July 27, 2012

Walking In A Circa Wonderland

Goodness Gracious! Circa sure does look beautiful!! We all survived the heat yesterday and my-oh-my was it worth it! Goodies galore! If you have time today, you must drop by before things start walking out the door! Or come see us tomorrow, we are open on Saturday's from 10-3. We hope to see you soon!!

Here are a few shots to wet your whistle:









July 26, 2012

A New Container Has Arrived!!

We are melting in this heat, while unpacking treasure after treasure that Patrick and Cindy found on their recent trip to France! Beautiful chairs, chests, secretaries, lanterns, accessories.... I can go on and on! It is going to be a hot one today, but Circa will be a wonderland by the end of the day. Be sure to stop by tomorrow to be some of the first to see the gorgeous items we are unpacking!!

Here's a glimpse of our (not so glamorous) morning so far:


The truck arrived at 9- we were hoping for 8:30, but nothing ever seems to run as scheduled around here when it comes to shipment!


A glimpse into the beginning stages of unloading


Starting to unwrap/uncrate/label/take dimensions


The pile is growing!


And growing!!!

July 19, 2012

ATTENTION BLOG READERS: NOW INTRODUCING ONLINE CIRCA SHOPPING!!!

Yes, FINALLY, all of Circa's beautiful antiques in Birmingham and Charlotte have been combined into one convenient website! We will be updating as items sell, to remove them from the website; as well as when shipments come in, to add Cindy's gorgeous finds on! If something is in one of our stores and you need it elsewhere, we will be able to ship to you or have our guys pick up and drop off to most locations. We are so excited about this new leap of accessibility and hope you see something to strike some inspiration on what is needed in your home. Any piece is sure to make an impact and we are happy to pass along the piece's provenance if any information is known.

Click the image below to be directed to the Circa Online Catalog:


Please call us with any questions and enjoying searching!

July 13, 2012

The Dog Days of Summer!

For those of you who have not met Sister and Livy- you are missing out! They are our mascots, biggest fans and closest confidants around here. Both are labradoodles and hold a special place in our hearts. This is where we found them resting today.... they, of course, have FABULOUS taste! Come on in to see us- you will be greeted by two sweet four legged girls, for sure (as well as two sweet two-legged ones). We hope to see you soon!



(Above: Sister on the left and Olivia "Livy" on the right)

July 11, 2012

Merida Meridian- Behind the Scenes!

We recently hosted a Merida trade event in the Circa Charlotte shop and learned about some very interesting (and exciting) endeavors they have taken on over the years. Merida has traveled the world, high and low, in search of the highest quality goods available to produce their products. Some of these items are located in extremely remote areas of the world, such as their jute products from the state of Kerala in Southern India and their abaca products from the Philippines. In both of these cases, Merida has worked hard to create strong relationships with small, family-owned businesses trying to make not just a living, but a way of life. They are also importing their sisal products from Belgium (which is the main reason for why Merida was able to enter the floor-covering market, when they were primarily a wall-covering dealer with goods out of Mexico), a partnership that began in the late 1980’s, and their hand-woven sisal products from Brazil, where they employ 900 people (dramatically raising the living standards) on a farming community in the rural northeast region.

All 4 of these overseas partners are monitored regularly by Merida’s Sustainability director to ensure that working conditions are safe and legal: no child labor, fair compensation for workers, hour restrictions in place and sustainability standards- set by Merida- are being met. Which brings me to my next point… all of Merida’s natural products are Green Label Plus Certified for low emitting VOC’s- the chemicals used are free of carcinogens and other harmful chemicals.
On top of all of this, one of the most important things that these partnerships are creating is jobs. Merida is allowing populations to grow and thrive, to be self-sustaining, while eliminating harmful waste that could contaminate everything from the water to the farmland these small populations depend on to survive. Because of Merida’s support, they have boosted the economic fortunes of a developing country (India), built houses for their weavers (Philippines) and given jobs back to many Americans in Fall River, MA- which lost so much as a textile town with much of the industry moving to China for lower production costs.

Here is a clip that Nicola, our Merida rep, shared with me. It’s a neat video that shows how their jute rugs are made.

We would love to show you some of their incredible products- made even more beautiful by knowing how and where they are produced. These rugs are giving others in great need a home, while making yours even more fabulous. Here are a few pictures I took from our event:


(Above: A peak at some of the many, many products produced by the partnerships and mills mentioned earlier)


(Above: New products from Celerie Kemble's line for Merida)



(Above: Customization is not an issue!)


Come see us at Circa to see and feel these products. Anyone in the design studio would be happy to assist you!