Food & Drink
Queen Anne Shops Offer a Small-town Vibe
With its precious jewel-box shops, the hilltop is still cream of the crop.
By Seattle Mag August 15, 2012
This article originally appeared in the September 2012 issue of Seattle magazine.
Sure, in days gone by, Queen Anne had more bustle (see: departures of the Teacup, Oslo’s and Skookum), but this petite charmer still has appeal.
There’s nothing quite beats linking arms and strolling Queen Anne Avenue, peeking into an intimate spot like 2-year-old (1) Charley + May Co., located at the northernmost end of the strip. Owned by Lauren Formicola, the shop glows with modern wall clocks, funny accessories (a $38 balloon animal bookend!) and luxurious lotions. (Psst: If you’d like to ride around Queen Anne, Formicola also rents cruiser bikes.)
Across the street, (2) Queen Anne Dispatch is a smorgasbord, and grazing through its delightful offerings is a treat: Pick up flirty day dresses (around $65, even for a Suzabelle frock, on occasion), a lace-embellished cardigan ($80), a poppy print Jonathan Adler “tool set” and a baby blanket, and then drop off your mail, all in one fell swoop.
Traverse back over the avenue to pick up dinner party supplies, ranging from serving trays to the array of colorful Lucite and silver cheese spreaders ($8-$12) at (3) Three Birds.
Packed into a closet-size space farther south, (4) My Dressing Room consignment is the place to party; owner Bea McCammon has an exceptional eye for formal wear and accessories, gladly helping customers to style up a stunning look.
Walk six delightful blocks west (play the real estate game and pick out your favorite Craftsman) to Sixth, and then north to Crockett Street, where a trio of hidden delights await: The soft rose stripes of (6) Pink Ginger’s walls encapsulate colorful, feminine styles ranging from trench coats to cute jumpers (also: real people sizes, hallelujah!).
Two doors down, beaded bling beckons from (7) Rhinestone Rosie, with vintage jewels that range from demure and dainty to glitzy and gaudy.
Across the street, Shelley Hall runs her brightly adorned (8) Meadow shop with style and affordability uppermost in mind. Stocked with laid-back labels such as Ezra, Peaches ’n Cream and Ellison, clothing prices rarely top $50. (That’s good news, too: With printed silk tops, chambray shirts and wedding-ready dresses, you’ll find more than one keeper.) Also worth snagging: pastel-hued ice cream bowls and Parisian paper for gift wrapping ($3.75/sheet).
Beauty bonus: Former real estate agent and beauty product junkie Kari Gran and business partner Lisa Strain are now crafting the (9) Kari Gran line of beauty products made from organic, wild-harvested and non-GMO ingredients out of a loft on nearby Westlake. With its offerings of cleansing oil ($25), lavender hydrating face tonic ($20-$35) and smooth cinnamon-pimenta lip whip gloss ($15), be sure to pop by after your hilltop excursion.
Park and go
On the blocks east and west of Queen Anne Avenue, there are no meters, no time limits and no hassle.
Extra incentive
Wrap your hands around a piping hot cup of cocoa from (5) Chocopolis; the light and bright Queen Anne Avenue space is full of luxurious, decadent chocolate bars from around the world. The friendly barista will melt any bar in the store to craft a custom cuppa.
Follow Us
Costco Hikes Membership Fees
The company last raised the price in 2017
[addtoany]I love shopping at Costco. Sure, our household doesn’t always need 18 tubes of toothpaste at once, but that’s a small price to pay for the savings. Even just one purchase — a computer, for instance — can recoup a basic membership fee. Rumors have been swirling for years that the company would raise its…
16 Local Gifts for a Seattle Mother’s Day
A funny candle, a meaningful necklace, and the best sundae in town
Let's talk about Mother's Day. It's a holiday that can feel a tad complex. Maybe you're planning to spoil your mom with a spa day, or maybe you're finding ways to honor her memory or handle some tricky emotions. No matter how you choose to celebrate, we’ve rounded up some fun and local gift ideas.
The Best Gifts for Travel Lovers
Tinsel, eggnog, mistletoe, and luggage
Travel lovers are the easiest people to buy for. Wrap a gift in old maps and they’ll spend hours deciphering the roadways and important coordinates. Put something inside the wrapping that will satiate their wanderlust, or encourage it, and you might be their next invitee to Paris.