Neighborhood Notes

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of good window displays, but I recently encountered something I hadn't seen before: a free-standing display window on 24th and East Burnside. Have you seen it????

At first glance, especially from a car, it's easy to mistake this window as an actual storefront. But as you look for the door (d'oh!) and walk around the side, you can't help but notice its oh-so-slim depth and the parking lot behind it. Even then, it's a little difficult to comprehend that this is truly just a window. But for Spin Designs, the local company who has leased the space for two years, this little slice of street presence has been a boon for their online business.

According to Michelle and Dee Dee, the sisters behind Spin Designs, the original idea was to use the window as a showcase for any stores that were located in the back of the building along that parking lot. When Los Baez took over all of those spaces, the owners decided to rent out the window as a separate display window.

The sisters live in the area and saw the "For Lease" sign in the window. How fun it would be to play window dresser and promote their work at the same time—their set design sense started to tingle!

"With the magic of the internet we can sell an item seen in the window through our website and send it to the buyer right away," explains Dee Dee, "It has taken a little bit of time to get people into the idea of ordering online from a window, but it has definitely kicked in."

The sisters have had a lot of fun decorating the window and using it to advertise what Spin Designs is up to. According to Michelle, "It has helped enormously in getting our name out there and promoting our work."

The sisters and their families moved to Portland about three years ago from Vashon Island, near Seattle. They found a really fab 70's house (check out the Sept/Oct 2006 issue of Oregon Homes) and fell in love with the neighborhood.

Why Portland? Michelle's husband is a member of the band Los Lobos and they had been coming to Portland for years with the band—they knew how totally cool this place was! So now, their families are alll living and working in beautiful Southeast Portland!

The sisters have been working and creating together for over 20 years. "With both our mother and father being artists, we had endless art materials available to us," explains Dee Dee, "We developed a sense of, 'If you need it, create it.'

Their goal is to design work that they love to look at and live with and then make it available to everyone. They create for every part of your world, garden, home and body. According to Michelle, they never stop dreaming up new designs.

About the jewelry: The STAINLESS STEEL JEWELRY designs are laser cut and then hand-tooled until they are smooth and shiny. Some of these pieces may be from our production line, but others are completely one of a kind. Most of Spin Designs' work is made from stainless steel but they also create some one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces in silver and resin as well.

About the SILHOUETTE MOBILE COLLECTION: This collection is created from original llustrations. The mobiles are made from high quality 1/16" thick mat board and then laser cut, which leaves a nice clean edge and allows Spin Designs to create pieces with great detail.

On some designs, they hand-apply art paper details in a contrasting color throughout the piece to give it a sophisticated finished look. The mobiles are packaged in a decorative, protective envelope that includes everything you need to assemble and hang your mobile.

Feel the Love 

I couldn't resist asking Michelle and Dee Dee what they love about their neighborhood. Here's their answer:

"Where do you start!? Hawthorne is a daily trip for us. Michelle's daughters, (11 and 15), have developed quite a shopping habit at places like Presence of Mind and Greg's. We hit Powells constantly and love the fresh sausage and cheeses from Pasta Works, and Bread and Ink's sidewalk waffles, (I am sensing a food theme here), and Sunday walks to StumpTown. On 28th Street we love John Taboada's restaurant Navarre, Butterscotch, Buca, Masu East and the Side Street Gallery. Broadway Fred Meyer's and the Dollar Store (great for window display materials)! And of course, Music Millennium."