Soirée Wrap-up

We lost track a little bit on how many official annual holiday Soirées we've had at Pomegranate: you know, the one in which we serve cocktails from an ice bar (no matter the weather!), and give ten percent of the day's sales to local non-profits. Pretty sure this was number 15...

 Anyway, this year's party (on December 5) was really, really fun, and it was a great day all around. Our beneficiary for the event this year was The Bloom Project – they bring so much happiness to hospice and palliative care patients! With a really good day of sales, we were able to write them a check for $710. Thank you to everyone who came out and shopped and had fun! We thought the windows might break from the activity and noise level inside the shop... but all was well. This year we ran out of everything, which is a good thing. We served up a lot of cocktails. All the cheeses, prosciutto, smoked salmon and paté – wiped out. As well as all the wonderful cookies and sweet little bites from Shelbi at Too Sweet Cakes. She did a fabulous job with all the goodies she made fresh that morning, and we were happy to have been able to snag a few little bites. Thanks also to adorable Hope, who ran around and replenished all the foods, snagged empty glasses, kept the bonfire going and the hot cider full...

I was able to take just a few pictures before it all really got rolling – after that, Jennifer and I did nothing but write up sales and wrap gifts... nonstop! Yep, never set foot outside after that, until it was all over. So much fun, though... and so great to see everyone.

The bonfire was already warming people up at 4pm

Cookies from Too Sweet Cakes: delicious!

The Bloom Project brought us a gorgeous bouquet

Happy taste-testers under the arch

The canopy nearly blew away in the morning, but stayed put for the Soirée

More happy taste-testers in front of the ice bar

The elves are still bringing goodies to Pomegranate

This is always a very unpredictable season for retailers, merchandise-wise. Sometimes you order too much of something and it sits around. Sometimes you order too much and it flies out the door. Sometimes you don't order enough and can't get it again until the following year. And sometimes, vendors just ship stuff in seemingly random bursts of insanity. Three weeks ago, we got a box of testers, but no product. The product itself arrived today, one week before Christmas eve – ha ha ha. It's okay: all good stuff that we will sell. Still, it would have been great to have it weeks ago. Christmas paper decorations that were supposed to ship on October 15 just got here two days ago. Huh?

On the other hand, some vendors are amazing and quick and ready to rock 'n roll with your orders, even if you're groggily sending them emails at midnight. Sometimes they surprise you with overnight deliveries and graciousness in the face of picky special requests.

Anyway. We are still getting some wonderful things in at both stores for your shopping pleasure. We just received a big order of our wonderful faux fur blankets, scarves, gloves and boot toppers (don't forget the cozy headbands for a great stocking stuffer). There's more jewelry, soaps, candles, serving pieces. We are again fully stocked with Voluspa candles, as well as Frasier Fir, Paddywax (the little library candle tins are a perfect stocking stuffer for your book-loving friends!), and lovely Volcano in blue, white or red jars... and tomorrow, we'll have out for you the mercury glass versions with wood lid. We even have some New Year's goodies and lots of Christmas party goods (like surprize balls, our favorite paper pea shooters, and wish paper).

We'll probably have new merchandise roll in on Christmas Eve, so keep checking back with us! Here are just a few pictures of new arrivals...

The sweetest little Mistral soaps, ready to drop in a stocking

The pamplemousse (grapefruit) is delicious. 

Richly scented Spanish soap

More Mistral holiday soaps wrapped and ready

Love their new liquid hand soap line, too. A day in Provence!

No party is complete without pea shooters...

Luscious and cozy: faux fur blankets and scarves

Manly cedar soaps (and buddhas)

Garden trays, dishes, and little framed prints

Can't go wrong with Frasier Fir – so Bend!

It's full again! Lots of beautiful Voluspa candles to choose from

We're rather partial to the Pomegranate from Voluspa

And they have such beautiful containers, too

Can hardly keep these in stock

Horseshoe soap!

A few new guy things...

Volcano (also in the hard-to-get red glass jar)

Library candles in tin or glass, each featuring a beloved writer

Upcoming Trunk Shows at our Old Mill location

Have you been to our pop-up Pomegranate Holiday Shop yet? [Three bonus points if you can say that fast.] We are open and in full swing at the Old Mill Shops in Bend – located in the former Coldwater Creek building, right next to our lovely neighbors Vanilla and Nashelle. One of the benefits of being there is space – we have a lot of it (kind of the opposite of our cozy, elbow-to-elbow original location on River Mall Avenue)... and we're delighted to bring in local artists, designers, and makers to show their creations.

On Saturday, November 21, we are featuring local interior designer Pamela Armstrong, who creates wonderful pillow collections and Date Bags from designer fabrics... finished with charming found objects as buttons and details. The trunk show goes from 10am-6pm in the shop: come meet the artist and stock up on gifts (for yourself? that's good, too), and maybe update your pillow collection for the season with a little pop of color and texture. Here are just a few pictures from the Pamela Armstrong Design Studio...

Next up, join us for a trunk show featuring Bend jewelry designer McKenzie Mendel on Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28 (also at our Old Mill location). We've carried McKenzie's beautiful, clean-lined pieces for some years now at our original location, and we love the simplicity, fine detail, and style in mixed sterling and gold. Trained at SCAD (the renowned art and design college), we are lucky to have McKenzie back in Bend hand-making each piece of exquisite jewelry she designs. She's bringing a large portfolio of designs from her fall and holiday collections, so you'll have ample choices for yourself, or gifts. Come meet the artist and enjoy some fun shopping at Pomegranate! The trunk show goes from 10-6 (shop open until 8pm). Here are just a few pictures of some of McKenzie's designs.

By the way, shop hours at the Old Mill location are Monday – Saturday from 10-8; Sundays from 11-6. Our hours at our original Pomegranate location on River Mall Avenue are Monday – Saturday from 10:30-5pm. Starting Sunday, November 29, we will also be open on Sundays at our original location through December, from 11-4. See you at both shops!

Autumn, for real

The seasonal cycles in retail always feel a little strange: you shop and order way in advance, and it all comes rolling in long before anyone is ready. When it was still in the 90s a few weeks ago, I couldn't bear to put much of our new product out. But now that we're crunching around in glorious fiery leaves and enjoying the cool evening temperatures (not so much enjoying the early darkness), I'm happily reveling in the fall scents of our new candles, and loving the more muted fall colors. It's for real now – I can almost taste our friend Eleanor's pumpkin chiffon pie!

Oh yes: Halloween! We didn't go crazy on the Halloween decorations this year – at market, we only chose the things we really loved. But what we do have is really special. It doesn't take much to add some little touches of fall and halloween to your house... especially on an entry table. Oh, and you might remember the fabulous little LED rice lights we had last year for the Christmas season: we will have them again for the holidays, but also brought in a series for halloween/fall – with black wire and amber lights. Really fun to wrap around seasonal wreaths, a ghouly tableau, or candle settings.

Here's just a little preview of some of our new arrivals:

New soy candles in our 2oz votives: fab fall scents (and colors)

Beautiful African baskets

Battery-operated rice lights

Lacy masks and black pumpkins

New goodies in the cottage (including a biergarten set)

Mr. Crow has a tin bucket for a little pot of fall flowers

EEK! Clever and chunky cardboard letters

Japanese lantern garlands for draping

Meow! Adorable kitty napkins for your halloween party

Gypsy hurricanes for the front porch

Mixture soy candles in so many new fragrances

Orange tin hurricane lantern

Instant costume: sexy mask

Mixture soy candles in galvanized tin

Pumpkin face has multi-colored lights inside

Glittery witch's broom

More great napkins for your get-togethers

Missing it already: last Vintage Flea Market of the season

We always have mixed feelings about our September flea market: last of the season, the work is done (on that project, anyway). But no more flea markets until next summer – wah! Of course, we'd love to throw one more this fall, but the weather is so unpredictable...

This market (9/19/15) might have been one of the best ever. Great vendors (pretty much sold out), and some wonderful finds. Some of it went very, very quickly – before I had a chance to snap a picture (as people were carrying things out to their cars). Purchases were piling up as people hunted and gathered like true shopping monkeys. One customer told me she had already spent $800, and the day had barely begun. Wheee! It didn't hurt that the weather was perfect: something like 75º and blue skies – the best days in Bend. {If I was visiting here, this would definitely be the month to come!}

Watch our email newsletters (you can sign up on our website at www.pomegranate-home.com) or announcements on Facebook for next year's flea market schedule. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures of some great scenes from our September 19 market.

Love these faux-tin picnic baskets

The prettiest mirror with very old, wavy glass

Lots of great dishes... some were $1 each!!

Pretty vintage chest

Good vignettes

Some fall and holiday items to get us in the mood

Yay halloween

LOVED this fabulous lamp

Pilgrim candles – so cute

Gorgeous pillows

Burlap and vintage lace – so clever

Loved this pumpkin made out of jar tops and clove

Amazing industrial table with reclaimed wood top

Great planters: made in Bend

Corn hole! Including small size for kids, and desktop version!

Great hand-crafted potting benches

Which one is your favorite?

Fab vintage jewelry

Oh yes.

Drooled over this silver set

Adorable upcycled table

These sold and went away the second I snapped the picture

Lots of great vintage suitcases at this market

Fab mid-century coffee table