CARMEL BAY COMPANY IN THE HISTORIC SEVEN ARTS BUILDING

I  love shopping in Carmel Bay Company. It is in the historic Seven Arts Building which was built in 1925.

This is a beautiful building made of stucco over Thermolite brick. Thoroughly Arts and Crafts in character, it has steep gable roofs, oddly shaped windows, dutch doors and wrought iron ornamental lamps, gates and grills.

Its drapery of virginia creeper turns beautiful colors in the fall.

Even if I don’t go in, I window shop.

The brooms enchant me and I can not say that about many brooms.

But this building is one of the first Carmel shops to boast its devotion to things of beauty and utility instead of utility alone . And the brooms here are beautiful and useful.

This shop was started in 1976 by four partners  – one of whom is Patty Scollan, the granddaughter of Herbert Heron.

Herbert owned this building and had it built to display books he collected as a professional dealer. The tradition continues in the wonderful and unusual books the owners sell.

I find books on cottages and gardening  and almost always buy one.

Today is no exception. I cart my book on vintage cottages up to the sales desk and ask the clerk if I might photograph inside the shop for my blog.

Hooray! I get a “yes”.

One end of the shop is devoted to cookery.

At the other end I find unusual and handmade home accessories and furniture.

Some is imported and some is locally made.

Bill and I both covet one of these unique mirrors – a signature item in the shop.

Be sure to look at the locally made jewelry

before you climb the stairs to the second floor – my favorite space.

It remains essentially unchanged from when Herbert leased it out to the Carmel Art Association as a place to exhibit and sell their art. It is open with exposed beams ,huge windows , unfinished wooden siding and worn hardwood floors.

For me, there is a very special feeling to this corner.  Art is still displayed here and we thumb through prints and admire the paintings hung on the walls.

Books make their way up here too and I am tempted to sit in a rocker and read.

Items of clothing began to appear several years ago.

I love the shoes and hats and adore watching the faces of delighted customers as they try them on.

Herbert Heron was a professional actor from Los Angeles who moved to Carmel when he heard of the bohemian spirit of this little village. He wrote verse, drama, founded the Forest Theater and was even mayor of Carmel. I read that he was a tireless worker who, at the age of 80, would still climb on the roof of The Seven Arts Building to make repairs.

 How special that his granddaughter houses her business here. She has definitely created a beautiful shop.

Be sure and stop in as you stroll down Ocean.

They have a website and I find I can order “on-line”.

http://www.carmelbaycompany.com/