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Wearing a stylish jacket from her shop, Art & Soul proprietor
Marjorie Tuttle displays her greeting cards.
Photo: Celeste McCall
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Art & Soul is trying to fill part of the void left by Trover’s, which closed this summer, and Pulp, the edgy shop which left several years ago. Both stores sold umpteen kinds of greeting cards, political buttons and other fun items. “It was a tragedy that Trover’s closed,” Art and Soul proprietor Marjorie Tuttle told us last month. “But hopefully we can fill the gap.”
Well, it certainly has, but let’s back up a little. Since 1995, Art & Soul, located in the second block of Pennsylvania Ave. SE, has offered a wide selection of “contemporary wearable art,” namely stylish women’s apparel: chic skirts, jackets, pants, scarves, handbags, totes, jewelry and other accessories. Fashion designers represented include Gertie’s (casual separates), Pat Farley (hand-dyed silks), Samuel Doug (blouses and coats), Mycra Pac (reversible raincoats), Alexis Bittar, Erica Zapp, Keith Lewis (jewelry). While I was studiously taking notes, I succumbed to temptation and purchased a black Baggallini handbag ($45), with lots of zippers, “designed by flight attendants and approved by travellers,” according to the tag.
Nifty, over-sized tote bags are recycled from Cambodian produce and rice sacks. “They hold a ton,” Tuttle assured me. “You can pack 40 pounds of groceries in one of these.” She added that the Southeast Asian line also produces shoulder bags and makeup cases. Art & Soul also carries funky glassware, tableware and, yes, Obama buttons and tote bags. “We sold them during the campaign, and they are still going strong.”
You’ll find Art & Soul’s newly-expanded greeting card section in the re-configured back room. The shop did not get rid of anything, but simply redesigned the back room and rearranged merchandise, keeping the cute baby clothing and cuddly toys in their corner. Much of the wood-work was done by local carpenter Randy Weaver, who grew up on Capitol Hill and now lives near Third and D streets SE.
The 9-tier card rack is situated across from the dressing rooms, and framing the new structure is a pair of columns that once graced the Alexandria home of Robert E. Lee. The wooden poles were gleaned from an architectural salvage company, and you can still see chips of the original, 19th-century white paint.
“We have 120 faces (designs) of greeting cards,” said Tuttle. Card categories cover the usual bases: birthday, thank you, anniversary, get well, sympathy. A couple of messages: “Middle age: too old for a paper route, too young for Social Security, too tired for an affair.” And (my favorite): “At our age, we shouldn’t eat health foods. We need all the preservatives we can get.” Across from the cards are some clever hand towels bearing similar messages. “Our tastes range from Trover’s to Pulp,” added Tuttle. “We have nothing really vulgar, but we do have risque with taste.” |
