Sunday, July 18, 2010

Buying Olympia

"Bicycle Mini-Wallet" by Fluffy Co.

Have always loved Buy Olympia. Now there are lots of online art and design cooperatives, but these guys were a little bit ahead of the curve. When I opened Bureau, Olympia artist Stella Marrs was on my must-have list, and we've been selling her witty political postcards ever since. (I love them so much, I've even begged her to make posters. "Coming!" she says.)

Anyway, the last time I visited Portland, the good people of Buy Olympia (Washington, that is) had just opened their first gallery and retail shop, Land, on Mississippi Avenue. (For Detroiters: it's kinda like City Bird with handmade goods by regional designers.) I returned this time to see how they're doing ("Great!" they said) and pick-up a few fun little things:

"Automotive Legacy" Notepad by The Sherwood Press
"Son, it will fall to you to see that every last one of these is destroyed." 

"Hope" Greeting Card by Sarah McCarry for Stumptown Printers
"We are a people tending toward democracy at the level of hope." -Muriel Rukeyser

"Open Mouth" Postcard by Stella Marrs
"The job of a good citizen is to keep her mouth open."

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