Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Vanities and Werewolves


Every now and again, I may as well be selling Marmite on spelt toast. Maybe it's the full moon. It might be some global electrochemical phenomenon. It's probably the heat.

It happens unexpectedly like a burp at Mateo or a pimple at middle age. I offer an elegant vanity and my beloved customer acts like I've offered her a standing-room only ticket to a reading of Beowulf. I go to sell someone a gorgeous dresser and in its place stands an extra small scratchy wool sweater. Then as quickly as the beast came, she's gone. People go back to pawing the pillows and manhandling the drawers and all is well with the world.

Likewise, the underdogs all seem to have their day around here. At Joyful we aren't above carrying a few Goofy pieces, and we'll even work with the occasional Benji or Cujo. Of course, no sooner do we shyly set it on the floor than a car screeches to a halt outside, the new owner whistles, and up jumps little Lassie wagging and panting all the way home.

I guess we shouldn't be surprised at the inconstancy of it all. We tear apart and rebuild everything that will stand still long enough to let us. Who's to say we have a monopoly on shape shifting?

Sunday, June 22, 2008

July Newsletter

New Stuff!










Bookcase and cabinet built entirely from reclaimed cedar and pine $350














Recycled Redwood bench by local sculptor, Berit Naeseth








Sleek, black bedroom set:


Dresser $299


Nightstand $129

Bookcase (not pictured) $99














Recycled Door Bench by Brent Owens $450














Celery Green Nightstand $159
















One-of-a-kind bench painted by local muralist Sally Eckert-Tone $850


















White Antique Dressing Table $299
















Introducing...The Rough Room










Our secret stash of high-end used stuff is out of storage and on display for your shopping pleasure. You "do-it-yourself" types can buy it as is.








You "I've-got- other-things-to-do" types can have us paint it any color you like.









Vicious Rumors:
People are talking about us... and we love it! We were called "Extremely Eco" on page 107 of the new Home and Garden Magazine. Elephant Magazine suggested we might have the "eco-est chair on earth." We even found some writing on the wall of the Boulder County Business Report (and yes, I put it there myself.) Keep spreading the word!





Deals:



Hey! Take it outside!





You've weeded, you've watered, you've arranged the ornamental flamingoes, maybe you've even donated that pickup that's been on your grass since '83. It's time to celebrate and relax into outdoor living! During the month of July, for no cost, Joyful will put two coats of water-based outdoor sealer on anything you find in our shop that you'd like to use outside. We have a slew of benches, tables and chairs that would look great on your patio. Remember to pull the stuff in before winter. Sealer will get your outdoor treasures through the summer rains, but won't protect wood from freezing temperatures.





Hey, and thanks to Susan Moore, our brilliant bookkeeper who won the June contest. This fall, our local students will be organizing their schedules and giving their phone numbers to strangers on Joyful sticky notes!


Events:



Free BBQ July 20th from 5-7pm at Joyful


Come one, come all for a relaxed dinner in our beautiful back garden. Stick your feet in the kiddy pool, have a hot dog, listen to some music. Kids, dogs, bikes, and dorky golf shorts are encouraged to attend.





I worry that the person who thought up Muzak may be thinking up something else.
-Lily Tomlin


Have a great month!

321-Contact





I got busted once for touching a sculpture. One minute I'm in a wonderland of cool marble and hushed voices, the next I'm being escorted out to the Quai du Louvre, everyone looking at me like I flashed a priest.

How can you blame them? They were told that sculpture is for looking at, and having never crawled into the lap of a reclining Moore or handing the Venus her missing sheild, how would they know any different?

At Joyful, I distinguish the furniture shoppers from the furniture lovers by their touch. Shoppers measure, assess, compare and coordinate. Lovers follow helplessly while their hands lead them from surface to surface, riding over smooth wood and wraping around twisted metal.

I'm sometimes tempted to protect my treasures from their oily paws but then I remember how lucky I am to be witnessing their unplanned contact dance. My tables and chairs will forgive them their familiarity, as I think the goddess has long ago forgived me mine.

Friday, June 20, 2008

As Is














Some very eloquent man on the radio was telling me (and, yes, I like to think he was talking directly to me) about great spiritual masters and their ability to see the face of god in everybody.


"Everybody?" I ask

"Everybody" I imagine he replied.


"Even the guy who swore at me this morning when I asked him to move his truck out of my driveway?"


"Even him."


"Even the person who stole Joy's bike?"


"Yep."


"Even George..."

"Emily, I need to get back to my radio show now."


"Oh, yeah. Sorry."






Nope. Can't do it. Not yet at least. For now, I'll practice on the ugly and damaged furniture of the world.

Since we started storing our not-yet-refinished furniture where customers could see it, I've been amazed at how many people love the exercise of looking at an ugly thing and finding its inner beauty.

You've got a missing drawer? You're perfect. You've got a yellowy oak stain? We see a divine glow. Covered in mysterious grey stuff? Step right up, we'll wash your feet. Falling into innumerable pieces? We can't wait to hold your thousand hands.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Free Love




Adulthood rocks. I can eat a milkshake for dinner. I can refuse to play with people I don't like. I can stay up until 1 am on a schoolnight watching movies that give me brain damage. Best of all, I can fall in love with a piece of furniture on a steamy June afternoon then ditch it after the first snow.




Some more prudent folks prefer to hold on even after the love is gone. They keep the papasan chair for the memories, the deflated leather sofa cause it was expensive, and the faux finished dining table because it took 16 hours to get the mixed vegetable pattern just right.


I say, let it go. Take it to Savers and help a college student who has $60 and a roll of shelf paper with which to set up her first apartment. Take it to the Humane Society Thrift Store and thrill a sweet lady who's been looking for a dining table that matches her salad-themes chairs. Sell it on Craig's list. It would rather be with someone who loves it anyway.


Now go and find the perfect thing. You might build it from reclaimed materials scavenged at Resource. You can buy it affordably at Joyful, Feather Thy Nest, or The Amazing Garage Sale. As long as you're not breaking the bank or stuffing the landfill you'll never need to feel guilty that it's not your first or heartbroken if it isn't your last.


June Newsletter





The Monthly Mirth
Your update on all things Joyful








New stuff:











Elegant narrow table for entryway or behind the sofa $249















Snappy handbags from Biscuit designs starting at $45














Antique two-drawer nightstand $199















Pink vanity with circular mirror $299












White desk with swoopy legs $269










Contest:

June brings everything we like, flowers, bikes, swimsuits, and money. Yep, money. We are
giving away $100 in Joyful furniture credit to whoever wins this contest. All you have to do is tell us what kind of schwag (cheap marketing gift) we should give the students in August that will remind them to furnish their lovely homes at Joyful. It can't be garbage. They have to use it often enough that they'll save it and see our store info again and again. It has to be inexpensive too. Please send your ideas in by emailing me at emily@joyfulfurniture.com or just hitting the "comments" button at the bottom of this page. Good luck.


Events:


Parking Spaces Friday, June 13th- 11am - 2 pm
As part of Walk and Bike Month Joyful will join dozens of local businesses in a celebration of human-powered transportation and the urban outdoors. We'll have a park set up in our parking lot, complete with plants, benches, and cool drinks. Get a map from GO Boulder and you could win prizes for visiting all the "parks."

Join the Artivist Movement Saturday, June 21, 2008 7:00-9:00 p.m
Art can change the world ~ A fundraiser for Art as Action at Joyful.
Live performances, drinks, hor'dourves, dessert and an excuse to wear a dress.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through http://www.artasaction.org/



Quote of the month:
I'm on the patch right now. It releases small dosages of approval until I no longer crave it,
and then I'm gonna rip it off. -Ellen DeGeneres








Have a Great Month!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Shuffling Orbit



It's still out there. Almost every object you've ever touched still exists. Maybe you lost it, tossed it, or gave it away, but if it wasn't biodegradable, it's still in the world somewhere.

Maybe it's nestled into a landfill serving as a pillow for a sleepy barbie, or spooning with an abalone ashtray. It might be rolling down a hill in a fondue pot or sandwiched between a couple of Van Halen records. It may not have moved for years but if it's lucky, it's been picked up by one of my tribe and is now living the good life.

I seem to attract people with an eye for good garbage. Some of Joyful's furniture is currently on display in an award-winning eco-home made from old shipping crates. Joyful's own glass artist Hannah Upham makes jewelry, boxes, vases, and bells from broken glass that she has fused and molded in a kiln. For the last ten years, an old friend of mine has been building beautiful art quilts out of cast-off drug bags. Another friend sews amazing handbags out of scrap fabric. The diligent dog-owners of Boulder have made a valiant effort to reuse our endless supply of plastic newspaper bags. However, Moe's Ecomats has done them one better by weaving the brightly colored bags into elegant placemats and coasters.

I like to imagine all the lost objects like bees humming in a layer around the globe, inaudible to people who only speak "new." The rest of us, when we need something, just whisper "please" into that low-slung atmosphere and watch it fall into our hands.