"We were completing the business license and we still didn't know what to name the shop," says Cheka-Looka owner Jeff Abandonato, 36. "Then a friend of mine- a total Southern Californian surfer kid who used to butcher the English language any chance he could- said, 'How about Cheka-Looka Surf Shop?'"
May 18, 2006
Eight years ago, when Honolulu native Gail Stringer couldn’t find any leis in Seattle to console a friend who was having a bad day, she did what any determined gal would do: She set up her own shop.
It wasn’t that easy, however. “I realized that selling leis wasn’t lucrative enough; that’s why nobody was offering them,” says Stringer, who moved to Seattle from Hawaii in 1993. “I had to make sure there were other products at the store to support my lei habit.”
April 27, 2006
Seattle Style File
Since 1934, Byrnie Utz has provided Northwest locals and visitors with well-designed, stylish hats to complete their looks or simply to keep their heads warm. This family-owned and family-operated hat shop, still in the same location where Byrnie Utz first set up shop 72 years ago -- Union Street and Third Avenue -- continues the old-fashioned traditions established by its founder.
April 11, 2006
Goods, a fashionable youthful boutique on Capitol Hill is skillfully and cleanly designed, interweaving skateboarding culture with a hint of a hip-hop style. Gorgeously designed sneakers with price tags ranging from $35-$200 line the glass shelves in the middle of the store, while urban-chic garments, hip accessories and modern art are beautifully displayed around the shop.
March 20, 2006
When husband-and-wife joint proprietors Tom Perilstein and Heather Stockdale first started Milagros Mexican Folk Art 15 years ago, they used to drive from Seattle to Mexico and then go from village to village looking for the finest in Mexican craftsmanship.
March 15, 2006
Fashion rules at Great Jones Home. This is where the eclectic style of Paris meets the flair of Miami. Here you'll get a taste of mixing paradoxical trends in home décor, blending contemporary furniture with antique, vintage and art deco finds, and accentuating the furnishings with dramatic avant-garde art pieces.
February 16, 2006
"I want Chocolati to be known as a place where people can get good chocolates and savor a nice cup of hot chocolate drink," says Christian Wong, chief chocolate officer of Chocolati. Like any chocolatier worth his cocoa, the man some have playfully dubbed "Mr. Wong-ka" constantly busies himself with putting his money where your mouth is. What began as a small business with only a few employees, Chocolati is now a growing concern with a staff of 28 and four Seattle locations and another one planned to open in April 2006.
February 7, 2006
Seattle Style File
When it comes to ladies lusting for a shiny new piece of jewelry, there are those who wait for someone to buy it for them and those who buy it for themselves, jewelers say. The "self-purchasers" — the ones buying jewelry for themselves — are increasing in numbers and more common than ever.
January 25, 2006
Seattle Style File
Hello Kitty — Sanrio's international pop icon of cuteness — is 31, fabulous and worth a billion bucks. Women of all ages adore her, and other starlet cartoon characters want to be her. That's how purrfectly irresistible this feline is.
January 20, 2006
Seattle Style File
One can't help but notice the display windows on the corner shop of Fourth Avenue's Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Luly Yang Couture just stands out. This timeless, elegant and classy bridal- and evening-wear boutique is a delightful example of what fairy tales are made of.
January 18, 2006
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