The Fairweather Flourish
An interior designer with an artist’s soul, Denise Fairweather must have been destined to own this store. One step inside the uniquely carved wooden door at Fairweather House & Garden, and you’ll naturally assume that an artist is in residence.
In each nook, in each corner of the shop are artfully arranged displays with an air of comfort. Her recipe for achieving such a put together look? “It’s all in the grouping; every table tells a story,” she says. This design sense that seems to come naturally to Denise is part talent, yes, but she has a lifetime training in the field leading up to now.
Through the 1990’s she owned four businesses in the Vancouver, Washington area, including a flower shop, a gift shop, and an art gallery. A move to Portland led Denise to working for big names, like Ralph Lauren and Paul Schatz Furniture, working as a buyer for the Drexel Heritage and the Street of Dreams homes.
Fairweather House & Garden originally opened in Gearhart in January 2007, and then the hurricane winds that pummeled the coast collapsed her roof, causing devastating damage, forcing her to find a new home for her store. Within 90 days Fairweather House & Garden’s now much larger store opened in Seaside’s historic Gilbert District.
The additional floor space allowed her to expand her line of merchandise and gave her more space to work her magic. And work it she did! Much of what is offered here are unique wares from area artisans, making the store a hybrid between a gift shop and gallery. “I used to have only a few artists represented here, but that has blossomed into now 38 artists, all with roots in the Northwest,” she said.
The best part about owning her costal shop? The ability to share, evolve, and to re-discover herself. “I love to listen to the stories of my customers, what they do, what brings them here. And I love to tell my own story.” To the delight of Denise Fairweather’s customers, she does indeed tell her story, page by page in each tabletop and corner of her shop.
Fairweather House & Garden
612 Broadway in Seaside
(503)738-8899
-Veronica Russell, Editor
Coast Explorer/ Summer 2010
