Photo by James Dickinson
Don't ask Cathy Davis what rhymes with orange. All she knows is this seldom versed word "is the best color ever." And Davis aims to make Orange (3007 W. Cary St., 257-9800 or orangerva.com ) the best local artisan boutique shop ever, too.
"Everything is locally made or locally redesigned," says Davis, whose store was born out of her own frustration with the limitations of online retailers, where she'd long sold her own works." The 1,300-square-foot boutique opened May 8.
"I've always done home goods — like repurposed furniture," she says as she steps away from painting a custom design on a salvaged diner-style tabletop at her colorful Carytown shop. "But I've never had anywhere to sell them except Etsy."
She found that other artists and artisans felt the same way, and set out to give them a brick-and-mortar alternative to virtual vending. "It's almost set up like a co-op — everyone pitches in."
The list of those pitching in continues to grow, and it already includes more than a dozen area artists and artisans who create furniture, trays, refrigerator magnets and more from household goods. Because the size and type of work is variable, pricing ranges from postcards for $1 to furniture for $800.
So what of the name? "I've always been told I'm in my own little world and people will ask me, ‘What's so good about your own little world?'" Davis says. "I tell them the clouds are all orange, so it's always bright and sunny outside."
