Tom’s Shoes and Seasonal Twists at OLIVE in San Marco

Certainly if you are a female shopper in San Marco you’ve explored Olive.  As shops or boutiques go, this is a store that one definitely explores.

That’s because Olive carries all sorts of great things, from lovely clothing, to a large selection of unique and on-trend accessories, to fine lingerie; a diverse selection of things for the home…yours, or somebody else’s.  Whether you need a gift or are just shopping, it’s hard to go into Olive and leave there empty-handed.  There is so much to look at.  If you can restrain yourself from buying this lovely thing, or that, Olive is a great place for browsing.  (Browsing is fine, of course, but we want to support our merchants, not just admire them!)

Items for spring are everywhere in Olive now.  Along with the brighter colors in clothing that spring evokes, Olive has brought in Tom’s Shoes as a new line.

Tom's are known the world over for confort and consciousness.

Do you know about Tom’s?  First of all, Tom’s are cool and comfortable shoes, that are both in the moment and styled eco-friendly.  Not only are they stylish and comfy, but Tom’s Shoes is a for-profit company that donates one pair of shoes for every pair bought, to a child in need, in another country, elsewhere.  And now you can pick up your own pair from your own San Marco distributor of Tom’s, Olive!

Baubles and bangles of all sorts await you.

Olive’s accessories selection is vast, and alluring. The trendiest bracelets and earrings, lovely necklaces; everything a woman could want to, because there is an accessory piece to fit with whatever style she prefers.

Olive has created an inviting space, a home-like interior, as their selection of home accessories are artfully arranged to catch your eye and make you feel like you’re browsing in a really cool house. Every great design item (the perfect place to pick up wedding, bridal shower,or hostess gift, too) can leave with you and grace your home.

Housewares & home decor are new additions to the offerings at Olive.

Owner Heather Wingard is off to New York next week, to order the latest in Fall fashion for Olive. She stays ahead of the trends, always watching the fashion horizon for clothing that suits the stylish Jacksonville shopper. At the end of New York Fashion Week, it’s ‘market time’, when buyers from the best shops everywhere arrive in New York to order their selection for the next season’s offerings. But now, Olive is fresh and bright with spring offerings, and Heather tells us that coral is going to feature strong in spring colors this season.

With the weather warming and the daylight hours lengthening, everyone’s ready for spring. So pop into Olive for burst of spring.

Clothing and accessories at Olive, with a twist!

And don’t forget: Olive is the place for Tom’s Shoes, now, too!

~Contributed by Jeannie Greenwald of mysanmarco.com.

Edge City, at the intersection of style and community

When Gunnel Humphreys and Tom McCleery first opened Edge City—the iconic 5 Points boutique that has fed the fashion appetites of a generation of young hipsters—bellbottoms and cork platform shoes were all the rage. The year was 1976, and Tom, recently laid off from a job in the steel industry, decided to invest his severance in a storefront in the Park Arcade Building that previously had been home to a head shop selling pipes, cigarette papers and waterbeds.

Their goal? To create a shopping experience that was totally unique and always on trend. And although Edge City’s inventory has varied through the years—evolving from vintage furniture to Foreign Legion underwear and Madonna crucifixes to today’s high fashion offerings—the couple’s vision for their store has remained consistent.

At today’s Edge City, you’ll find frilly, flirty dresses from Dollhouse, Vivienne Tam and Betsey Johnson, and brightly colored European offerings from Barcelona-based Desigual. Beautifully curated glass cases display sparkly Tarina Tarintino jewelry, Espe wallets and bags, bejeweled hair bands and combs, and funkalicious sunglasses. The atmosphere is vibrant and trendy and warm.

However, nothing captures the store’s personality better than the owners themselves. Gunnel’s neon pink hair is a familiar sight around Riverside, and Tom’s puppy-eyed features belie a wonderfully droll sense of humor. As active voices in the community and avid patrons of the arts, it’s also no surprise the couple are dedicated GoLOers. (Neither has ever stepped foot inside a Wal-Mart, Target or K-Mart. As Gunnel told a reporter, “Who needs a big box when my neighborhood supplies all my needs?”)

It’s Gunnel’s eclectic personal style that has kept the store on the cutting edge, and Tom’s willingness to take leaps of faith that has kept the doors open. But after nearly four decades in business, what this couple has built at 1017 Park Street is so much more than a retail establishment: Edge City is a bona fide institution.

This 5 Points landmark doesn’t just serve its funky, creative neighborhood—it personifies it.

What the world needs is a little more Tact.

The first time I wore a Tact t-shirt (super-soft brown cotton, long-sleeved, and featuring an iconic old-school camera etched on the front, above the brand’s signature), I noticed someone staring at my chest in the Dunkin Doughnuts line on Roosevelt (not terribly GoLO of me, I know, but that was before I discovered Edgewood Bakery in Murray Hill makes delicious, award-winning donuts . . .). Finally, the guy tapped my shoulder and said, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Honestly, there was no meaning. I’d bought the shirt at the Riverside Arts Market a couple of weekends before because I thought it was cool. But then I thought a minute, and finally said, “Well, there isn’t enough of it these days, is there?” “Tact?” he replied, then nodded sagely. We shared a smile and went our separate ways.

The dictionary will tell you that Tact means:

1) a keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense; skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations.

2) a keen sense of what is appropriate, tasteful; discrimination.

Draper Studio Store. credit: rummagevintageandhandmade.blogspot.com

But here in Riverside, locals know Tact refers to the terrific new store housed next to Jim Draper’s studio in Park & King’s historic Whiteway Corner. As I understand it, Draper (who’s one of the city’s best-known and most successful artists) saw something special in the soft t-shirts and clever screen-printed graphics that the duo behind Tact were displaying at RAM. He offered them space in his new Draper Studio Store, which is a cooperative effort the artist started to provide quality handmade products and artwork that are produced locally and affordable to the everyday consumer.

I've got this one, too!

The couple happily agreed, and the result is a beautiful smooth-walled space at 1508 King Street that showcases the team’s latest whimsical/edgy designs–not only on t-shirts, but also on tote bags, pet clothing and more. (The space also happens to feature some pretty terrific Draper originals on its walls, as well as Burro Bags and a variety of interesting prints, artwork and accessories.)

Tact’s mantra is, “Smart graphics in tasty colors and clean styles.”  Tact is a small operation, and they print in limited runs. Fans who monitor the latest design releases on Facebook scoop up the short-runs, which may mean your size isn’t always available. But isn’t that a good thing? Sure, Target has some cool graphic t-shirts, too , but those are less an expression of your taste than what someone at Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis thought you and 500,000 other people might find interesting.

The GoLO team always advocates stepping Out of The Box–and not just because supporting your local entrepreneurs and businesses helps keep our urban core neighborhoods vibrant. The reality is that you just might find yourself at a great hipster party sporting the same shirt as five other folks, and belatedly wishing you’d had a little more. . . Tact.

Here we Go (LO),

Jean in Avondale