Hey there -

Sarah here, pleased to announce the arrival of Aftelier Perfumes to doe-sf.com and 1767 Church Street!

It is not uncommon to discover that companies claiming to create 100% natural products are telling a little white lie. Developing a product with only natural ingredients requires considerable research and a higher price tag. That has not served as a deterrent for Mandy Aftel, and we are thrilled to stock her products, Aftelier Perfumes!

Kati and I were lucky enough to visit with Mandy earlier this year. Her berkeley workshop is full of neatly arrayed glass containers containing essences both modern and 100 years old; small drawers contain the last of limited-edition creations.

Mandy hand-crafts every perfume before placing it in its own tiny bottle or sterling silver case. Her passion is evident in the care she takes in creating each one, and the results are unlike anything you have smelled before. She uses ingredients as diverse as the Tazmanian flower boronia, the Canadian fir in Fig, and the roasted seashells of Tango.

Her scents are just one facet of her body care products. In the Body Oils, jojoba oil and fragrance meld to create what Mandy calls “a subtle veil on the skin.” Mandy hand-grinds the imported cocoa beans that are the focal point of her Chocolate Sugar Body Scrub. Her Face Elixers are perfect for use prior to sleep - the scents relax while the ingredients promote cell regeneration.

The complexity of Aftelier fragrances are best experienced in-person. if you’re a local, come visit us at 1767 church street and let us help you experience them for yourself!

Oh my gosh. The tree design pencil cup and cute
lil stump box I found in your store have been giving my
desk buddies a good home for ages. Where would
they be without their doe forest? thanks for cheering
up my little friends, sweet doe!
XOXO
jessica l.

thank you! your pals remind us of the animal figurines we just got in from strangeco. maybe you’ll use part of your $150 certificate to grow your menagerie!

Four years ago this october, Church Street Apothecary opened in San Francisco’s Upper Noe Neighborhood. Unlike doe, the Lower Haight street store my family had opened six months prior, the Apothecary was an impulsive but prescient decision.

while out on an evening stroll, i paused in front of a newly-empty storefront on the 1700 block of church street. i gazed past brown-papered windows to the transom above the door, envisioning a glowing green cross - ubiquitous symbol of a european pharmacy. I decided on the spot to open a European-style apothecary.

We’d specialize in homeopathic and natural remedies, as well as luxurious, difficult-to-locate beauty items. we’d stock basics like green laundry detergent and bio-degradeable diapers. plus, we’d offer flowers, cards, and other gift items to the many new and growing families in our community.

And so, we opened. The response was positively welcoming. We quickly developed a loyal following. The Apothecary was truly a labor of local love - we employed people from our neighborhood, sold locally-produced goods, and we kept our prices affordable. it was a vision based on connecting with the community and providing a useful resource.

We quietly went about our way, selling calendula creams and honey face masks, floral spritzers and imported boar bristle brushes. we sold letterpress cards and hand-sewn lavender sachets, french soaps, fresh flowers, and board books for babies.

then one day, in august 2006, a representative from the California Pharmacy board arrived with a surprising message. she produced a letter, citing Section 4343 of the California Business and Professions Code, a law created in 1905, which states that (with the exception of licensed pharmacies): “No building shall have upon it or displayed within it or affixed to or used in connection with it a sign bearing the word or words ‘Pharmacist,’ ‘Pharmacy,’ ‘Apothecary,’ ‘Drugstore,’ ‘Druggist,’ ‘Drugs,’ ‘Medicine,’ ‘Medicine Store,’ ‘Drug Sundries,’ ‘Remedies,’ or any word or words of similar or like import….”

The products we carried were completely legal, but the word “apothecary” was strictly off-limits!

the situation was particularly perplexing since, before having opened the store, i’d conducted extensive research on the etymology of the word - from its 13th century origins (it meant shopkeeper), to its meaning in the 17th century - when an apothecary was a dispenser of herbs and health concoctions. Finally, after a trendy heyday in the 80’s, the meaning of the word “apothecary” came into its present-day usage as a store exactly like the one we’d built.

i knew of, and had visited, various other stores in california and across the us (none of them licensed pharmacies) who also used the word “apothecary” in their business names. i called a few such stores to ask if they’d heard of this code or been contacted by the state. none had.

So how did it all come down? Well, like many things, the ending wasn’t exactly what I’d first had in mind, but in the end….

next week we’ll finish up with Part 2 - and a big surprise!

in the meantime, here are some images from the apothecary archives -

next: more greenery, less green cross. the re-opening of 1767 church street!

sarah here with a confession to make. people often ask me how i manage to work in a store where i am invariably surrounded by temptations. i’ll admit, it’s a difficult to look at cute things all day, but it’s my cross to bear. and when san franciscans spend a rare sunny afternoon picnicking rather than trying on wool coats, i get to play dress-up. mariele and i spent this past sunday doing just that:

no one is surprised by doe’s love of creatures, but our most recent faves are dear creatures. above, mariele bonds with the fauna of doe in the vashti blouse. she paired the top with the del forte’s organic laurel jean, available in our haight street shop. birds, bugs, and speesees friends lounge at her feet during an impromptu story hour.

below, she’s pictured with our newly-arrived squirrel lamp. her corduroy dear creatures janis jacket is perfect for chillier days to come:

here i take turn as resident weirdo in my favorite piece of the season, the freemont jumper by trovata. i paired it with the organic cotton estancia tunic by loyale and one of the new ashley morgan pendants. the dress form bears the brunt of my getting a little too friendly with our ever-popular gnome flask:

come visit us next sunday, if not sooner, and join us for the next round of dress-up!

dear sarah -

kt

hey all,

sarah reporting. freshly back from new york city, where i attended the spring 2009 designers & agents trade show.

the west coast is known for casual comfort and color, and i had never before been behind the scenes on the opposite shore. new york city exists on a near-mythical plane of fashion cool. thus, i was thrilled to have the chance to check out the nyc’s d&a show this past weekend.

i flew into jfk, where i met a friend (one who is both a dude and a babe!) and headed to brooklyn. the comparisons i hear between williamsburg and san francisco’s mission district proved true, and the local flavor was endearingly familiar. here’s a picture of an italian ice spot next to the predictably-named tony’s pizza:

saturday i took the subway to d&a, located in three different loft spaces between chelsea and the manhattan shoreline. it was definitely a different game than the west coast shows - art galleries were everywhere, and the vendors were set up in cramped, multi-story nooks of buildings. here’s an example:

new york certainly doesn’t have the sprawling convention centers of las vegas, and this was different than the smaller set-ups here in san francisco. turntablists held it down on each floor, clear plastic staircases and stainless steel doors abounded, lots of white - this wasn’t the environs i was used to. and i was surrounded by the seasoned buyers of nyc, clearly a force to be reckoned with.

despite the sophisticated change of scenery, i wasn’t feeling most of the style offerings. since this was spring, color was everywhere, as were ruffles and tie-dye. the latter two are not really my thing.

i was pleased to find tracey and tyler at the prairie underground booth. kati and i had a chance to preview the collection in san francisco just before my trip, where we both agreed that a bright yellow coat had to be added to our spring orders. i’m shown holding it below, with tracey chatting up another buyer in the background (picture taken by my babe, who was nearly denied entrance to the event on account of his scruffiness):

note my she bible shirt from last summer and emily katz skirt from spring! you can’t fire me now, kati!

i also saw other doe favorites, including st. kilda (who will soon be shipping us a huge selection of new jewelry styles!), moss mills, stewart brown (stoked about next spring’s organic and soft jersey pieces!), and long-time store staple woo.

here’s a little round-up of just-discovered goods that struck my fancy:

while not at the show, i managed to spend some serious quality time with buddies old and new. beers, werewolves, the brooklyn flea - i’m pretty sure i’m in love. here’s a shot of me and my pal at ripley’s believe it or not, doing our best wacky tourist impressions:

thanks, new york! you are a gracious host.

kati here. I haven’t forgotten about the travel blog! now that the kids are back in school, I’m dedicated to recounting team doe’s summer adventures abroad – even if it takes til december!

a little more about our stay in the provincial village of aniane…

every village in france celebrates its own special jours fériés (holidays). participating in a town’s jours fériés is a great way to get insight into local customs and traditions. we happened to be in aniane for bastille day, le 14 juillet, which is the day the french celebrate their independence. aniane’s yearly fêtes (jours fériés celebrations) take place around french independence day. les fêtes d’aniane last 4 days and the whole town comes out to celebrate.

entertainment included: nightly dance parties hosted by locally renowned “dj michael”, an ibiza-style foam party for children, a beer and pastis (french aniseed liquor) garden, and a street fair with booths offering everything from hand-sewn polka dot skirts to natural crystal deodorant to blood sausages.

the highlight of the festivities was the running of the bulls – this local twist on the spanish tradition differs in a couple of ways:

* first - running area is confined to two blocks of the main street in the tiny village.

* more importantly, there are only a couple of bulls. the two bulls are contained in the back of a truck and released only when gypsies on horseback surround them so that local boys can attempt to overpower them and wrangle them to the ground.

this year’s bull run was cut short, as one of the young wranglers was gored between the eyes by a bull horn. luckily, we were spared witness to the violence.

scene from the running of the bulls:

note the guy wearing the leather jacket with “cg” and a star. the front of his jacket read “coven (sp) garden.”

The fêtes d’aniane provided an excellent opportunity for Monica and I to scope the local fashion scene! Bear in mind that we were chillin’ in the countryside – and check out our two outstanding fashion trend picks from aniane:

* the first is the sewn-crotch skirt. this may sound like “pants” – but trust me - they aren’t! this is a skirt/pant combo not to be confused with mc hammer pants or traditional harem pants. the crotch is sewn straight across at the knees with leg openings at the sides. I regret that I wasn’t able to snap a picture, or find an example on the internet; but use your imagination! this trend extended well beyond the borders of aniane – the french were rocking this style from montpellier to marseille.

* Our second style pick was native to the village of aniane. picture a neon green crew-neck tee adorned at the back with glittery purple iron-on bubble letters spelling out “100% anianais”. Local boys were often seen in this style, and all the participants in the bull wrangling event proudly sported these local pride tees.

our stay in sun-drenched aniane was so relaxing that we only once ventured from the surrounding area – when we returned our rental vehicle to the city of montpellier.

on the way back from our montpellier daytrip, penelope, sabine, monica, and I were left stranded in aniane’s closest neighboring village - gignac. gignac has a taxi service, but our calls went unanswered. And, after waiting over an hour to see if they’d be returned, we decided to walk the 7 kilometers of country highway back to aniane.

monica (in petit oiseau dress circa 2005, augie scroll hoops, la made leggings and melissa peep-toe flats), taking a break along the highway:

next: apothecary research and correspondence

this week’s winner gets artistic with bubble vases from our brick-and-mortar:

Dear Doe,

Brandon D.

Thanks, Brandon, for sharing your creation!

this week’s photo contest winner, jenny v., wins a $150 certificate after snagging a dress for cheap!

Hello from way over here in The Berkshires! I have been following your blog and admiring your shop from afar, via the web, for quite a while now. I am always on the lookout for a cute little dress and when your end of summer sale rolled around, I just couldn’t resist snatching up this lovely Velvet Basata dress. It arrived just in time for our last little stretch of warm summer weather here. It’s pretty, feminine, has the perfect amount of detail, I LOVE the color and it’s amazingly comfortable. I could wear it anywhere…even for a turbo charged round of bouncing with my favorite little three year old, Sam…aka “Skeeter”. Hooray for my first Doe purchase!!! You are represented in a small way out here in MA and I truly hope to visit your beautiful shop in person someday too!

Thanks, Jenny!

Congrats to our latest photo contest winner!

Hello doe,
This is one of my favorite photos! Mother’s Day 2007 - my son Julien and I are enjoying a rare, warm, windless evening on our balcony here in SF. I am wearing my very prized Maya Brenner gold California necklace which my husband Michael gave to me for Christmas 2005. I absolutely love it and I cannot count the number of compiments it has garnered. Oh yeah, Julien loves it too.
Thank You!
Shannon B

thank you for sharing, shannon!

kati here. after some unexpected travel delays (we spent an extra night in london and were re-routed through dublin!), penelope, sabine, and i finally made it back to the 415. now that we’re comfortably settled back home, and the jet-lag has worn off, i have time to write more about our adventures abroad…

aniane is located in the herault countryside. by car, it’s about 3½ hours northwest of marseille.

i’ve been visiting france since I was 16, and have stayed mostly in tiny country villages with few amenities. so, the isolated backcountry nature of aniane wasn’t a huge shock. other than the lack of tv to entertain the little ones and wifi to stay in touch with the store back home, I had a pretty good idea of what we were getting into.

i nicknamed this the “fountain of hope” because, sitting next to it, I could jump on an open wireless network to check my e-mail. p is wearing a shirt that belonged to me when i was 5. sabine is wearing a top purchased in st. maxime with cotton caboodle bloomers from doe – these are the best diaper covers ever! easy to wash and wear, i packed several pair in dark colors to hide stains. the adorableness of these ribbed jersey bloomers is matched only by misha lulu’s patterned pantaloons. i also packed two pair of these – one striped and one checkered:

the tiny village of aniane has a pharmacy (completely modern and well-stocked!), several restaurants (mostly serving regional cuisine), a bakery, an epicerie (small grocery store), a butcher, a hair salon, and a sometimes-open gift shop where I purchased these adorable cards:

and these:

even the envelopes are sweet:

if you’re desperate for some of your own (i think i might mount mine for the girls’ room), here is the company’s contact info:

next: les jours fériés