Photos courtesy of Courtney Apple Photography
Click here for an online tour of the Little Apple on Facebook

A fresh face on Manayunk’s Main Street, Molly Cygan’s The Little Apple

A little piece of the O.C. has landed on Manayunk’s Main Street! Entrepreneur and Southern California native Molly Cygan opened The Little Apple boutique in February with an Etsy meets Anthropologie feel to the charming, and now popular, shop. Cygan, a 2006 Berkeley grad who boasts an art history degree, was inspired years ago by her boarding school days at Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. “The seeds were definitely planted when I was at boarding school at Exeter. Here we were-lots of young kids in a small town with disposable cash—but nowhere to spend it. I was determined when I went back for my five year reunion (at Exeter) to start looking into opening a little boutique. And, of course, when I returned the downtown was packed with great shops-so clearly a few other people had the same idea! So, I kind of gave it up at that time but still wanted to pursue opening my own shop when the time was just right,” explained Cygan.

That time came last fall. After Berkeley, Cygan lived in New York City briefly before moving to Philadelphia this past October with her fiancé, who is in medical school at Drexel. (They will be tying the knot at her parent’s house in Cal July 3rd.) It was then that she started to rethink the idea of her own storefront. “I started to check out some spaces around the city and nothing seemed to be a fit. Then, some of my fiancé’s friends suggested that I look into Manayunk and that’s when I found this space on Craig’s List. It needed some serious TLC but I could see the potential,” said Cygan. Continue Reading

By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Belle Vie Photography

Bryn Mawr’s Verdad was the sophisticated setting for Wednesday Night Whinos’ successful launch party.

AroundMainLine.com kicked off an exciting new ladies social club, Wednesday Night Whinos, at Bryn Mawr’s Verdad on the evening of March 3rd! Over 40 ladies from our AML Facebook fan page and Twitter group came out to Verdad to connect and celebrate the launch of Whinos, enjoy wonderful tapas food and Spanish wine and win fantastic prizes.

Verdad head chef Nick Farina, formerly of Bryn Mawr’s Blush, is a good friend of the AML family. In October of 2008, AML hosted our emagazine’s launch party at Blush and have been working with Farina ever since. Verdad proved the perfect central location for the Whinos kickoff party with delicious tapas food served all night long in the bar area. Continue Reading

By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of Katie Reim/Cultivar

Cultivar hairpieces and bouquets are ideal for brides, bridal parties or the Main Line fashionista who wants to embrace her inner Coco Chanel. Photo courtesy of Mary Kate Timbers (kateslens.com)

Katie Reim came about the idea of using recyclable materials for hair pins and Victoriana headpieces in February 2009 while recovering from brain surgery. One year later, Reim has a clean bill of health and a successful Etsy shop. Reim is also a local artist with a line of perfectly charming illustrations of some of the Delaware Valley’s most beloved landmarks and events. I chose Cultivar, Reim’s booming accessory business on Etsy, as party of AML’s ongoing series, Etsy Phavorites. Her gorgeous clips, headbands and pins are irrestible and so SJP, I knew my AML gals will appreciate the selection!

Each piece of the Cultivar collection is constructed by hand using cleaned, recycled fabrics (mostly acquired at a Philadelphia Salvation Army) and buttons, in addition to new and reclaimed beads. Want to check out the designs in person? Look for Cultivar pieces at Manayunk’s new chic boutique, The Little Apple. Continue Reading

By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of High Street Market

Fly Like an Eagle
From Robson’s personal collection, an extra large 48" vintage cast metal wall eagle, $125

Interior designer Kelly Galvin Robson has a love of everything vintage. Her prolific Etsy site is brimming with irresistibly preppy, distinguished home accents-from an old set of German framed bird prints to cocktail glasses, Vera linens, milk glass, a vintage large brass horse head door knocker, McCoy pottery and more. If you are a fan of the AMC series Mad Men (the Golden-Globe winning series which depicts the lives of a group of Madison Avenue advertising executives in the ‘60s) then you will fall in love with High Street Market’s uber-chic retro collection. “I love the Philadelphia area, and I just love the creativity here among the design community. When I worked for a very high profile interior design firm in L.A., our clients always challenged us to find these amazing, one-of-a-kind pieces. They were not interested in hiring us for a living room that ended up filled with mass produced items. Every day there was the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of discovering special items for their home,” explained Robson.

But, Robson, an Orange County native, found the scarce amount of L.A. flea markets impossible to source regularly for those perfect vintage treasures. So when she and her husband moved to Bucks County a little over a year ago, she was thrilled. “I love how easily I can go to a bunch of flea markets and antique stores in one afternoon here. It was not that convenient in L.A., they were not that prolific and just working through the traffic was nuts! The Philadelphia suburbs are a treasure trove for me as a designer.”
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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of Marie Labbancz

‘Peppermint’, $115
“We do our research and we want people to look twice at our arrangements. Right now I am using a lot of cabbages and artichokes in my designs-finding unique greenery, unusual combinations of flowers,” explained O’Brien.

Think outside the box, er, the vase. That’s the advice of renowned Philly floral designer Donna O’Brien from Northern Liberties’ Beautiful Blooms. Beautiful Blooms is a full service décor design company that works with discriminating clients to create event concepts-from dream weddings, corporate events, bar/bat mitzvahs, intimate dinner parties and more. O’Brien’s bustling business was recently honored by The Knot as a Best of Weddings Winner 2010 as one of the best florists in Philadelphia.

Holiday centerpieces and wreaths in 2009 don’t have to follow any rules according to O’Brien, who prides herself on setting trends and concepts within the international design industry. Beautiful Blooms Boutique has created several floral designs and custom cedar or pine wreaths (ideal for the corporate client/thank you) that can be purchased for the holidays or throughout the winter season. These designs can be picked up or delivered ($55 or over for delivery) in Philadelphia. Variegated white, red and peppermint poinsettias wrapped in chic metallic paper have been flying out the door, said Donna, for delivery to several Philly corporations for office décor and gifts.
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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of Fallen Hearts

In the upcoming New Moon movie, Jacob Black gives Bella Swan a dream catcher for her birthday. Fallen Hearts’ pewter pendant with turquoise colored enamel accents, $24.

If you have not been privy to the media buzz surrounding this Friday’s release of New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight saga, then well, you must be living in a cave. Although considering New Moon’s storyline is based on a troubled vampire, perhaps a cave is a good place to emerge from just in time for the November 20th theater debut. The highly anticipated flick is based on author Stephenie Meyer’s four book blockbuster—of which 70 million copies have been sold and subsequently translated into 45 languages across the globe. Last November’s Twilight earned $70 million in its first three days and has since grossed close to $400 million worldwide.

With her Twilight-inspired Etsy store Fallen Hearts, West Philly jewelry designer Desiree ReDavid (pronounced Ree’-David) has tapped into the tens of millions of Twilight fans, known collectively as a Twilighters. Starting her sensationally successful jewelry line was, as ReDavid explained, “a happy accident.”
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By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Vida Carson Photography

AML CEO and ePublisher Sarah Lockard.
Photo courtesy of Vida Carson

You’ve probably noticed our popular ongoing series on AroundMainLine.com called ‘Etsy Phavorites.’ It’s a fun tribute to Philadelphia-based Etsians who are successfully running an e-commerce business through Etsy.com. For those of you still new to Etsy-in essence, Etsy is an incredibly successful online marketplace that allows small business entrepreneurs to sell handmade items, including art, photography, clothing, vintage items, craft supplies, food and much more. Many people refer to it as an ‘EBay for artisans and handcrafters.’ Time Magazine recognized Etsy as one of its’ Top 50 Websites for 2009.

On October 29th, a special article on Philadelphia-based Etsians from yours truly was featured on Etsy’s popular blog, the Storque. Check out the Shop Local Philadelphia piece and our selection of incredibly talented Delaware Valley entrepreneurs successfully selling their wares on Etsy. Some names (Krista Peel, Pearl Stationery, Jadite Kate) you will recognize through our features on AML or through our cool “Etsian of the Night” series on our Facebook Fan page. Over a hundred people commented on our Shop Local feature on Etsy, it was so cool to read the comments about our Etsy artists and the gorgeous photos that made the article so successful. Special thanks to AML staff photographers Kristen Hudson-Nichols, Laura Kicey and Vida Carson who worked very hard with me to coordinate this exceptional opportunity.
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By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Pearl Stationery

Pearl Stationery’s charming line of trick or treat favor boxes, ideal for your chic Halloween party.

Philadelphia native Stephanie H. was invited to a card making class about a year ago with her cousin. It seemed to awaken her child within. Stephanie had a passion for scrapbooking, crafting and paper projects as a little girl—spending hours working her way through stationery kits and playing with stamps, construction paper and embellishments. And, thus, a few weeks after her class, Pearl Stationery-her popular line of high-end custom stationery-was born.

Now thriving on Etsy.com, an online store for artisans, collectors and hand crafters, Stephanie finds inspiration abounds from just her daily life. “I was riding the train into work one day this summer and noticed all the men in their business shirts that looked so crisp-white with the pinstripes. I thought the designs were very intricate and clean and summery, so my mind started thinking. A few weeks later, I put together a set of cards from that one thought. Inspiration can come from anywhere and with stationery, you can really go in so many directions-have fun, be creative,” enthused the young designer.
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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of El Lohse

Lohse was discovered on Etsy by a writer for NBC’s hit show, The Office, who came across her illustration of the character ‘Dwight.’ Lohse was commissioned to do work for their wrap party last season and now has strong ties with the show’s producers and cast.

The four pack of Golden Girls fridge magnets did it for me. Working through some late night leads on Etsy for the AML Phavorites series, I stopped dead in my (online) tracks. Before me was a mesmerizing collection from West Chester artist extraordinaire El Lohse and her kitschy, interpretation of pop culture icons entitled ‘elloh’. Her endless array of work, acrylic paintings, brought me instantly back to some of my fondest childhood memories and the TV shows, movies and characters that were a part of it. El’s art includes odes to Sixteen Candles, Mr. T, John Cougar Mellencamp’s hit song Little Pink Houses, Willy Wonka, The Golden Girls, Mr. Rogers, The Sound of Music and more. I found myself entranced with each piece on her Etsy site as my mind went into memory overdrive!

My delight in elloh is shared by many a fan, and customer. Lohse is one of the Delaware Valley’s most successful Etsy artists, having sold over 2,700 pieces of her fine work in less than two years. Even a call up to my corporate Etsy connections (mind you they manage a database of over 250,000 vendors) garnered an immediate, “Oh, sure, El Lohse is a great Etsian!” That’s when I knew Lohse’s line of art, entitled elloh (purposefully spelled with a lowercase ‘e’) was a fantastic pick for our Etsy Phavorites series.
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By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Krista Peel

Amber Resin and Glass Necklace, $55.
Peel’s pieces are all one-of-a-kind, handcrafted works of art using some of the earth’s most gorgeous gemstones.

Artist Krista Peel is a self-proclaimed “rock fanatic.” Peel grew up surrounded by the picturesque plains of Cheyenne, Wyoming where her childhood days were spent appreciating the undisturbed elements of nature. “It was very serene, and as a child in a rural area I was surrounded by these intricate rocks and stones. There were not the distractions children have today, so I developed a very keen sense of the land around me and nature,” explained Peel.

Fast forward to 2009 and Peel is one of the most successful Philadelphia-based jewelry lines showcased on Etsy.com, the world’s largest online marketplace for designers and artists. That’s quite an accomplishment considering the tens of thousands of designers from the Delaware Valley who showcase their wares on the site. “Etsy allows me to have an audience that I can interact with. It really is a friendly community, a positive environment of artists that all support each other. And, looking around at the company of awesome talent on Etsy is so inspiring for me to keep producing beautiful pieces. Whenever you are in a situation like that (as a designer) there is nowhere to go but up. Etsy has been just great.”
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