We know it’s been AWHILE since we did a blog post… 2021 continued to keep our heads turning!
Let’s see… we continued to roll with the impacts of Covid as best we could, and actually were very fortunate that we got to do a lot of our favorite things: reclaim secondhand textiles and make the best garments & goodies we can…
Back in late 2019, we moved out of the “big” studio we had been housed in for 16(?) years, and consolidated into the building where our retail store, Refinery, was located. The move was only a block away, but all those years in one place gave us lots of opportunity to accumulate STUFF.
Awesome stuff (raw materials of ALL kinds) but lots of stuff!
So, after a yard sale, multiple free piles & an heroic effort by amazing friends & crew, we set up shop at 138 Grand Avenue in Paonia.
last day at the Big Studio
In spring 2021, 138 Grand Ave went up for sale, and by late summer, the building was under contract. Both the new Studio Up AND Refinery needed to find a new home. Luckily, the new buyer gave us till the end of the year to relocate.
flippin’ the switch
That impending change gave me the opportunity to reflect on things, and realize that I was ready to let go of Refinery. Kathryn Griest, who has been part of Elisabethan & Refinery for years, decided she wanted create the next version of REFINERY.
In November, we “Flipped the Switch” and she took over. As we speak, Kathryn is setting up Refinery in its new location; just 1/2 a block away at 224 Grand Avenue, Paonia.
getting ready for home studio
So with ANOTHER move completed, a lot of our raw materials (and there are still a LOT)are in storage for now. I’ve set up a workspace in my house while I figure our Elisabethan’s next steps. I appreciate the amazing studio spaces I have had as I adjust to a “cozier” layout!
We’ve been accepted to 2 art fairs so far for 2022, and of course have new items to share on the website… and I am working on some things none of us have seen (because they are yet to be created)
Finally, maybe most significant to share is the passing of Miss Kitty (aka Shop Kitty)…
She came to Elisabethan as a kitten 17 years ago, when I was walking home one night and heard her mewing under a porch. She quickly became a fixture at the studio, a bit of a social media sensation, and even inspired a new line of clothing called Shop Kitty. She had an uncanny sense of knowing what you REALLY needed to be working on, and would lying on top of it when you finally got to it. She was a gracious studio host, unless you were another feline, or unsuspecting canine.
She moved to my house when we moved out of the Big Studio, and in her retirement enjoyed a couple of years keeping Mack & Squig in line, AND plenty of sunshine & catnip in the yard. This fall she decided it was her time to go, and exited as gracefully as befit her sweet soul. We miss her!
Thanks for your interest, and support; it means a lot and inspires me (and us)!
XO
Elisabeth/Betty
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