Fun Western Washington Field Trip for Mom: Common Folk Co.

I've mentioned this before, but our family moved last summer and I had a baby a month later.  Consequently, my life has been pretty hectic, and I haven't had as much time to explore our new surroundings as I would like.  I've slowly worked out which grocery stores I like, combed the area thrift stores and have found some great restaurants (although we have yet to find something that fulfills our Cafe Rio cravings).  However, I feel like in the normal run of taking kids hither and yon, keeping food in the house and clothes on our back I rarely have time to do much more than the basics.  I drive by little shops, cafes, parks or whatever and think, "That looks like something I would like...I should go in and check it out."  And then it often takes months or even years before I finally get to it.

So I've decided that I am going to take a little field trip once every month somewhere in Western Washington and post it on the blog.  Now that I've put it out there, hopefully that will help hold me accountable to not put off the little explorations and discoveries that make me happy.

So without further ado, here is Fun Field Trip #1: Common Folk Co.

It is a gift and home decor store.  I went there with the stated purpose of buying a present for my friend, Brynn, but I also took some pictures of what they have.  So, want to go shopping with me?

First off, above is the front of the store.  Cute, no?  Also, its proximity to the store next door (pic below) doesn't hurt.

They sell home decor and accessories, some items of furniture, as well as gift items like toiletries, seasonal decor and jewelry. The whole store is full of charming vignettes with really lovely products.

 When we first arrived at the store, the woman who was working offered Sawyer and me a mint sample (one of those white chocolate, melt-in-your-mouth mints--yummm) and because this is Seattle....

she also offered us some coffee or tea.  I'm not a coffee drinker, but they had a nice selection of herbal teas as well.  If I hadn't been balancing a camera, Lucy on my hip and trying to keep Sawyer from breaking anything while still letting him look at things, I would have taken her up on the offer, though :).

I thought these soaps were really pretty all stacked together.

A display of black and white toiletry items.  I am drawn to black and white...

Sawyer loved these two ceramic dogs.  When he saw them, he said: "Look--they love each other, Mom!"

He wanted me to take a picture of him in front of the dogs.  He seriously looks like he's auditioning to be an extra in Oliver! in this picture.  He has about 1,000 cowlicks in his hair.  It only looks good if it is really short and he needed a haircut pretty desperately when we took this.  My cute little urchin :).

I really like all the dressed up lamp shades.

There is also a cute kids section.  I thought these party hats with glitter were really fun.  Plus, can you see the stairs in the background painted with a checkerboard pattern?  That would be really great in the right sort of house.

 This Easter tree is over-the-top fabulous :).

They do a good job of using junk/found items for display, and it provides an interesting contrast.  Here, various chandeliers and paintings are hanging from an old, weathered scaffold.

I loved both these sets of pillows.  I like the burlap/graphic look right now, and I've always had a thing for ball fringe.

One more lovely vignette--wasn't that a fun shop?  Does it remind you of one of your favorite places to browse?  Stay tuned...I can't wait until my next field trip.