South Lake Union's new urban dwellings pack a lot of style into very little square footage. The same can be said of Clover House [0], a home furnishings, plant and gift shop that opened last month to serve the neighborhood's urbane inhabitants.
The new shop joins the Pan Pacific Hotel, Marazul [0], Whole Foods Market [0], Scraps [0] dog and cat boutique and a smattering of other retailers at the 2200 Westlake hotel/retail/condo complex at the corner of Westlake Avenue and Denny Way.
Owner Tonia Feinstein, a former buyer for City People's Garden Store, has populated her shop with items she either uses every day or that she might choose for her own home -- which also happens to be an urban condo.
Gifts and items for bath and body abound. You'll find Dani [1] bath and body products ($5.50-$32); soap and hand cream from Mistral [2] ($2.75-$24); handbags from popular local designer Crystalyn Kae [3] ($60-$200); highly giftable Bella Il Fiore [4] cosmetics ($5.50-$30); sweet Natalie Eden [5] notecards ($4.95); and Snow & Graham calendars, gift wrap and candles ($7-$26).
Glass terrarium lamps ($165-$360) from Roost [6], which specializes in contemporary home furnishings, invite the outdoors in, while the company's delicate porcelain vases etched with hummingbirds ($20-$33) add warmth to cool modern spaces. From Tozai [7] come hand-painted black-and-white tea towers ($105), and while no one can possibly have that much tea to store, they make a damn pretty centerpiece.
One corner of the store is devoted to a varied selection of plants that thrive in indoor spaces, like the False Zamia, which Feinstein guarantees is the easiest plant in the world to take care of (it needs water just once a month). There are also low-maintenance ferns and cacti, and Bromelia for color. The store offers repotting services ($5-$20), so there's no need to haul soil and spade to your condo or apartment.
Clover House blends an urban boldness -- concrete floor, leaf-green walls -- with the subtlety that defines the Asian aesthetic, a reflection of the Pan Pacific Hotel across the courtyard. And because the hotel has no gift shop, Feinstein has stocked her store with a few tidbits for tourists, such as local guidebooks; tomes on Art Wolfe photography and Northwest wine; and a small selection of jewelry crafted in Seattle ($30-$330).
Feinstein's shop will certainly be welcomed by both hotel guests and members of 2200's tight-knit enclave, who now have one more reason to stick close to home.
If you have a shop, sale, event or great product tip you'd like to share, e-mail seattleshopping@nwsource.com.
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