Just off of the waterfront on Western Avenue, a road overshadowed by grungy buildings that almost looks like an alleyway, local hip-hop artists The Physics and J Pinder get ready to play an intimate show in a little local candy shop. Though hailed by The New York Times, its tiny storefront is no bigger than a Campion dorm room but has all the usual treats in the window: gum drops, lollipops, Alexander McQueen sneakers.
Push one of the walls of candy jars, and you’ll enter the rest of Gems Sneaker Shop, an minimally designed space of black walls trimmed with Timberland boots, Pumas, PF Flyers and more men’s fashion sneakers.
Gems is just one of many innovative boutiques in Pioneer Square in recent years, not only bringing unique shopping and style to the neighborhood but also offering new spaces for local artists to show off their work.
“Pioneer Square was kind of an untapped market,” says John Mooney, owner of Gems. “Capitol Hill was oversaturated.”
The candy store concept was meant to be a temporary “pop-up shop” design for the holidays, paying homage to the candy stores that used to line First Avenue in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. The design stuck, and it’s been pulling customers into Mooney’s shop—for shoes and sweets.
But Gems is not the only boutique in the neighborhood attracting attention. Western Avenue alone has also seen the recent openings of Karen’s Vintage Couture (a high-fashion thrift store benefiting nonprofits) and Neodandi House of Couture (an edgy custom couture company).
“More businesses are opening up, and it’s attracting more businesses to come this way,” says Max Heigh, owner of Deli, a men’s lifestyle fashion store on Yesler Way near First Avenue, which opened in May.
These shops on Western, all of which have opened in the last two years, sit right next to the 619 building, an artist studio space and popular destination for the Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk.
“With some more of these businesses opening up down on Western and down in this area, hopefully they get more involved in [the art scene] as well,” Heigh says.
As the name suggests, Deli is designed to look like a delicatessen, inspired by Heigh’s family businesses. Heigh says he wants to bring back the idea of a deli as a place that only sells the choicest cuts and finest fromages—or in this case the finest fashion. Designer jeans sit in what’s an open ice case (sans ice), shirts are on display in the fridge and the fitting room is a walk-in meat closet.
But Heigh also wants to use his space as a venue for new artists. Each month, Deli displays the work of a different local artist and participates in First Thursday. In lieu of taking a percentage commission of the displayed artists’ sales like traditional galleries do, Deli owner Max Heigh asks each artist to contribute a design to its Deli Artist Series of limited-run t-shirts.
“That was a no-brainer for me, as soon as he said that was his commission was to design a shirt for him,” says Alec Huxley, a painter whose art has been on display at Deli. “Obviously anyone would love to have their artwork on a shirt.”
This is only Huxley’s second show. His first was at a traditional gallery, and Huxley says that, although he has yet to actually sell anything, his experience has been much more rewarding in terms of networking and gaining exposure.
“It really opened up my stuff to a whole group of people that weren’t associated with the traditional gallery scene,” Huxley says. “It’s not a gallery, and so people aren’t just going to stop by there on First Thursday.”
Although Gems also participates in First Thursday, Mooney takes pride in his shop and 619 attracting a different, younger crowd than most galleries do.
“All the galleries on Third shut down early; we’re the ones who are partying at 10,” Mooney says.
Gems uses the back room for its First Thursday showings as well as for some musical performances, where artists play songs and talk about them to a crowd under 150. He says it’s a unique kind of venue for Seattle, and the off-the-path feel of Western Avenue contributes to its atmosphere.
“It’s a more intimate venue,” Mooney says. “You have that feeling of being exclusive.”
Gems actually recently announced its closure so Mooney could pursue other business opportunities. Before the announcement, however, Huxley said he hoped businesses would continue the collaboration with artists that Gems and Deli have modeled.
“Some of the galleries and businesses in general have been shutting down, so I think […] to have places like that step in and start up cool art-centric things like that, I think it’s really important.”
For Heigh, it’s all a part of staying true to the neighborhood.
“When I think of Seattle, I honestly think of Pioneer Square,” Heigh says. “The historical landmarks around here, the architecture, the whole art scene—it’s just a matter of letting everyone else know this is a really cool neighborhood.”
Mary Pauline may be reached at entertainment@su-spectator.com
Pioneer Square boutiques create unique venue for new and local artists
Published: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Updated: Thursday, February 25, 2010
 "Photo: Candace Shankel | The Spectator")
Candace Shankel | The Spectator
Gems Sneaker Shop and Confectionary is a unique take on the typical boutique. The store focuses on the sneaker culture, common among men in their mid-twenties to thirties. Currently, John Mooney, is featuring is Alexander McQueen, the designer who recently died, limited edition run with Puma. The store will not be around much longer however, it will be closing it's doors March 2.
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