Monkey. Anniversary. Party.

If you don't count Bumbershoot, New Years at the Needle, and all those gigantic corporate sponsored affairs, this is the big party of the year in Seattle. Year of the Monkey is celebrating our fourth anniversary in typical fashion: we're having a sale and throwing a party. Stop by after work on Friday, November 21, between 5PM and 8PM (see our Web site for address and directions.) Eat a little. Browse a little. Meet some cool new people and join the Monkey family. And we won't complain if you decide you can't leave without a new treasure you've discovered, either. Mostly, we just want to say thank you to the people who have allowed us to stay here for four years.

Creative Customers Are Our Best Friends

Sometimes we get a bit locked in to seeing certain items presented in certain ways. It's something we're aware of, and we try to avoid, but it happens to everybody. The way we find best to get outside of our own heads is, not surprisingly, seeing what our customers have made of their purchases. A couple of ideas stand out (to see more, just head on over to the Customer Gallery at our web site.)

First, a designer member of the Monkey family, Evan Ferwerda, wanted a small coffee table that wasn't like every other coffee table. He discovered a stone flower pot with a pedestal in our Stone Garden, and had a piece of glass custom cut to fit the top of the pot, making a great little coffee table (photo on the right.)

A second member of the Monkey family to do something a little different is realtor Amy Sedgwick. Amy needed a cabinet to store a TV and assorted electronica, and had a very specific size requirement. Now, most folks using a shorter cabinet would put the TV on top of the cabinet and be done with it. Amy, however, wanted a TV-free environment when she so chose, keeping her living room natural and harmonious. Solution? Make sure the TV fits INSIDE the cabinet, and drill accordingly. The result? She can pretend the TV doesn't exist when she's not using it. (See below for Amy's cabinet.)

The upshot? We know we have many creative people in our extended Monkey family. Brag on yourselves a little bit. Send us a picture of what you've done with a purchase, and it could very well make it into our gallery.

It's Not Shakespeare...But It'll Do

You will be hearing much from your favorite Monkeys in the days, weeks, yes even YEARS to come.