Shop with your heart!

Gracing our spring windows–colorful bowls from the S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation are handcrafted in Nepal by artisans in the remote mountain villages. These are made using discarded plastic wrappers from popular manufactured food products brought in from the cities. Recycling programs have been started in the villages to encourage the collection of non biodegradable trash and to educate. Learn more at www.spiralfoundation.org

Holiday 2008

The holidays are here and we promise they won’t cancel Christmas no matter how bleak the picture!

GoodSage is brimming with beautiful things for decorating your home, table, yourself or for holiday gift giving. Simple gifts this year may be de rigueur, simply a sign of the times, but with a little imagination and creative gift-wrap every gift will seem like a perfect fit. May we suggest a cookbook, bar glassware and cocktail napkins, a simple pair of earrings, a handmade glass vase or ceramic pottery? We invite you into the store to browse for ideas. And, join us for treats, beverages and discounts at our holiday celebration on December 18. We look forward to seeing you.  

Well I’ll Be-Jeweled!

What is cool today? Forget status labels and bling (so 90’s!) We believe in jewelry that comes from artists and designers who have created their quality pieces by hand. We’ve assembled a group of original, affordable, and definitely fun jewelry lines you will love.

Our newest line of jewelry, River Song, is inspired by the colors and textures in nature using gems hand-selected for luminosity and unique character. Glittering black hematite, flourite, yellow sapphires, brown coral, carnelian and pearls, to name a few, decorate these elegant pieces.

Rebecca McNerney loves to play with texture and contrast, combining smooth pearls (white, champagne, peacock and gray) with beads and slides of textured and oxidized metal. The silver beads, slides, clasps and chain links are designed in wax, and then cast in sterling silver. We carry a wide selection of her earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces.

With names like Caterpillar and Fern Series you know these pieces have an organic influence. Claudia’s refined designs are contemporary wearable art. Claudia says, “These little objects of adornment only achieve full life and beauty when the admirer or wearer imbues them with meaning, power and mystique.” She has a way with words. These handmade pieces are made in Claudia’s studio in nearby San Francisco.

Do you have a special relationship, event, or date you would like to celebrate in a piece of jewelry? Heather Moore Jewelry is a unique collection of handmade jewelry including necklaces, bracelets and more. Each charm is hand-stamped and crafted in sterling and/or gold. View the possibilities for your own original piece or find the inspiration for a gift.

Sparkling colored glass is the new diamond. Ok, I made that up, but it is a far more unusual “jewel” to consider. Verre newyork has a selection of delicate wire and brightly colored glass necklaces and earrings that will glisten on your body. They are playful, light and lovely.

Poppi is a line of jewelry that doesn’t take life too seriously. These glass and sterling silver rings and earrings stretch to fit most everyone. Poppi adds a splash of drama and celebration to whatever you are wearing.

We invite you to check out the jewelry at GoodSage as gifts, or just as a wonderful treat for you.

One Year

The shift from summer to fall strikes me as the most dramatic of the season changes: kids return to school; the days grow shorter and colors turn; and we switch the clothes to a deeper palette and heavier texture as we anticipate (regardless of this heat) a chill in the air.

We are nearing the first year mark at GoodSage. We are gratified knowing that we are bound to this new venture, and the business feels like home. Susanne has her own personal goal for the fall—she is training for the New York Marathon to be held in early November. She will run in memory of her brother Kris, who passed in May. Her friends, family, and her business partner, applaud her.

Fragrances by elizabethW

While, like most women, we like the idea of new fragrances, we tend to stay with what we like and shy away from the deluge of new and trendy fragrances in department stores…the novelty wears off quickly. However, as design-conscious shoppers, elizabethW’s packaging grabbed our attention—and we dared to treat our wrists to multiple spritzings. The scents are well thought-out, not too heavy (yuck!) or so light and simple they lack personality. Their website puts it slightly better: “clean, simple, sophisticated, elegant, and totally original”. They are designed to be worn alone or layered for your own unique scent (and at $33, affordable enough to layer). Plus, we love that they’re a San Francisco-based company, and we happen to believe both the owner and staff are charming.

We have chosen four fragrances to carry at GoodSage: Vetiver, Magnolia, Neroli Chamomile and Sweet Tea. In addition, you’ll find the Triple Milled Soap, Body Lotion, Bath Gel, Bath Pouch and more. Check their site for more detailed scent descriptions, or just come into GoodSage and spritz yourself.

New York

We’re back from New York, and the question most frequently asked of us is, “What was the most exciting thing you found at the New York show?” Frankly, we never intended to pick a “best in show”, but we will certainly be featuring many new and wonderful things that we loved.

Angela Adams cotton rugs caught our eye last year, and we’ll be carrying that line along with her gorgeous wallets and everyday glassware. Speaking of glassware, look for Poppi glass, more Verre New York glass jewelry, and glassware from Portland artist Lynn Read of Vitrelux Glass Works.

We’ve ordered River Song Jewelry’s stunning gem and oxidized silver earrings and necklaces; and new pieces from Heather Moore Jewelry and Rebecca McNerney will grace our jewelry case.

Look for Highway bags from fabric designer Jem Filippi, and polished lacquer wood boxes from the San Francisco-based company Pacific Connections. And you’ll love Dreamsacks silky soft robes and baby clothes made from bamboo fiber.

Also new for GoodSage are wool and cashmere socks from Lisa B, a few cool accent furniture pieces, french linens for the kitchen, eyebobs eyewear, Olivina Collection olive oil soap and body products, calendars, t-shirts, throws and lots of new pillows. Our new things will begin showing up at the store in late September.

I need a big weekend.

I stole that line from Tom Petty, seemed appropriate.

We hope your summer is good. It is nearing travel time for us as we head for the New York International Gift Show in August, a semi-annual market with vendors from around the world. We are truly enthusiastic about the chance to discover new products, looks, textiles, textures and colors. This will be an exhausting on-our-feet-for-days week; with a lot of stimuli to absorb, and it’s what we love about this business.

There’s no place like New York City for spotting trends, so we always make time to explore innovative stores, boutiques, shopping districts and restaurants for ideas and inspiration. Okay, we love the food; and sometimes, it seems, it’s just about the food.

We’ll snap pictures along the way to keep you in the loop and to remind us of what we’ve seen when we return with our heads over-loaded with visuals.

First Contact

We’ve done it. We’ve launched our online store for the entire world to see. Feels a bit like one of those dreams where you realize you are at school completely naked. Do they like what they see? Is the audience fairly enthusiastic? Like what they see on the website, that is…

GoodSage is a labor of love. We are so grateful to those who have supported and inspired us—our cheerleaders—on our journey away from corporate jobs to the autonomy of business ownership. We’ve chosen the freedom to pursue our vision; and we’ve embraced the risk that decision involves. Already, we’re finding that our vision is expanding and simultaneously becoming more focused. This is the excitement of the path; this is the creative challenge that we love.

Our goal has always been to keep things changing and we welcome the creative challenge. As we grow, we want to know what our customers are thinking. We hope that this blog will become a forum for the sharing of our thoughts and ideas with some of the wit and irreverence we impart at GoodSage. After all, we are all about a good time at GoodSage.

Welcome to GoodSage

good sage (gud saj), n. 1. one distinguished for wisdom in the art of living with style
2. an individual with proven experience in design and/or marketing of home accessories
3. one who can create a home environment that calms and inspires
adj. 1. wise with regards to home goods because of reflection, training, and experience
2. proceeding from or characterized by wisdom and good judgement as relating to
modern design and traditional beauty within the home
adv. (~counsel) goodsagely advice

A Great Online Store

Welcome to our new online store: GoodSagehome.com