Style & Fashion News
Gifts of love this Valentine's Day
Tuesday, February 08, 2011 10:56 AM
By Allison Carey, The Plain Dealer
Creations by Celeste bracelets at the Sparkle Jewelry section of Vanity Lab in Westlake.
Style & Fashion News
Tremont's Geode Gallery jewelry and gift boutique a gem with treasures inside:Places in Style
by Evelyn Theiss/Plain Dealer Reporter
Tuesday July 28, 2009, 4:00 PM
Scott Shaw/The Plain DealerGillian Barnes' Geode Gallery carries a variety of work by local artisans.Geode Gallery
What: A gift gallery and boutique in the Tremont neighborhood.
Where: 755 Starkweather Road, Cleveland.
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday,11am - 7 p.m.; Friday, noon - 9 p.m.;
Saturday, 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays.
Call: 440-667-1651.Gillian Barnes' new gallery, in the shadow of the domes of St. Theodosius Church, has a Hollywood back story. The character played by Meryl Streep in "The Deerhunter" worked as a clerk at the "Eagle Market" in the movie. Which was really the Starkweather Market -- which is now the Geode Gallery.
Barnes, who opened her gallery in April, picked the name "Geode" because that is the raw rock formation from which precious gemstones are derived. "There's a treasure inside a geode," she says.
And so it is inside her gallery -- there are treasures here, especially in the form of jewelry, much of it by local artisans.
The gallery itself is a must-see, too, as Barnes has created a backdrop that contrasts cunningly with jewelry and other gifts, and serves as a tribute to Cleveland's industrial history.
The jewelry of Cleveland Heights designer Celeste Martin, which incorporates vintage accessories and gems with pearls and silver, is displayed on a slate-topped steel table that once served as workspace in a laboratory. A selection of Viktor Schreckengost giclee prints is displayed, one per step, on an orange industrial-sized stepladder.
In another clever twist, Barnes took a vintage 1950s steel display rack for boxes of clothing dye and made it a rack displaying compacts by Anne Taintor, a line known for vintage photos of women making dryly ironic observations. Most of the retro fixtures come from the Lorain Avenue antiques district, says Barnes. Some of the antique pieces are for sale.
For much of her adult life, Barnes worked as a paralegal to support her family, but she has artistic genes. Her late father, Ron Joranko, became a full-time painter after he retired from his job in the tax department of TRW and Barnes still sells his paintings as well as giclee reproductions of his work. Her mother, Sally Joranko, crafts necklaces and bracelets that incorporate antique watch fobs, which Barnes also sells at Geode.
Previously, Barnes had co-owned the Finestra galleries in Willoughby and Painesville and had been a design consultant for Arhaus.
Her gallery is nicely situated near two popular Tremont spots, Lucky's Cafe and Lilly Handmade Chocolates. And a new restaurant is slated to open soon, she says, bringing more traffic to this corner of Tremont.
Among the jewelry lines carried at Geode is Jillian Wolstein's H.O.P.E. Malawi, designed by Lori Leavitt of Pepper Pike.
Many of the jewelry lines feature metalwork, including those by Kim Baxter, Deborah Woolfork and Tom Cole, whose metier is heavy sterling. Jewelry prices range from $12 to $300 or so.
Susan Saltzman's jewelry features sea glass and stones from Lake Erie.
There's some apparel here, too, including Sara Hoover's cotton T-shirts with vintage images of items such as turntables and old radios, and Anna Lynne Matisak's ombre-dyed slips and negligees, with necklaces incorporated into the design.
Among the can't-miss handbags is the colorful woven-cotton-yarn Be Sweet line, made by a group of women in Cape Town, South Africa.
Barnes, 44, who lives in Tremont, is thrilled with the space that she's converted into a gallery.
"Because of its industrial heritage -- it's got a warehouse feel -- it's just naturally conducive to a gallery," she says.
She's already thinking ahead. A new adjacent patio will be just the place to display garden art.
"I'm in my element," says Barnes
PLACES IN STYLE
Tremont gallery a gem with treasures inside
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Evelyn Theiss
Plain Dealer Reporter
Gillian Barnes' new gallery, in the shadow of the domes of St. Theodosius Church, has a Hollywood back story.
The character played by Meryl Streep in "The Deerhunter" worked as a clerk at the "Eagle Market" in the movie. Which was really the Starkweather Market -- which is now the Geode Gallery.
Barnes, who opened her gallery in April, picked the name "Geode" because that is the raw rock formation from which precious gemstones are derived.
"There's a treasure inside a geode," she says.
And so it is inside her gallery -- there are treasures here, especially in the form of jewelry, much of it by local artisans. The gallery itself is a must-see, too, as Barnes has created a backdrop that contrasts cunningly with jewelry and other gifts, and serves as a tribute to Cleveland's industrial history.
The jewelry of Cleveland Heights designer Celeste Martin, which incorporates vintage accessories and gems with pearls and silver, is displayed on a slate-topped steel table that once served as workspace in a laboratory. A selection of Viktor Schreckengost giclee prints is displayed, one per step, on an orange industrial-sized stepladder.
In another clever twist, Barnes took a vintage 1950s steel display rack for boxes of clothing dye and made it a rack displaying compacts by Anne Taintor, a line known for vintage photos of women making dryly ironic observations. Most of the retro fixtures come from the Lorain Avenue antiques district, says Barnes. Some of the antique pieces are for sale.
For much of her adult life, Barnes worked as a paralegal to support her family, but she has artistic genes. Her late father, Ron Joranko, became a full-time painter after he retired from his job in the tax department of TRW and Barnes still sells his paintings as well as giclee reproductions of his work. Her mother, Sally Joranko, crafts necklaces and bracelets that incorporate antique watch fobs, which Barnes also sells at Geode....
MOCA shop presents clever, innovative items
by Rosemary Downing
Wednesday August 19, 2009, 3:37 PM
ROSEMARY DOWNING/SUN NEWS
The door is open to great buys at MOCA's Art Shop.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland or MOCA is in the building that houses The Cleveland Playhouse at 8501 Carnegie Ave. Parking is free when the Playhouse is not having a performance.
Upon arriving on the second floor, the Art Shop was right in front of me.
I love this little store. It is stocked with clever, innovative and useful items.
There were T-shirts by the Proper Tea Company. They are designed with tea stain dye. Short sleeves cost $42 and long sleeves cost $54.
I was tickled by viewing a metal chain wine bottle holder that magically rose from the top of a display shelf. It embraced the neck of the bottle horizontally. A whimsical item to add to your next party scene. The cost is $28.
Handbags by Ecoishttp://www.ecoist.com/t, made from repurposed candy wrappers, soda labels, food packages and even a subway map are priced from $28 to $148.
Celeste Martin necklaces, bracelets, and earrings made from fresh water pearls, crystals, and vintage jewelry were on display.
There were contemporary housewares that included demitasse cups, salt and pepper shakers, and oil and vinegar bottles.
I bought a Hotheads silicon potholder that resembles the head of a dog -- a "potholder critter that can take the heat." When not in use as a potholder it makes for a fun puppet.
A children's area has everything from bath gel and games to books and toys. Tom Poole the director of communications/senior designer recommended "The Scribble Book" by Herve Tullet ($14.95).
It starts with scribbling and takes a child into creating actual shapes and images.
The Rainbow Maker for $25 brings good chi into your house, according to Feng Shui. You attach this gizmo to a wall that is graced with natural sunlight, and rainbows result throughout the room.
Now for the news I didn't want to hear, the museum and the shop were to close Aug. 16 to set up a new art exhibit. They will reopen Sept. 12. Mark your calendars because this is a place to shop and view really fine art at the same time.
Its Web site is MOCAcleveland.org.
From Designer Dress Days to the Sunbeam Boutique, take your pick of events
Posted by Evelyn Theiss/Plain Dealer Reporter October 21, 2008 12:24PM
Poinsettia Place Holiday Boutique
The Shaker Heights Country Club will also be the site of the Junior League's Poinsettia Place event, which runs Friday, Nov. 21, to Saturday, Nov. 22.Among the selections at this boutique are women's accessories from Amira's Closet; beaded jewelry by Celeste Martin's "Creations by Celeste"; Kimberly Cristen Ltd.'s preppy accessories and Savoir Pair jewelry and accessories.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 21 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 22. A Girls Night Out shopping event is planned from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday; tickets for that are $30. Or there's the Grand Brunch at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, for which tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for children under 12. The Twigbee Shop, a children's shopping boutique, will be open Saturday.
Proceeds benefit the Junior League and its community projects. For details, go to Jlcleveland.org.
PEOPLE IN STYLE
Beads and beyond
Local designers each found a niche with jewelry
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Kathleen Murphy Colan
excerpted from Special to the Plain DealerWhat started out as a hobby has turned into a business - and an obsession - for a talented Cleveland-area woman who spends nights in contemplative meditation over beads.
Not prayer beads, but beads, jewels and semiprecious stones that they transform into fashionable, wearable jewelry for sale.
A common passion to create drives her; a need for quiet time often motivates them. And a sense of accomplishment satisfies when people on the street stop and ask, "Where did you get that gorgeous necklace?"
Celeste Martin, 46, of Cleveland Heights, is a self-taught artist who spent most of her life working in corporate America and as a fitness instructor.
She remembers the day in 1999 when she decided she no longer wanted to work for someone else.
"It came out of nowhere. I was walking downtown at lunchtime, and I just thought, 'I only want to do things that I love from now on,' " Martin says.
Martin always had collected vintage jewelry for fun. She often ripped it apart and reassembled it for her own enjoyment.
Then she quit her corporate real estate job and invested some of her 401k money into a small supply of beads and jewelry-making tools.
While supporting herself teaching private Pilates classes to 20 or so clients each week, Martin practiced her new passion in a converted bedroom on the second floor of her Cleveland Heights home.
"I started out . . . mainly selling to friends, then I made the rounds of the arts and craft shows, learning more with every show," she says.
Martin's offbeat personality shows in her colorful designs. When brooches became all the rage in fashion circles last year, she incorporated them into necklaces.
Antique marcasite shoe buckles, rare coins and stamps are other interesting facets of her styles. Pearls in every color and shape are also a passion.
She scours fashion magazines to put her twist on current fashions and is secretive about her bead sources.
"It took me a while to develop relationships with my vendors, but I also buy beads whenever I travel," she says.
Today, she makes her living holding trunk shows at friends' homes and at intimate public venues.
"It's all about finding your niche, and I've definitely found mine," she says.
Prices range from $20 for a pair of sterling-silver beaded earrings to $200 for a pearl necklace with an antique brooch. Check out the designs at www.creationsbyceleste.com.
