Shopping for YazBerry

Right now YazBerry is residing in multiple postal codes. Accordingly...shopping for YazBerry is doing the same thing.

For YazBerry jewelry ->shop directly from my facebook photo albums. I update them every time an item sells. Contact me to make a purchase and I can invoice you via PayPal (where you can pay with a credit card without having a PayPal account) or you can pay in person.

For YazBerry handmade & vintage purses & scarves -> for a limited time only, September 22 - October 22 (because I have access to this inventory) you can shop from my etsy site. Shipping will start October 1. After October 22, the etsy shop will go on vacation again until further notice, or magical inventory management solution.

Apologies for any confusion. I really want you to have access to everything I offer, so I am working out logistics the best I can for the moment.

The Local Joint: Meet Virginia Berry!

The Local Joint: Meet Virginia Berry!: My bio on the store website. Check it out!

Virginia Berry is a textile artist with training in drawing, painting, sculpture, textile arts and costuming. Berry's design work r...

Vintage Extravaganza at The Local Joint

Last Friday night the fine pickers of The Local Joint pulled out all of our favorite vintage to share with the lucky shoppers at Northfield's Girl's Nite Out. We donned fun vintage garb and the Mayor entertained us with costume changes throughout the evening. Then we danced the night away with a night cap at The Grand while grooving to tunes played by Sweet 'Stache.

Virginia E. Berry, Designer & Picker in her favorite vintage dress, with a borrowed crinoline from our stash and blue carnations from fellow picker, Ed Kuhlman's real estate group. 

The Mayor of Northfield, Mary Rossing, picker extraordinaire.

Wendy Nordquist can make a hat out of anything! She is our in house hat maker and is pictured here with a hat she fashioned out of a t-shirt she won at the after party at The Grand!

GAS Works is Home to Musicians too!

Pam our resident autoharpist can be found singing and strumming traditional American folk and roots music at least once a week in front of our store. Not only is she a performer but she also is a patient teacher and was found giving my fiance Steve his first music lesson on autoharp. She had another advanced beginner join them later on! Here are some photos and a sound bite of the musical activities!

Wee! Stuff on the Shelves!

My good Skidmore College buddy Kate Bradley helped me populate the store this weekend. Steve & I did a couple of finishing touches and voila, I present, the almost ready store!
This is my vast window display, the other windows are occupied by the potter.

The wall of yummies. Obi belts, newly designed hair barrettes (only available in store), some of my purses and leather cuffs...

The converted letterpress drawer earring display.

My new handmade mannequin (yesterday I built this mannequin from newspaper, strapping tape and plastic grocery bags. I made a cover for her from a t-shirt. I'm rather pleased with the end result). A glimpse of the jewelry case, which we plan to light with a string of white x-mas lights.

The dressing room, made from a hula hoop. We rigged up a wooden stick to serve as the rod for clothing. Still need to come up with a lighting solution so you aren't in a super dark tent trying on clothes. Any ideas?

The corner shelf with a couple more purses and wine glass charms. What you see on the left hand side is some of the potters work.

Finishing Touches on Display elements

What a busy week scouring my favorite stuff (aka junk) stores for treasures and unique quirky display components. I'd searched the internet for necklace displays and was having a heckuva time finding the fabric I liked in the shape and size I liked for a price I was willing to pay when...lo and behold...I stumbled into Jerry's Department Store aka Witch City Consignment here in Salem and found that had just purchased an enormous lot of props from 20th Century Fox which included necklace displays and mannequins (passed on the mannequins).

I picked up several used necklace displays which I took home, stripped of their dressing and made patterns to make new covers out of black velvet. They are finished and DELICIOUS if I do say so myself. Here is a quick peek as well as a peek of a soon to be listed necklace I just made (top).
I also found this delightfully quirky Victorian drying rack which is wall mounted and will hang high above the glass display counter I have. I will mount purses on it. This is a similar one splayed out (mine's not mounted yet, thank you Google images for this one).

Mmmm, Pointy Hand Open Sign

Steve & I set up several fixtures and display details in the store this week. The highlights include the dressing area. (Better pictures pending). We used a hula hoop and I hand sewed the curtains around it.

This is a vine a kind artist, Dan Brown, of the Salem Arts Association gave me. I've shellacked it and mounted it on these plant hangers that cast a lovely shadow when all the lights are on. Purses will hang from this to take advantage of verticle display space.

My store mate, a potter, found this great letterpress drawer which I've turned into a jewelry display rack. I strung wire between eye screws. Earrings will hang from this. The drawer has this delightful mechanism, originally intended to keep it from falling out of it's cabinet, which, now that I've oriented it sideways, serves as a simple mechanism that moves up and down when you press the button. I couldn't resist the opportunity to turn this into an animated sculpture complete with cheeky old timey "Press Here" label with pointy hand. After brainstorming a few ideas, I ended up with butterflies. When the button is pressed, the butterflies flutter.

My love of old timey pointy hands extends to my open sign. I traced the outline on a board, Steve artfully cut it with a skill saw. I sanded it and sculpted the knuckles and then painted it.

GRAND OPENING Memorial Day Weekend!

Things I love include exclamation points. As very obviously expressed in almost all of my blog posts. Disclaimer: if you abhor exclamation points, then get ready to be annoyed.

You are cordially invited to the GRAND OPENING of my YazBerry Handmade Fashion store Memorial Day Weekend, Thursday May 27 - Sunday May 30!!! For the official invite and more details please visit my Facebook event page.

Don't worry if you can't make it Memorial Day weekend, I will be open Thursday - Sunday all tourist season, through Halloween. Stop in anytime.

Located in the heart of Salem, MA, on Artists' Row, 24 New Derby St., #5, Salem, MA 01970 This link will take you to Mapquest, and the star takes you to the metered parking lot directly behind my store. YazBerry Handmade Fashion is located on the corner directly across from Walgreens.

Store hours:
Thursday 11 AM - 7 PM (Farmer's Market, right next to me, is open too)
Friday 10 AM - 6 PM
Saturday 10 AM - 6 PM
Sunday 12 PM - 6 PM
And anytime the door is open!

I will have studio space within the store and will be working on new designs Monday - Wednesday and while the store is open so please, if you see me there, come on in, look around, buy some YazBerry and go home happy!

Also on the Artists' Row are Impart Art, a ceramicist with whom I am sharing the building, The Salem Arts Association, GAS Works - a collection of artists ranging from leather to reworked vintage furniture, Mamadou African Drummer and A Quest Actor's Studio. The ever tasty Lobster Shanty restaurant is also on Artist's Row (try the crab cakes...LOVE).

Artist's Row is nestled between The Tavern on the Square and Delande Lighting (who are awesome, they helped me find the right components to wire up some vintage candle holders I found).

There is metered parking (meters go off at 6 PM Mon-Sat & free Sun) right behind my store as well as the free municipal lot in front of the Post Office which is 1.5 blocks away.

Remember, YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it!

It's Official: I'm Opening a YazBerry Fashion Storefront in Salem MA

In early April, I applied for one of 4 stalls on Artists' Row in Salem, MA and just last week heard the excellent news that I have been selected from a group of 14 applicants, to receive an artist space!!!

I will be sharing the space with a potter, Bradley Backer of Impart Art. We've been in there the last few days doing some renovation work. A few years ago the space was outfitted as a take out restaurant. Accordingly, Steve & I had to rip out the old take out counter and will patch the floor with cement.

Here are some progress pictures for your curiosity:
My space is a long rectangle roughly 16.5" by 9.5". This is the front portion as you enter the doors.
This is the back portion. Steve and I tore out this counter and the bright green will be painted a light gray.
I'm lucky Steve has a lot of construction knowledge. I had no idea you could chip out bricks with a chisel and hammer. Really tough work. Thank you Steve!!
The counter is gone and there is a hole we will patch with cement. Another great skill Steve has.
Me cleaning up on day 1. I think we made a lot of progress today!

Stay tuned for the next installments of our progress of remodeling and setting up a YazBerry Fashion store in Salem, MA.

Oh, also, this is fun and exciting: part of the agreement for being awarded a store space is that I will be offering free classes, workshops and performances on fashion design, sewing and more! I'll post the class offerings here.