Rejuvenation's Alex Bellos on the Fall/Holiday Collection Featuring Portland Based Artisans
Rejuvenation, founded in Portland in 1977 has been a go-to for hardware, home decor and home improvement findings that are both aesthetically appealing and of lasting quality. While visiting the store over the years, it's a walk-through that inspires—with their line of brand new, antique inspired (or in some cases replicated) pieces that are made to—well, replicate the intricate details and aesthetic of a by-gone era while having that "My shit's brand new!" feeling. All this alongside some genuine antique items, which leaves your options open. The recent takeover by Williams-Sonoma could have been a not-so-great change for the local store (that also has brick and mortars in Seattle, Los Angeles and Berkeley), but oo the contrary: Three years after the somewhat down-low buyout in 2011, the Sunday Emporium (a collaboration with Portland Flea) was born, and now an even larger (because it reaches customers on a national level) collaboration is about to come forth. This new venture is pretty exciting for the brands that are involved, and shows that Rejuvenation is serious about its roots.
There are three Portland based artisans that are involved in this first installment: Caravan Pacific, Pigeon Toe and Cedar & Moss. Expect to see lamps, hard wired lighting, tree toppers, ornaments and lanterns for the Fall/Holiday edition of collaborations.
The man behind all this, Alex Bellos added some insight:
Mercury: How did this idea arise?
Alex Bellos: Ever since moving back to Portland, I’ve been amazingly impressed with the artisan and maker community here. After spending time in New York – where small artisans really only have space to make stuff on their coffee table – it’s been eye opening to return to a place where someone with an idea and a plan can rent a warehouse, start a business, and build product of scale quickly and with relative ease. Rejuvenation’s heritage and DNA is in celebrating craftsmanship and the making of goods here in Portland – we employ over 100 craftspeople at our factory in Northwest Portland – so to me it seemed like a perfect fit to use the power of our brand platform to support the local artisan and maker community.
How did you choose who to work with?
We wanted to start with people who were driving innovation in our core categories: lighting and functional goods for the home. We have such a heritage of quality and craftsmanship, and we were excited to find such a large and vibrant community of makers who were using the same materials we’ve been using for years – solid brass, hand cast ceramics, etc. – in new and innovative ways. Michelle Steinback from Cedar & Moss has made such a huge mark in such a short time reinterpreting and paring down the forms of the past to create new, functional and incredibly beautiful lighting forms. Shannon Guirl from Caravan Pacific has garnered national recognition for the quality of her mixed materials lighting. And Lisa Jones from Pigeon Toe has built this amazing business across multiple categories by pushing the boundaries of what ceramics and woven forms can do. We’re so excited to partner with all three!
Will there be more collaborations in the future?
Yes, definitely; we already have a number in the works that will continue to focus on artisans, makers, and designers in the Portland area. We’re going to expand into additional categories as well – look for amazing hook racks, hardware, and more extraordinary lighting to launch over the next year!
