Blog

In the fall of 2014 we went on a retreat to Flat Rock, North Carolina. This is what we saw.

Can’t wait till next year.

Moving is always a tough decision to make, even if the decision is made for you. We realized it was imminent a while ago, but put ourselves through months of jerry-rigging desks and workspace before we were willing to admit it was time to say goodbye to our 85 1/2 Spring. Though short-lived (33 months), we had a blast together, and knew that this couldn’t be that thing where you break up and then see each other all over campus and your heartbreak returns and you have so many regrets even though you know it was the right thing in the first place but you wonder if it could work and then regret it instantly when you try again. No, we needed to make this work. Let’s just be friends for real. So Helen and Josh decided to share the love (progressive) and invite some of their crushes to use the space after we left it. We knew it was the best thing, and our friends agreed, so the Pretend Store was conceived. 85 1/2 would be the venue for a series of pop-up shops and a place where Fuzzco, Charleston, and some of our favorite out-of-towners could get together and collaborate.

Last month we had the pleasure of sharing the space with our friends Stefanie Brechbuehler and Robert Highsmith of Workstead. Displayed alongside their beautiful lamps and fixtures was a small lantern we had the pleasure of collaborating to create. Hand painted in Fuzzco red and white with patterns influenced by Workstead’s Nordic roots, these lanterns were given the power of portability so you can enjoy them even in places without air conditioning. See the beautiful photos taken by Matthew Williams of Workstead’s time with us and what The New York Times had to say about our pop-ups.

During their stay, Workstead hosted three dinners by lantern light where we ate food from Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill, Tara Derr Webb of FarmBar and Josh Walker of Xiao Bao Biscuit. If you were lucky enough to attend any of the sold-out dinners, you will agree, they were a fantastic mix of good company, intimate conversation (so encouraged by the lanterns) and delicious food. Lanterns are still available. Order yours today!

November has so far been a fantastic month. Our interior idols O + A all the way from the Left Coast city of San Francisco joined us with their bold modular cardboard furniture to create temporary workspaces for our favorite low country creators. The modular cardboard blocks were fashioned into shelves, chairs, desks and stools. Our friends Becca Barnet, Jacob Lindsey, Cone10 Studios, Finkelstein’s Center, Redux Contemporary Art Center, and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) have all re-worked the space and the pieces to fit their needs. It’s been great to see how each collaborator uses the same pieces in such different ways. You can still catch Distil Union in there until the 22nd (today!).

December hasn’t happened yet, but if it had, you’d have seen the space filled with our friends Kathleen Whitaker, Loup Charmant, Press: Works on Paper, All Hands, Proud Mary, State, Landrum Tables, Gravel & Gold, and LuRu Home, all offering you glances at their goodies. In addition you’ll see (and be able to purchase) the towel we collaborated on with Proud Mary. The pop-up is slated for the perfect time for the gift-giving days ahead. We can’t wait to share these brands with all of our fellow Charlestonians.

So come by and say Hello (not goodbye) to our new (old) space, still at 85 1/2 Spring St.

See you there!

Last Friday, if we answered the phone, you may have heard some road noise, snoring, or the satisfying crunch of Corn Nuts® behind the wise design advice you were given. We weren’t absconding with your design files or avoiding that deadline—we needed a break from the rigors of sitting down all day. The Fuzzco retreat (aka Super Cuddle) had commenced; and if you didn’t catch the tweets, instagrams, and pokes we managed to release into the interwebs from a lakeside cabin without reception, here’s a summary of what happened:

We arrived at our Lake Nantahala castle Friday afternoon just in time to catch a swim, jenga, build a potato cannon, and enjoy pizza by the fire. Things got serious with a great group discussion about exciting new projects, learning new things, expanding our collective skill set and various other deep, philosophical topics. At least 2/3 of our wine (and 1/4 lb of our gummy Gumbys and Pokeys (thanks Sweeteeth!)) was gone before 9:00 pm. The night ended with hot cider, shooting star/milky way gazing and making echoes on the pier while trying to stay warm in our shorts. Someone opened the Fireball.

Saturday started early with jogs and yoga for a couple of us while the rest groggily made fire and sat. The bagels were delicious. Everyone instagrammed the fog on the glassy lake at least once. #morningview. We tried to plan some capture the flag but decided that the hills were better for hiking. We tested the potato cannon. Seven second hang time. Many played games on the floor or spottily caught up on emails (we’re only human) or made long-distance calls to their lovers with the land line. We hiked through leaves and dog sh*t on the apple orchard trail. None of the hunters talked to us, but their dogs were friendly. The temperatures were perfect so some of us ran down once we reached the top. The orange leaves and our smokey flannels from the night before were the perfect autumn aroma cocktail. We all finally agreed that Butter was not the best color for our skin-types. We went home and took naps. We shot the cannon more. We smelled the hot tub and avoided the rash and some hail. We tried to figure out how to catch a flying potato. We warmed up with the best grilled cheese sandwiches any of us had ever had (butter + shredded cheese). #yum. We took the Myers Briggs personality test and had some more serious talks about our results. None of us are “sensing.” Everyone had their moment, up on a step stool, receiving praise for their hard work and general wonderfulness. We made a great list of the things we wanted to try and things we wanted to learn. We tasted scotch from all four regions of Scotland. We made more fires and had tacos. We all had seconds. The guac was first to go. We made s’mores and played Euchre. We all fell asleep watching Stand By Me.

Sunday we woke, sore from the previous day’s thrills, perhaps sad knowing that it was all over before we all had the chance to see a shooting star. Surely, though, we were a little bit closer than when we got there. Maybe it was the wrestling for spoons or the becoming familiar with each others’ natural scents that brought us together. Or maybe the innocent drunken laughs or matching canker sores. Or maybe the smell and taste of the basement. And though we maybe disagreed on what we enjoyed the most, we all agreed: the retreat was just what we needed. Even when you work with your greatest friends (#bff) you gotta take a break and look at your business, clients, and office mojo from the mountain tops (literally). Get away from the cellular network, away from the screens, and instead of reading emails, listen to people talk about their career dreams and business plans. We did, and we descended more enlightened, more motivated, and more closer.

To conclude, #awesome. Can’t wait until next year.