many of them local.

Though housewares form the bulk of her inventory, Sperbeck stocks jewelry, papergoods, handbags and other personal accessories as well. (And in case you're wondering, this dreamy wall color is Behr's Aqua Bay -- which is now a serious contender for our about-to-be-repainted dining room.)

The shop also functions as an art gallery of sorts, featuring pieces from artists such as Jane Buck of Foxy & Winston, whose "Mammalia" show hung there last spring. Buck's collection of small, vibrantly colored silkscreen prints depicting woodland creatures ranges from $55 to $475 apiece.

Prices for many items are exceedingly reasonable. But be warned: A visit to Relish could be perilous to your pocketbook. I popped in planning to simply take a few snapshots and be on my way, but wound up dropping a fair amount of cash on a bag bursting with treasures that I just had to have. (Oh well, I love them all ... )

Here, a tour of the wee shop and a peek at its current inventory:

Bags from k studio ($139), Hable Construction ($168), and Lotta Jansdotter ($49); Papaver Vert felt trees ($60 to $79); and wall tiles by Xenia Taler ($35 to $108).

Tanpopo plates ($28), graphic Dovetail vases, and ceramic pieces from Perch! and j.mendicino ($35 to $60).

Papergoods from Sukie UK, Jill Bliss, Foxy & Winston, Nantaka Joy, Chewing the Cud, Satsuma Press, and others.

Origami PJ Pocket Pillows from Modern-Twist ($85), and harlequin-patterned bowls from Anna Elzer Oscarson ($12).

Ceramics by Dovetail ($28) and j.mendicino ($35 to 55); tiny handblown glass bud vases from Sugahara ($20).

Clockwise: "Jelly Bean Rocks," river stones coated with 12 layers of colorful lacquer ($12); bunny pens and tape measures ($14 to $16); Log Bowls from Loyal Loot, $79 to $99; burrow owl from Roost, $26.

Airplants ($6 to $65) in vessels from Roost ($36) and Perch! ($29 to $89).

j.mendicino vases ($30 to $60), one of Jill Bliss' fabric Autumn birds ($32), and a Satsuma letterpress print ($39).

Birds by Jill Bliss and k.autumn ($24).

Lampshades from Mibo ($82 to $110) and small Hide Boxes from Modern-Twist ($25).

Felted vessels from Papaver Vert ($20 to $82), and harlequin cups from Anna Elzer Oscarson ($10).

Clockwise: Print from Jill Bliss ($16); pillows from Joom ($50 to $70), Ciuccio ($29), and k studio ($375 a pair).

Relish at Home is located at 2703 7th St. #112 at Pardee in Berkeley, and is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.

(Need some more Retail Rx? See other great shops I've featured right here.)

Cool Stuff: Perch! Sale at Supermarket

I love love love the porcelain treasures handmade by Amy Adams of the Brooklyn-based Perch!

Though prices for Perch! goodies are totally fair, I wouldn't exactly say they're bargain-basement. But right now you can grab a Perch! prototype, sample, or second at a big discount from online indie retailer Supermarket. Bonus: The sale includes novel colors and designs (like the Yellow Pitcher above, $15) that you won't see in lots of other places.

Some of my faves:

Julius Vase, $18

Lunchbox Birdfeeder, $44

Hobnob, $18

Orange Apron Vases, $24 each

Candle Ball, $30

Campy Planter, $40

See more sale items right here -- and check out all of the Perch! goods at Supermarket here.

Cool Stuff: Supermarket

Norwegian Wood Woodgrain Owl, $49

I keep seeing references from independent designers to Supermarket, so I decided to head on over to check it out.

Ferm Living Sparrow Wall Sticker, $120

Even after spending a good amount of time surfing around there, though, I'm still a little unclear on what, exactly, the Brooklyn-based Supermarket actually is: An online design collective? An indie-focused e-tailer? An Etsy-like virtual marketplace (and indeed, I have seen many of these items on Etsy) -- but with bigger-name designers like Perch!, Deadly Squire, Ferm Living, and Blissen thrown into the mix? Supermarket bills itself as "a curated collection of awesome design products," so I guess I'll just have to go with that.

Grégoire Ganter B is for Brooklyn Bridge, $125

A look at some of the fresh goods on offer:

Perch! Apron Vases, $48 each; John Pomp Glass Beehive Vase, $209; apmDesign Platter No. 8, $150

Shira Sela Forest, $18; Deadly Squire C Poster, $20; Christina Vantzou The Deer on Moni, $130; Green Chair Press Calmly It Goes, $18

MIO Grid Wall Pockets, $70 each; three sheets 2 the wind Linen Pillow, $70; leal&mabe Creatri Pillow, $40; Grace & Go Heavens to Betsy Tea Towel, $16

Adrift Samara Mobile, $220; Jason Linde Wenge Series 1-C, $110; Everyday Studio Nap Cat Bed and Scratchers, $75 each

things, designs ideas Bent Lamp, $75; Propeller Design Meridian and Galiano pendant lights, $480 and $318; Andrea Claire Rome Pendant Lamp, $540

Browse the aisles at Supermarket right here.

Mark Your Calendar: Modern Economy Sale

This Saturday, April 12, is the day for Modern Economy's highly anticipated yearly sample sale in San Francisco.

So if you're in the area, take a break from doing your taxes and go spend some of that anticipated refund. A few of the indie-designed goods you'll find there, at up to 70 percent off retail:

Allymoon prints

Dwell Studio bedding

Harry Allen objets

Perch ceramics

Petite Collage artwork

Sharon Spain pillows

Simrin textiles

Variegated pillows

The sale is in Fort Mason Center's Building A from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Pssst to my Stumptown homies -- Modern Economy is having another sale at Portland's Ace Hotel on July 19.)

Based on my experience at a previous Modern Economy sale, a few words of advice:

* Get there early -- as in, join the queue before the doors open. The place gets picked clean fast.

* Install your partner, friend, mother, etc. in the checkout line before it snakes all the way around the room. Otherwise, you'll be cooling your heels there for a good long time.

* Have fun and score some great deals!

Click here for more info on the sale.

Retail Therapy: Atomic Garden

We all know that shopping "green" is a good thing -- but that doesn’t mean it’s always a fun thing. Happily, doing your part isn’t a chore at Atomic Garden, the brand-new green boutique in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood, where practically everything is sustainable, recycled, salvaged, organic, or handmade.

Business partners Jamie Kidson (a clothing designer who co-owns the Berkeley and South Park Jeremy’s shops as well) and Adrienne Armstrong (the wife of Green Day frontman Billie Joe and owner of the Adeline Street clothing company and Adeline Records music label) have created a gift, home goods, and clothing store that’s as pretty and fresh as it is eco-friendly and community minded.

The walls and floors are glazed bright white and the airy, high-ceilinged space is outfitted with beautiful reclaimed-wood shelves and display stands salvaged from the family farm of the carpenter who constructed them. Indeed, the most striking thing about the shop’s well-edited selection of ecological and socially conscious goods isn’t how virtuous it all is -- but just how lovely, and how hard it is to leave without taking all of it home with you. This is conscientious consumerism that doesn’t bludgeon you with its own righteousness.

“We try not to shout about the fact that we’re 'green,'" Kidson says. "We hope people will buy things here because they truly love them -- and if they also happen to have a positive impact on the environment and the community, all the better.” And while sustainable goods often come with price tags that can seem like a cruel joke to anyone on a budget, most everything at Atomic Garden is reasonably priced and much of it is downright affordable.

Among the items artfully displayed throughout the shop:

Sweetly simple art and textiles from Alena Hennessy ($20 and up) and handmade organic soaps, salves, and other potions redolent of fragrant botanicals and zesty citrus ($5.50 and up) from companies like Filthy Farmgirl and Farmaesthetics

Linen notebooks and pillows from Paper Cloud ($38 and $68) and cloth-covered journals made from vintage library books ($28) by Secret Leaves

Handscreened wall art from FluffyCo. ($35), Perch! ceramics, and recycled-glass bud vases by Couronne ($6)

Beeswax candles ($6 and up) from BeesWork, vessels made from repurposed beer bottles ($26) by the Green Glass Co., and brightly colored and surprisingly soft recycled plastic totes from Gypsystyle ($33)

Screenprinted hemp pillows from Emeryville’s Sharon Spain ($76)

Handmade letterpress cards ($2.50 and up) by the Paper Princess, Satsuma Press, Seraph, and others, more Alena Hennessy pillows, and hooked rugs ($179) from Be Sweet

Organic block-printed bedding from Les Indiennes ($65 to $582)

Winsome baby bedding by Pixel Organics ($59) and crocheted plushie by La Bête Handmade

Handmade, low-impact pottery from Perch! ($36 to $72)

Kidson and Armstrong will soon be adding items of their own design as well: blankets created from discarded cashmere sweaters, beeswax candles poured into vintage china cups, and organic cotton, fair-trade market bags ($19), gauze produce bags ($12), and 100-percent-recycled paper journals imprinted with the shop’s pretty bird-and-branch logo (using soy-based inks, of course).

What’s more, many of Atomic Garden’s wares are produced by women’s cooperatives around the world, who use the proceeds to better the lives of their members. There are sari-fabric pajamas ($28) from the International Princess Project, which works to help women and girls escape forced prostitution in India; sweet knitted critters (above, $23) from Kenana Knitters, a group of rural Kenyan women who spin the yarn on bicycle wheels and use their knitting skills to earn independent income; and bags and rugs from Be Sweet, which funds educational and job-creation programs for disadvantaged women in South Africa.

As Kidson says, "We want it to be a place that makes you feel good." That it does -- in more ways than one.

Atomic Garden is located at 5453 College Avenue in Oakland, and is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

P.S. Click here for a "How To" on making a D.I.Y. snowflakes-and-oranges hanging like the beautiful one in Atomic Garden's front window.