Photo Post #2 - Wedding present of Awesome +3885
Okay, so here's another post from our great weekend (now a couple of weekends ago)
They're taking a bit fo me to post as I was waiting for some info from someone before posting.
and this is somewhat long-winded, but a nice story all the same. You''ve been warned.
Anyhoo - a bit of a backstory.
There's this store in Milwaukee. It's in a really cool part of town (now called 'The Third Ward') that was once the factory district, but has now been redeveloped into hip cool shops, restaurants, bars, galleries and lofts. I guess you could say it's kind of like the Distillery/St.Lawrence Market area of Toronto kinda (throw in a bit of Queen West, and a bit of CollegeSt/Little Italy patio feel)
It's really neat.... I bug to go down there every time I've been to Milwaukee - and basically because of one store.
The ArtAsia Gallery
The first time I was taken there, I was completely capticated by all of the wonderful things. The shop was cool - everything kept in an old gutted warehouse/factory - aisles upon aisles of stacked wardrobes and unique pieces of chinese/mongolian/tibetan furniture, artifacts, statues, instruments... some are hundreds of years old. it's just awesome. It's one of the only places in the US that wholesales pieces to Hollywood for film and television. The family that owns this goes on 'tours' of various provinces about 3 - 4 times a year and ships back all of this stuff. Everytime you go there it's a new experience.
Right - the first time I was taken there - there were three pieces that really stood out in my mind, that I absolutely fell in love with. There was a huge drawer unit that stood well above my head that had 72 4"square drawers, all about a foot deep. I imagined it being my button organizer.. Brynn and I also commented on how it would make an AWESOME wand cupboard. *sighs happily*
There was a gigantic wine chest... I think that might have been like a buffet-type piece of furniture - the front panel on it rotated around and there was this huge barrel inside that would hold the bottles... it was awesome.
And the third piece was a hand carved cradle. I fawned over it a while... we all did actually. I've never seen anything like it before. The craftsmanship that went into it. It made me long to have money to be able to furnish a whole house with all of this stuff.
So, we're in Milwaukee - Colin and I have just been married, and we have three hours to kill before our dinner reservation (at a restaurant in that part of town), so I suggest we all go to the Third Ward and bum around the shops for a bit, highly recommending a stop in ArtAsia.
We make our way there, stroll through a few galleries, see some really shiny pieces of artwork, and the coolest shoe store EVER, and we get to ArtAsia. Colin's not been there before, so he's completely awestruck from the moment we enter. We go up and down the cluttered aisles going 'OHH! LOOK!' at every other piece, and I'm keeping my eye out for my favourites to see if they're still around. Colin's planning our house with every new piece of furniture he sees, I swear.
I find the big drawer unit, and am pleasantly surprised. The last time I was able to go there, there was a 'sold' tag on it. *crosses fingers* THere's still hope! Brynn and I couldn't find the neat turn-y wine chest thing, so it must have been snatched up, and we haven't come across the cradle yet.
We venture downstairs, and turn a corner, and low and behold - The cradle! It's sitting out in the middle of the aisle in all its glory. I drag Colin over to see it, and he loves it instantly. I go to show him how there's a huge storage area underneath this two part panel bit - pick up the panel to show him how it closes - have to flip it over to close it properly, and there's a 'Sold' tag on it. My heart drops for a split second, but then I read the name on the tag. Colin's parents have bought it! My eyes shoot up to Susan and Michael not quite understanding yet, and Susan immediately says -
"Congratulations guys." and leaves it at that.
I swear to god I started to cry.
She also quickly added - "Now, it's not necessary to fill it right away, but notice how you could probably fit a couple in there... *wink*"
This is from an email I got from the store owner...
"... The cradle is about 100 years old and has been refinished. It comes from Gansu Province. One of our contacts there buys and refinishes antique furniture and when we visit his shop we pick out the unusual or rare items he has. One thing about Chinese furniture: it's a source of pride that they don't use nails or screws in their pieces. So the whole thing is put together like a puzzle!
The cradle is a good example of how the Chinese make use of space: its a cradle but it also stores things for the baby.
It's a great piece and we're happy it's found a home where it's appreciated. ...."
It's being shipped out here soon. I can't wait to get it and shine it all up.
My teddy bears are gonna have the sweetest crib *snrk*.
They're taking a bit fo me to post as I was waiting for some info from someone before posting.
and this is somewhat long-winded, but a nice story all the same. You''ve been warned.
Anyhoo - a bit of a backstory.
There's this store in Milwaukee. It's in a really cool part of town (now called 'The Third Ward') that was once the factory district, but has now been redeveloped into hip cool shops, restaurants, bars, galleries and lofts. I guess you could say it's kind of like the Distillery/St.Lawrence Market area of Toronto kinda (throw in a bit of Queen West, and a bit of CollegeSt/Little Italy patio feel)
It's really neat.... I bug to go down there every time I've been to Milwaukee - and basically because of one store.
The ArtAsia Gallery
The first time I was taken there, I was completely capticated by all of the wonderful things. The shop was cool - everything kept in an old gutted warehouse/factory - aisles upon aisles of stacked wardrobes and unique pieces of chinese/mongolian/tibetan furniture, artifacts, statues, instruments... some are hundreds of years old. it's just awesome. It's one of the only places in the US that wholesales pieces to Hollywood for film and television. The family that owns this goes on 'tours' of various provinces about 3 - 4 times a year and ships back all of this stuff. Everytime you go there it's a new experience.
Right - the first time I was taken there - there were three pieces that really stood out in my mind, that I absolutely fell in love with. There was a huge drawer unit that stood well above my head that had 72 4"square drawers, all about a foot deep. I imagined it being my button organizer.. Brynn and I also commented on how it would make an AWESOME wand cupboard. *sighs happily*
There was a gigantic wine chest... I think that might have been like a buffet-type piece of furniture - the front panel on it rotated around and there was this huge barrel inside that would hold the bottles... it was awesome.
And the third piece was a hand carved cradle. I fawned over it a while... we all did actually. I've never seen anything like it before. The craftsmanship that went into it. It made me long to have money to be able to furnish a whole house with all of this stuff.
So, we're in Milwaukee - Colin and I have just been married, and we have three hours to kill before our dinner reservation (at a restaurant in that part of town), so I suggest we all go to the Third Ward and bum around the shops for a bit, highly recommending a stop in ArtAsia.
We make our way there, stroll through a few galleries, see some really shiny pieces of artwork, and the coolest shoe store EVER, and we get to ArtAsia. Colin's not been there before, so he's completely awestruck from the moment we enter. We go up and down the cluttered aisles going 'OHH! LOOK!' at every other piece, and I'm keeping my eye out for my favourites to see if they're still around. Colin's planning our house with every new piece of furniture he sees, I swear.
I find the big drawer unit, and am pleasantly surprised. The last time I was able to go there, there was a 'sold' tag on it. *crosses fingers* THere's still hope! Brynn and I couldn't find the neat turn-y wine chest thing, so it must have been snatched up, and we haven't come across the cradle yet.
We venture downstairs, and turn a corner, and low and behold - The cradle! It's sitting out in the middle of the aisle in all its glory. I drag Colin over to see it, and he loves it instantly. I go to show him how there's a huge storage area underneath this two part panel bit - pick up the panel to show him how it closes - have to flip it over to close it properly, and there's a 'Sold' tag on it. My heart drops for a split second, but then I read the name on the tag. Colin's parents have bought it! My eyes shoot up to Susan and Michael not quite understanding yet, and Susan immediately says -
"Congratulations guys." and leaves it at that.
I swear to god I started to cry.
She also quickly added - "Now, it's not necessary to fill it right away, but notice how you could probably fit a couple in there... *wink*"
This is from an email I got from the store owner...
"... The cradle is about 100 years old and has been refinished. It comes from Gansu Province. One of our contacts there buys and refinishes antique furniture and when we visit his shop we pick out the unusual or rare items he has. One thing about Chinese furniture: it's a source of pride that they don't use nails or screws in their pieces. So the whole thing is put together like a puzzle!
The cradle is a good example of how the Chinese make use of space: its a cradle but it also stores things for the baby.
It's a great piece and we're happy it's found a home where it's appreciated. ...."
It's being shipped out here soon. I can't wait to get it and shine it all up.
My teddy bears are gonna have the sweetest crib *snrk*.