it's all gonna be alright

Since moving to Colorado I have felt so full of the landscape. Even in the bleakness of winter, just being able to see the mountains and blue sky makes me feel at peace. And those parts of my brain that weren't filled by the views I have satiated with "blog-hopping" and the occasional trip to Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters.

I had resigned myself to living in a more retail chain, muted hue, Pottery Barn world.

But last week I rediscovered Composition. I had read about them years ago and thought their site was amazing. I loved what they were selling, but knew I could find all of that stuff in various Chicago stores. Well, I don't live in Chicago anymore. So this was field trip day.

Bel Mar is one of those new "communities". Condos, restaurants, shops, galleries, parks. These communities are all well intentioned but also a bit creepy in their perfectness. Among many others, there's the Whole Foods, Gap, ice skating rink and brewery. Bel Mar sits in the middle of every big box store you could ever imagine. So it struck me as odd that they had so many wonderful things. Obviously the planners had artists in mind.

Composition is exactly what I had imagined. A well selected group of graphic design books, paper products, clothing, bedding and laptop/courier bags. Jennifer, the owner, told me about two other spots in the area that I might like: Ink Lounge Gallery and The Lab.

Both were super cool. Ink Lounge is owned by a husband/wife team and they hold screen printing workshops (future date for me and T). And the Lab is a beautiful gallery, think tank and public forum. I love that the Lab stands for the labrador (not something stark and scientific, but a warm friendly place). I still found it strangely bizarre that it lies between a Zales and a Yankee Candle Company. So maybe I can't get away from the retail chains, but I have found my people.