The Foundrie

We were so thrilled to host Gianna’s 14th birthday party in our new space last weekend. And lucky for us her mother Robin Frisella happens to be a very talented photographer who was happy to snap some photos of the party to share with us. The girls had a great time making headbands, buttons, and mini-terrariums and they were so much fun to work with.

And in other exciting news, The Foundrie will be the home to a Thursday evening yoga class taught by Jill Dunlap beginning tonight. The class will run from 7:30 to 9pm and is $10 per person. Just bring yourself and a mat if you have one! No need to sign up ahead of time and you pay for each class on the day of. Spread the word, grab some friends, and join us! See you there!

I think it is safe to say that we are officially settled into The Foundrie’s new home and we are loving everything about it so far. Our neighbors at this end of the mall have been super welcoming and our new customers have been so wonderful and excited to have us here. Thank you to everyone for their patience while we were busy getting the store opened, the website redesigned, our vendor list updated, etc, etc, etc. We are loving life and are so totally excited about this new chapter unfolding before us.

The website here is still a bit of a work in progress but we are madly in love with our new logo, designed by the amazing and adorable Cristin Rae. Not only can she knit a mean scarf but she is quite skilled in graphic design and can help you create a logo for your small biz or blog. You can contact her at cristinrae@gmail.com if you would like more info.

Once Cristin finished up our logo, she got to work on the new logo for Courtney Chesley of My Vintage Addiction who in turn helped us switch our blog over from WordPress.com to Wordpress.org. Still not sure what kind of voodoo html magic she worked to get it done but we really appreciate the help!! Html, math beyond college algebra, and outer space are three things that just blow my mind. Thank goodness we have crafty pals who can come to the rescue!!

We are still working on our class schedule and event rental information but we already have our first birthday party and graduation party booked in our new space and we can’t wait for both events. For general info about renting our space click the link for “Event Rental” at the top of this page. Our goal is to make every party and event hosted at The Foundrie extra special and we will work with you to make sure you have exactly what you need for your guests. Please contact us at events@thefoundrie.com for additional info and to secure your date.

Our plan is to get back to a more regular blogging schedule as soon as possible so keep an eye out for another new post soon!! And if you haven’t been out to the new store yet, what are you waiting for?? See you there!

What a perfect night.  I was so touched that my family and high school friends made the trek all the way from the east side to show their support. And my college friends, Miranda and Sally drove hours to surprise me!  Love you guys!  I was swelling with pride, and a bit over stimulated (inside joke), watching my two worlds collide as my crafty peeps rubbed elbows with my family and friends from way back when.  Vendors, both old and new stepped out to scope out the new place, and I hope we didn’t disappoint.

Although the grand re-opening party wrapped up on Friday night, the celebration continues everyday at The Foundrie, and we welcome you all to come check out the new space!  I mean, what’s not to celebrate when you’re truly living the dream??!?!

Hooray!  It’s my first blog post as co-owner of The Foundrie!  Shelah and I have become so close these past couple of years, and there have been plenty of high fives and compromise along the way.  I couldn’t be happier that we can now officially call ourselves business partners!  And, the new space is everything we could have possibly hoped for.  I won’t reveal too much of the new space yet…..we’re saving that for the big grand opening.  However, I wanted to take this opportunity to give you all a little sneak peak of the amazing barn wood and other reclaimed items that we acquired from my family’s farm.

I guess it’s true what they say: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  So, when I got word from my dad that the barn on their farm was dilapidated beyond repair, and he was going to have it torn down, I immediately exclaimed “HALT!”  (Well, perhaps those weren’t my exact words, but you get the drift.)  I knew that there was a place for this perfectly weather wood somewhere in my life.  Although this was well before a new space and a partnership in the Foundrie was talked about, I was able to convince my dad to hold off on the demolition.

Once a new location for The Foundrie was decided on, it was a no brainer that the barn wood was going in this space.  So, we called upon the help of our good friends Mike and Courtney Turney to assist in the removal of the wood.  Luckily they accept payment in the form of homemade apple pie and pony rides!   A few trips down to the farm revealed not only amazing weathered wood, but we also found beautifully rusted tin roofing and vintage farmhouse doors, windows and gutters.  Our minds were racing with ideas on how to incorporate this awesomeness into the store.

It’s taken a few weeks, but with the help of our husbands, family, and friends, Shelah and I have finally whipped the new space into shape.  So pumped for you all to see it!

Are you as in love with our new fitting rooms and curtains as we are?? We finally hung the chevron striped panels we have been slaving over for the past several days along with some real tree bark and deer antler tie backs and we couldn’t be happier with the end result. The fitting rooms feel like you are in a tree house. And we kind of want to move into them and live there forever.

It is so amazing to feel like we are finally making some progress in the new space and I can’t wait to share more pics as we get closer to re-opening. Have to make this short so we can get back to work but wanted to share a couple other fun happenings. Elizabeth and I will be at Plush tomorrow night for Handmade Happy Hour. You can find more info here. And drumroll please…We have been accepted to Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn this coming June!! Aaah! So excited about this summer. It is shaping up to be a mind blowing season and we can’t wait to dive in!

Finally taking a little break from work at the new space to share a few pics from the Green with Indie Craft Show we vended at on the Webster University Campus a couple of weeks ago. Elizabeth and I had our booths side by side and had some of our fave folks as neighbors which always makes for a fun time. Once the show wrapped up we hit up Schlafly Bottleworks for drinks and gossip with some of our friends and crafties where the beer and conversation flowed as usual.

All in all it was a fun way to spend a Saturday even if loading up half of the store for an 7 hour craft show is a little insane. That’s just how we roll. Eliz and I always talk about how we feel a bit like gypsies always packing up and traveling for craft shows. We think this may be some much needed tattoo inspiration. Will keep you posted!!

And in new shop news we are anticipating being ready to open for business early April and having a grand re-opening party mid to late April. Of course we will post all of the dates, times, and info here as soon as plans solidify. Can’t wait to see all of our customers again soon! Happy spring!!

This is what our lives have looked like for the past week or so. Packing, moving, more packing, more moving…you get the idea. We have finally gotten everything moved into our new location thanks to help from our husbands, friends, and family (you guys are amazing!!) and Elizabeth and I cannot wait to start setting up the new shop. There are lots of odd and ends to finish up before that happens so please excuse our lack of updates around here until we are settled in. We are tentatively planning to re-open early April and will of course post that info here when the time comes.

And since we have such a large space to fill with merch and no plans to re-open until next month we have decided to extend our vendor application period until March 31st!! So please help spread the word to the most talented artists, crafters, and designers you know. We love selling locally made goods but we accept handmade items from all across the country as well. And we have received some fantastic applications so far so keep them coming!!

To celebrate the fact that February 29th only happens once every four years, we have decided to open consignment applications for next quarter a whole day early! Happy leap day everyone!!

So do you make amazing handmade products or have a carefully curated selection of vintage wares? Do you have a budding brand with a great website? Do you want to sell your independently produced or vintage goods at The Foundrie?

If you answered yes to these three questions then may I personally invite you to fill out our consignment application for our summer quarter!! Just click the link for “consignment” at the top of the page and follow the instructions. It is free to apply as always and due to the fact that we are moving into a bigger space, we will be able to accept even more vendors this coming quarter.

You have until March 15th to get your application in so don’t delay! Can’t wait to see all the handmade and vintage goodies you have ready for us! If you have any questions about the application process, feel free to email me at thefoundrie@yahoo.com.

I am so excited to finally be able to share the amazing news I have been keeping mum on for the past couple of weeks. The first order of business is to announce that…The Foundrie is moving!! We have signed a lease on a bigger and better storefront in Chesterfield Mall and are beyond thrilled to move into this new space.

It is a beautiful space as you can see above with big display windows, hardwood floors, and white shelving throughout the store. We have so many plans for the future and cannot wait to move in. We are hoping to get settled in by the beginning of April and of course will keep you posted here on our progress.

The bigger space means we will have room for more merchandise, which means we can accept more artists and designers for the summer. We are also working on expanding our selection of vintage merchandise and will be purchasing some fun new items wholesale to share as well. And not only that, but the new store will have a larger space dedicated to classes and events so we will be expanding our offerings in that area as well. Pretty great, huh?

The bigger space also means a lot more work. Which brings me to my next exciting piece of news. Are you ready for it?? Ok, here goes…I would officially like to welcome Elizabeth Hahn-Lawrence on board full-time at The Foundrie as co-owner/marketing and operations manager!!

Elizabeth has been an invaluable help over the past few months and I couldn’t ask for a better partner to help grow The Foundrie. Her passion and enthusiasm for handmade and diy are contagious and her dedication and positive energy make her the perfect counterpart. And before you panic that this means the end of Just Liv, I assure you that Elizabeth still has plans to continue making her fun and fashionable accessories alongside her new role at The Foundrie. So don’t worry your pretty little turban-ed heads.

And the last piece of information I wanted to share today is that The Foundrie will be hiring our first-ever visual merchandising/retail sales interns this summer! These positions are for college credit only but they promise to be educational and loads of fun. If you or someone you know is interested in an internship at The Foundrie, email me at thefoundrie@yahoo.com and I will forward you the internship description and qualifications.

Longest post ever. Sorry to be so long-winded but we are so stoked about the future of The Foundrie and the potential for growth and success. I would like to thank all of you who are shopping locally, buying handmade, and supporting the dreams of artists, designers, and independent business owners. It means the world to me and makes such a huge difference in our community. I really can never say thank you enough. Thank you!!

Last weekend I was so happy to be able to attend my friend Rachel’s baby shower and Stella was excited to join in on the fun. She took her first bite of the food and said something along the lines of, “This baby shower is great!!” And she was absolutely correct.

I wish I could take credit for some of the decor pictured above but that was all Rachel. She is so talented and creative with such an amazing eye for detail. The food was delicious and the cake was maybe the best I have ever had. And I consider myself to be a connoisseur of cake. Cherry almond with whipped cream frosting?? Yes, please!!

I love celebrating milestones with dear friends and am thrilled for Rachel, Omid, and Gabe and the impending arrival of their sweet baby girl! Can’t wait to meet her!!