IT TAKES A VILLAGE
by Anita Sarko
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| C19 (The house brand) 14 karat gold twisted ribbon hoop earrings (Large: $790; Small: $630). Also available in gold-plated, sterling silver and brass with varied prices according to metals used and sizes. C19 mixed glass and African turquoise on mixed metal chains NECKLACE ($190). C19 mixed metal beads (gun metal/antiqued gold/antiqued silver) NECKLACE ($240). C19 antiqued brass paillette chain BRACELET with an African turquoise center stone ($170). C19 NECKLACE made of Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones, wooded metal beads on antiqued gold chain ($170). |
| CHRISTOPHER 19 (19 Christopher Street, East Store, 212.420.9300) is a very cool little shop in the West Village that you could miss if you blinked. So ... don’t blink. It was opened in 2006 by two survivors of the early 80s Downtown art scene, performance artist/set designer Gregory Reeves and painter William Felder. They met at the epicenter of the old East Village drag scene (from which RuPaul, Lady Bunny and Lypsinka emerged), the Pyramid. “After a number of years performing and designing costumes and sets for downtown dance, theater and club performances, I realized it was time to find a way to parlay my creative efforts and interests into a way of actually making a living.”
At the same time they were told about an available workspace at 19 Christopher St., Reeves got employed by jewelry designer Gerard Yosca. His weekdays were spent learning everything from bench work to packing orders. Meanwhile, Felder became a noted waiter and captain in various excellent eating establishments. Their weekends were spent in their new workspace, “cutting and hammering metal.” They formed their own company and their jewelry was a hit, first with trendy downtown boutiques and, within a year, Barney’s. By the 90s they had a design loft near FIT and a boutique on Perry St. The workspace at 19 Christopher became a storage space, basically kept for sentimental reasons. So far so good, but ... “Then, minimalism took the wind out of the fashion jewelry industry and, as it did for many small companies, stripped the proverbial shirts off our backs. I went back into the industry to learn the business of doing business and Billy returned to a successful career in restaurants. Still…. we held onto the workshop, ‘just in case’.” |
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| MIRIAM HASKELL NECKLACES/ BRACELETS/ EARRINGS/ RINGS ($260-$2,500). “Stock changes.” |
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| EXTASIA glass and brass DRAGONFLY PIN ($185). EXTASIA fossilized ivory BEE PENDANT on silver filigree chain ($240). TINA THOR 14 karat gold glass COCKROACH RING ($900). MONSERRAT de LUCCA brass WATERLILY BRACELET ($125). |
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| EXTASIA fossilized ivory and brass SKULL EARRINGS ($200). MONSERRAT de LUCCA brass REINDEER SKULL PENDANT ($75). |
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| Clockwise from back: PONO resin balls on nylon stretch cord CUFF ($140). SHARONA NISSAN mixed crystals and freshwater pearls woven on silver CUFF ($590). WENDY MINK vermeil hammered gold CUFF ($175). “She’s local.” MIRIAM HASKELL antiqued gold-plated CUFF with mixed glass stones and pearls ($575). NADA SAWAYA resin embossed leather CUFF. Also available in blue and coral ($105). |
| “Just in case” turned out to be an extraordinarily prescient precaution. Early in the new millennium, they once again left their jobs and began CHRISTOPHER ROCA in 2004. Reeves oversees the concepts and overall designs and Felder executes the models for all the original components. By 2006, the upstairs to their design studio became available when one of Christopher Street’s three infamous Amalgamated shops moved out. Reeves and Felder sensed an opportunity: They had noticed that the retail scene had generally obliterated independent designers in favor of branding and “savvy, but lackluster well-financed manufacturers.” “We wanted to create a space that would showcase smaller independent designers and recall the spirit and energy of the West Village of days gone by…a neighborhood place.” Says Reeves. |
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| RINGS: (l. to r.) MELISSA JOY MANNING 14 karat gold jasper and rutilated quartz ($655). “It’s one of a kind.” MJM pyrite stone with 14 karat gold and sterling silver prongs ($285). EXTASIA glass intaglio with a sterling silver bezel and resin shank ($150). CUFF: SHARONA NISSAN mixed agate and pyrite with sterling silver and fresh water pearls ($565). “It’s all hand woven.” KATHY LUKER straw HATS with leather, ribbon, straw, feather and button details ($180). |
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| KEVIN O’BRIEN STUDIO linen jacquard LOG BOLSTER ($215). KEVIN O’BRIEN STUDIO moose print on linen PILLOW ($115). |
| So Christopher 19 was born atop that design studio where they’ve been creating jewelry for over 20 years. Along with Reeves and Felder’s pieces (recently renamed C19), the shop contains an amazing array of other artists’ work, including not only jewelry, but also accessories galore and thingies for the house. The curating is exceptional. “As far as the selection we offer - the formula has become organic. It’s all in the mix - from precious metals to full on costume. We encourage our customers to mix decorative metaphors. We keep it fresh by constantly challenging ourselves to see things with an un-jaded eye,” is how Reeves explains C19. As for the shop’s other offerings: “We know all of the designers and companies that we work with: How they work, their histories, where their materials originate, what their design philosophies are.” Reeves also points out that, this season, CHRISTOPHER 19 has expanded its scope by adding home accessories and art. It just seemed the natural ... or “organic” ... thing to do. |
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| KIM WHITE 1978 FORD TRAVEL/BEACH BAG ($405). Part of a series made of “textiles intended for use in American automobiles from the 70s and 80s.” |
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| KIM WHITE 1983 CAMERO CLUTCH ($225). KIM WHITE 1978 CHEVY BLAZER COSMETICS BAG ($36). |
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| Above left, rear to front: CARGA industrialized felt and leather SHOPPER ($270). m. andonia patent ombré CLUTCH ($250). m. andonia charcoal embossed patent BOOGIE BAG ($220). PONO flat square resin beaded mesh woven on leather cord PURSE ($145). Above right: PATCH French linen framed by gold stripe ($110). CARPENTER + COMPANY striped woven cotton PILLOW with giant wood button closures in back ($85). |
| So, despite Reeves and Felder’s occasionally bumpy ride, we have a happy ending. In addition to their store, their own jewelry is carried at various groovy boutiques throughout the US, as well as Surround Interiors in Australia and Silver Rain, a La Prairie Spa at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. And such celebs as Goldie Hawn, Martina McBride, Chelsea Clinton, Sonia Braga, Gretchen Moll, Tanya Tucker and Sara Gore have adorned themselves in CHRISTOPHER ROCA/C19. Take a look at the pictures to get an IDEA of what is jammed into this fetching nook. I say “idea” because the stock changes regularly. And you’re in excellent hands if you find yourself wedged in while a glamorous Spanish sprite with intense red lips is overseeing the action. Her name is Montserrat. She is a goddess. Tell her you read about CHRISTOPHER 19 in NYSD and she will shower you with love. Just don’t get fresh. So, I wondered if these go-getters had any plans for expansion. Though the answer was negative, it carried a caveat: “You never know ... after all ... it’s organic!” |
| Twitter: ShoppingDiary |
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