Stella and I went around to a couple of boutiques two Saturdays ago. Nowadays that can mean an encounter with art as well as an eyeful of blue jeans, dresses and jewelry. Honeymilk, in Vagabond‘s back space on 3rd St. in Old City has been keeping up an art presence with changing exhibits every few months. Carrie Powell, who I believe is Honeymilk’s proprietor, curated a show for June and July that includes owl portraits by Emily Glaubinger and Damian Weinkrantz.

The portraits are nicely done, and they’re all framed and hung like family portraits in your dining room. Aunt Susie and Uncle Bill caught for the camera while not fighting for a change. Weinkrantz’s took the already-loaded cutsie-poo material into the realms of politics and otherworldly weirdness and came up with several winners, a couple of them sold. And Glaubinger pushed the sweetness into some zone of passive-aggressiveness that was all about interpersonal relations. The show’s up to July 28. Honeymilk, 37 N. 3rd St.

We stopped in to see our friend Marjorie Grigonis‘s exhibit at 3rd St. Gallery. Marjorie, an abstract painter, has been making delicate, restrained works that have orbiting motifs for a number of years. This show (over now) included several winners including Cosmic Snowball, a piece whose sure-handedness with paint, sweet title and looping lines took me out of the gallery and into the galactic.

Over Bainbridge way we stopped in to Satya to visit with our buddy Romy Scheroder, the boutique’s founder. The sustainable-themed clothing boutique (lots of hemp and bamboo fabric in the dresses and shirts) is housed in a great corner storefront that’s filled with light. Scheroder puts you at home with her friendly but not intrusive hostessing.

Scheroder said there’s a fledgling effort to pull the Bainbridge corridor merchants together into a business consortium so they can coordinate event-planning and such–definitely a good idea. Scheroder’s been getting some great and well-deserved publicity (e.g., Satya was just named “Best of Philly” by Philadelphia Magazine –for what the owner wasn’t quite sure). While chatting, I spotted something on the floor that called out to me–a small bright-colored ceramic pot on legs. Sold! For $25, an original Scheroder pot made by the UArts MFA (2005) who started her degree as a ceramic artist (she’s got a kiln and wheel at home). Happy me.

We toddled on over to Pageant to see the Jessica Doyle/Kate Stewart exhibit (more on that in another post) and then touched down at the new cafe Scheroder told us about on 9th St., Chapterhouse Cafe, a beautiful space with lots of alcoves and areas for sitting, talking, internet surfing and hanging out. The rehab is a terrific design that also includes a wall of glass in the back that overlooks a nice patio. And the lagniappe, on the walls is an art exhibit. We didn’t stay long enough for me to digest everything in what appeared to be a big show but I snapped a couple pictures of a few things I thought were pretty interesting.

Shannon Frank had emailed me previously and when I checked what she wrote I see that the show, Hung out to Dry, with all these artists, officially opens July 14 with a reception at 7 pm. that includes music. The show’s theme is an anti-theme –everything and nothing to do with the shore which could cover men walking on the moon, the Dalai Lama. global warming, sex, and death — nice and broad.

Here’s who’s in the show: The Heads of State, Gina and Matt (Curtius and Triplett?), Jon Krause, Tim Gough, Jude Buffum, Becky Schmidt, Michael Miller, Lee Eschliman
and Chapterhouse residents, Lisa Graf (pottery) Rob Cortez (mobiles/interiors).

So, there you have it– another arty part of town coming up. There’s critical mass of viewing in this area of Bainbridge to call it a destination. And that doesn’t even include Spector Gallery, the true pioneer down under South St. and the corridor’s anchor. Spector’s on summer hiatus but will have a window installation by Bill Lohre coming soon if it’s not up already.