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Zen and the Art of Shopping

TAMARA KOMUNIECKI
Special to The Globe and Mail
November 10, 2007

GRAVITY POPE TAILORED GOODS
2203 West 4th Ave., Vancouver
604-731-7647
http://www.gravitypope.com

Though it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon, sometimes shopping can be less than soothing.

Jostling for space with other bargain hunters among racks overflowing with the latest must-haves and shouting to the salesperson over blaring music are not exactly conducive to a chilled-out experience.

Once in a while, though, you walk out with bags in hand and a Zen-like smile on your face, having lost all track of time in a boutique that has got it right. Like the new Gravity Pope Tailored Goods clothing store.

The 1,800-square-foot space is the sister shop to the popular Gravity Pope shoe store next door and joins Gravity Pope clothing and shoe stores in Edmonton and Calgary.

Walk in and the first striking features aren’t the Tocca dresses or Paul Smith cardigans.

White Carrera marble floors glisten and gleam. Light from the mirrored, spinning chandelier bounces off the walls. Two reupholstered Louis XIV chairs sit against the back wall underneath iridescent aluminum light fixtures, grouped as an installation piece, while a dapper antique mannequin from Paris stands watch.

The store was designed by Edmonton-based interiors guru Peter Turner.

“You walk in and it feels a little bit cinematic in here sometimes,” manager Natalie Tersigni says.

“When the light’s right and the music’s right, and the mirrored chandelier is spinning, it’s a little surreal. It is difficult to describe, but I’d use words like calm, classic, minimal, modern, romantic, feminine.”

And then there’s the wall colour that defies description.

“The colour is custom and I don’t know what to call it,” Tersigni says. “Some people call it blue, they’ll call it green sea foam.”

Customer Pete Morrish also appreciates the design.

“I think the store is about as aesthetically pleasing as they come. I love the floor, the marble, the blue walls, the simplicity of it. It’s just a very, very cool store. It’s the whole experience … it’s the great staff that are interesting to talk to, it’s the cool design and obviously the collection they carry too.”

It is an impressive collection. A Douglas-fir-topped table with jeans for men and women from Nudie, April 77 and Cheap Monday splits the store into the men’s collection on the left and women’s on the right. However, both sexes are encouraged to shop either side.

“It’s funny because we split the store down the middle with the denim table, but this entire table is unisex, so it kind of merges the two together,” Tersigni explains. “You’re definitely not going to see a man in a Tara Jarmon dress, but a lot of the men’s stuff is definitely carry-over. Some of the Filippa K Man sweaters, Paul Smith cardigans, a men’s dress shirt … A lot of women will come in and kind of stop here on their side, and I’ll say, ‘Please go to the men’s section because the stuff is awesome.’ “

On the women’s side, Jovovich-Hawk’s plaid sleeveless ruffled dress ($300) shares rack space with a Mon Petit Oiseau Swiss Knit Sweater with pompons ($305). Other lines include Tocca, Tara Jarmon, Won Hundred and Acne Jeans.

Standouts on the men’s side include the Gilded Age Plaid Wool Coat ($920), a Fred Perry striped polo ($100) and the Nice Collective Tactic Zip-up Jacket in navy blue ($340), which looks like it was stolen from David Beckham’s closet.

Though more stock will be added next season, manager Tersigni says the store will never be an overcrowded shopping experience.

“I don’t think it’ll be a hundred times more stock than we have now,” she says. “When you narrow it down for people and you give them just a smaller selection of beautiful things, sometimes you need not go anywhere else.

“You could have the whole collection at your fingertips, but often it’s more effective if you just have some of the best pieces from it.”

A puddle jumper’s paradise
Instead of complaining about the rain, Shanda Jerrett capitalized on it

TAMARA KOMUNIECKI
Globe and Mail Update
October 22, 2007 at 9:55 AM EST

Shanda Jerrett could barely wait for Vancouver’s infamous yearly rains to begin. While locals got in a last few holes of golf under grey skies or ran the Grouse Grind before its trails got too mucky, she was overseeing the final details for a brand new, unique retail store – Vancouver’s first wet weather boutique.

Originally from Australia, where she had experienced a five-year drought and strict water-rationing measures, the wet weather started to affect Jerrett during her second winter on the West Coast. She put on some colourful rubber boots, black with pink swirls, to cheer herself up – and ended up with a business idea.

“I would always see people with a scowl on their face, trudging through their day, carrying their black umbrella,” she says. “When I wore my boots, it was almost like a ray of sunshine hit them. I wore them everywhere and people commented all the time. I would be stopped and asked questions like where did I get them, how do I find them, and that kind of stuff. So from there it was like, ‘There’s something in this.’ “

Jerrett, a jack-of-all-trades former restaurateur and interior designer, hit full speed, and nine months after her idea, Gumdrops opened its doors to customers last month. The store’s name comes from an Australian candy (and is a combination of the words gumboots and raindrops) and carries supplies for everyone from kids to man’s best friend.

Jerrett’s hard work paid off. Within days of the opening-night party, the store had sold out of several items and she was surprised at having to replenish stock so quickly.

Popular styles include Zeyner nylon backpacks ($225) and laptop bags ($325) with embroidered flames and chrome skulls on the handles for men, women’s rock ‘n’ roll tattoo-patterned gumboots by Chooka for $95, and dinosaur and fireman boots at $37 for kids. Even on a dry day, customers often walk out wearing their purchases.

Jerrett expects that new shipments of Doc Marten-inspired boots with lacing up the front by Danish designer Ilse Jacobsen, and umbrellas that attach onto the handle of a child’s stroller will be immediate bestsellers as well.

Customer Sonja Reichert talked about the store on her first visit, as she debated between a more practical pair of black and white patterned boots and a colourful pink striped pair.

“I’m surprised a store like this hasn’t existed yet,” Reichert said. “It’s really perfect timing and it’s perfect for Vancouver. I was thinking maybe I’ll get the practical ones first and later on decide to get some fun colourful ones. I’ll start with the basics and then build up my wardrobe.” (She bought the black-and-white ones, and threw in an umbrella for good measure.)

Designing the store herself helped Jerrett infuse the bright and welcoming boutique with personality and thoughtful touches. Angled mirrors on the floor give the customers a better view of their footwear, while a low side of the puddle-shaped ottoman allows younger customers to perch comfortably, whether trying on boots or playing with the toys.

Future plans include having Gumdrops’ own products in store and then spreading business even further.

“I’m looking at branding,” Jerrett says, “And then I would like to go forward and have a store in every rainy city. I just want to spread the fun.”