A 'Fresh' take on fashion and gifts

Last week, I drove a few miles north of my comfort zone to visit Fresh, a new boutique in the new-to-me neighborhood of Wedgwood.

I knew that Wedgwood was an established Seattle neighborhood, but I didn't realize it had such a thriving business district along 35th Avenue Northeast, including a yoga studio, an alehouse and, best of all, an expansive Top Pot with outdoor seating and umbrellas. All this activity quickly allayed my concerns about whether the neighborhood could support a women's clothing shop.

Fresh was opened last month by Wendy Schwartz and Julia Marconi, who met when their children were in kindergarten together, and who eventually bonded over their shared love of beautiful things. After years of plotting and scheming (the kids are now 10), the store is finally a reality. Schwartz once handled merchandising for Quiksilver and Calvin Klein, while Marconi's retail experience, until recently, was of the purchasing variety.

One half of the charming, lime-green-accented shop is devoted to fashion, with finds such as screen-printed T's ($38) from Loot out of Ottawa and seamless (genius!) tank tops from Dance in Paris ($25). I fell for a Kersh bell-sleeve sweater ($64) in fall's most popular color, gray.

The other side of the store offers Peculiar Press cards and wrap ($3.50 for two sheets), Thyme candles, baby clothes, housewares and a great selection of gifts -- from Rock Scissors Paper's new graphic-print tea towels ($15) to Mariposa's oven-ready silver serving dishes ($13-$150) and a Pucci-esque sake set ($56) from Magenta -- sure to keep the neighborhood's many hostesses party-ready.