Vancouver's Willows Boutique Celebrates 20 Years

2017 marks the 20th anniversary for Willows boutique in Vancouver, Wa.  The independent  women's apparel, accessory and gift store has changed through the years, evolving to serve its clients and customers.  Embellishments studio has been there from the beginning bringing their brands style to life.

Willows   and   Embellishments   studio  celebrate

Hundreds of partygoers helped Willows celebrate its 20th anniversary, with florals by Stem Floral Design and treats by Rosycakes to coordinate with my summer display.  What may not be known to many in attendance is the origins of the boutique they love. 

It was 1997 when I first met the first time shop owners Sandy McCloud and her business partner and daughter Janna Moats.  Bright eyed and ambitious to realize their concept for a bedding, furniture and gift store we hit it off.  Our task was to transform a rather plain and unassuming space tucked into a refurbished car dealership into something alluring and vibrant.

Willows storefront inside the Vancouver Marketplace. Yes, that is nursery bedding and baby goods you see.

Willows opened as a bedding, furniture and gift store. The very first incarnation of a willow tree was painted on the column. Each store has had a version.

When the first Willows expanded into the empty space next door, they began carrying apparel. Pictured is the first and only dressing room.

Willows was known for their extensive array of holiday gifts and ornaments. Pictured is the first holiday tree Embellishments designed.

It wasn't too long and their success lead to their expanding into an empty retail space next door.  The new area allowed them to expand their offerings to include some apparel, baby bedding and more gift merchandise.  It is with the addition of this space that glimpses of the Willows style appeared. 

Transforming the space required my faux finishing of a large plastic fluted column, the in-place pour of a concrete counter and suspending shelving fixtures down from the ceiling joists.

Having no backroom for storage meant fixtures needed to have storage, like these custom tiered merchandisers.

The roll up garage door facade was ahead of its time, circa 2001.

I presented them with the challenge of keeping live plants alive as part of their facade treatment. Over 20 years, I've learned that they do not have green thumbs. Willows was proven to be the place where poinsettias drop their leaves and die...ha!

Committed to having the, mostly service oriented, marketplace provide a shopping experience to the downtown Vancouver scene,  Sandy  and Janna, in addition, opened Fresh Willow, a garden and gift store.  I began my exploration of their interiors being modern with industrial and vintage accents.  This would include creating elements and faux finishing them for both the interior and facade.  Ingredients such as concrete, "rusted" metal and wood finishes will serve them well into their 20th year.

The best features of both Willows and Fresh Willow were inspiration for the new store. Raw steel, treated woods and glass adorn the fixtures. Willows' current logo made its debut.

Despite being very limited on space, a petite window display area became a necessity to communicate Willow's style to pedestrians.

The development of custom holiday decor became a staple to Willow's style.

Despite the irritating placement of the buildings window frames we persisted on providing downtown with a mini department store quality window display.

My style influences and the style I longed for Willows to have started its showing in their Ester Short Park corner location. Custom fixtures, window displays and holiday decor became a staple of Willow's style.

Despite their retailing success, the two Marketplace locations challenged the two owners with heavy schedules, separate merchandise buying trips and two vastly different goals within.   The decision was made to merge the two and define "Willows" with a new location, street side in the newly revitalized Ester Short Park area. Here the merchandise assortment began the flip from home dec and gift, with some light apparel to apparel with some gift.  Here's where the categories of garden, bedding and furniture were shed, a precursor to the boutique of today.  The response from downtown Vancouver's apparel store starved women was amazing. Willows became the guiding light and a stellar example of a revitalized Vancouver success story.   That forward momentum could not be sustained too long.  With the onset of the economic recession bringing about a reversal of downtown Vancouver's revitalization and growth, Sandy and Janna made the tough, but exciting, decision to close their Ester Shore Park location and relocate to their current one in the Grand Central Marketplace.  As a team, we decided to take the largest space yet further in expressing Willow's style and distill their offerings to be revolved around apparel, accessories and gifts.

Designed from the ground up I advocated for a large backroom and roomy dressing rooms.

Defining Willows visually was my goal in the decisions I made for their 4th incarnation. Included in this was the creation of their signature reclaimed Willow tree. Every store has had a representation of a Willow tree.

It is their Grand Central location that would challenge me to create the Willows experience from scratch.  This will be the first time I was given the freedom to develop a completly empty retail space.  No more were there going to be stairs, low ceilings and a lack of storage.  My first decision was to design them an actual working back room.  This marks the first time in Willow's 15 years that they can process new merchandise off the sales floor.  And I, as their merchandiser, display builder was eager to have a storage  area for fixtures, tools and display goods.

To further build the brands reputation for eye catching eye candy and high end department store like treatment of visual display, I carved a niche out for a window display and purchased a ton of mannequins.  The tradition of rearranging the store, adding new fixtures and displays with each season was born. 

Hundred of books, a custom chalkboard and hexagon merchandisers were created to herald in Fall 2012. Almost all the props used at Willows are created in my studio.

Spring was ushered in with repurposed glass objects, live plants and a mason jar chandelier.

Cream, crochet, a boho tent and dozens of studio made bohemian camp chairs add a light feeling to the store after Holiday was taken down.

Shimmer and glow, words of summer adorn the displays. A custom lifeguard stand, umbrella and driftwood fixtures were made in my studio. Many times, I will sell the items I make once they come down.

On trend, on the water! A nod to nautical brings summer to willows. Studio made sails, anchor marquis and super heavy concrete buoys set the scene.

A mix of faux taxidermy, rustic burlap and artistically woven branches lend a sense of Fall to the store. Customers of the store were invited to a private sale of the taxidermy.

Holiday 2014 went traditional with a Willows twist. The store's tree was lit with fourteen 25 foot strands of Christmas lights and adorned with fir boughs. The store was filled with handmade mini houses turned light fixtures, antiqued ornaments and fun colors.

Studio made hanging holiday houses, marquee accents and faux antique ornaments adorned the store. Many of these pieces will be for sale Fall 2017, as we clear room for 2019's trim.

As if the planets aligned just for the ladies of Willows, the two spaces adjacent to the store became available.  So without hesitation, the designing of the current, expanded Willows began.  The additional space allowed us to accommodate more dressing rooms, increase the selling space, add a sale area and further indulge in the textures and elements that define Willows visually.  And of course I got my wish of another window, an expanded back room and a central wrap desk that could hold four checkout stations!

The wall between the older space and the new space comes down to reveal the vastness of the new Willows and the scale of the new wrap desk area.

Studio built and revised fixtures for display and merchandising fill the store.

Vintage inspired looks and textures abound the surfaces of Willows.

Metal pipe and metal hangers play part in establishing the store's character.

Working with wood both raw and natural, we created fixtures for the store.

Furthering the "Willow" tree idea, we made a faux bois table for merchandising on. It's all cement and rebar.

Rough and textural finishes help define the Willow's style that's evolved over 20 years.

Old is new and new is old. Dressing room are covered in vintage wall papers and faux vintage bulbs adorn industrial look fixtures we created to look old.

A faux copper studded wall fools the eye and a variety of woods sport colors in a studio made merchandising table.

The raw wood organic, randomized look of the store's Willows tree is contrasted by dimensional, sculptural patterns of painted wood.

Studio created wall finishes, lettering and a custom barn door enliven the backroom photography and suppplier meeting area.

 I'm proud to play part in this 20 year love affair with the Willows brand.  The owners, Sandy and Janna are like family.  We've watched each others families grow.  We've watched our separate businesses grow.  And, we will continue watching Willows grow further with our collaborative ways and unrelenting love for the store.   I'm including some additional photos from my Willows displays below.  Enjoy!- Aaron

Custom Holiday trim of coppers, golds and rose gold with birch, fur and a bit of glam by Embellishments Studio.

Holiday 2016 decor Lux Lodge by Aaron Christensen.

A huge led lit antler deer mount made from "birch". The birch is actually made of pipe coated in a faux treatment.

Summer 2017 was inspired by watercolor landscape paintings of cacti and the desert southwest.

Cacti which are made in my studio from pool floaties, noodles and tissue cascade down the cash wrap wall.

Wheelbarrows of cacti set the mood in the store's windows.

Fall 2016 explores objects, textures and surfaces found in an old farm yard. All of the items were custom, made in the studio.

Fall 2016's Windmill, Birdhouse and 3 tier rolling "vintage floral cart" were made custom using scrapped reclaimed objects from Portland's Rebuilding Center.