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Meet Chrissie Charlton and Vicky Fullick, the owners/designers

Find A small letterpress shop mixing old-world charm with a modern flair, located in a four-foot-wide storefront stacked three stories high (aptly named The Corridor). Inside are more than a dozen small printing presses, limited edition books, and accordion-style cards. Plus, their famous “Sneeze”, “Boo Hoo”, and “Atishoo” printed handkerchiefs line the walls, inviting you to buy them, and then check out how they are made in one of H&S’ weekly workshops.

The Backstory When Fullick went house hunting back in 2002, the then-graphic designer discovered an Adana, a twentieth century hobby press, nestled in the clutter of one potential home. She ended up talking the homeowner into selling her that instead of the house.

She and Charlton, a fellow graphic designer, immediately began experimenting with the eight-by-five-inch press. Using a small stack of dusty letterpress books Charlton happened to own, they figured out how to use the intriguing device. Though the two designers were accustomed to computers, not levers and handset type, they loved the change of pace.

“Seeing type in a metal form was very exciting,” Charlton says. “Printed type looks completely different from digital type. It isn’t flat or perfect. But it’s human.”

Before long, Charlton and Fullick began selling their new crafts—calendars, cards, and the like—at local book fairs once a week. By 2006, they had moved their workspace into The Corridor, a former pet shop and gallery (not at the same time), and named their new shop after Bob Harrington and Horace Squires, compositors and letterpress tutors at Hornsey College of Art in the late 1960s.

Despite their love  of everything handmade, the duo holds onto their graphic design roots. They often design their products using high-tech programs and then go to town on their small army of clunky, ink-covered Adanas they recovered from homes across Britain. Their meticulous designs and imperfect type create surprising products that are both modern and vintage.

“We see a lot of people, including design students, going back to the old technology. It’s a way of breaking out of limits of computer. When you design and print, you have complete control over the process.” Fullick says. “People need and want to use their hands again.”

Not long after opening their doors, customers began to ask if H&S offered lessons. Why not?, they thought. “Now we can’t keep up the demand,” Charlton says. “We have to limit ourselves to holding workshops one day a week or we won’t finish any of our work.” Pupils range from locals to tourists from cities spanning Miami to Taipei.

“I wish we could say we had a business plan, but we really didn’t,” Charlton says. “It started as a fluke, or serendipity, and it has just evolved. Who knows what will happen next.”

Know of another great place to find collectibles that’s new or off the beaten path? Tell us at editors@thefineartoffamily.com

[Photography courtesy of Phil Grey and Alec Myers]

Starting bid: $550.00

This antique silver-plated coffee/tea set is from the late 19th century and includes a coffee pot, tea pot, tray, creamer, and sugar bowl.

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Even if you haven’t seen any of its past film incarnations, “Alice in Wonderland” is a story everyone knows. Originally a 19th century novel by Lewis Carroll, the fairytale focuses on Alice, a curious young girl who falls down a rabbit hole and ends up entering a wacky world filled with madness and surreal creatures. It has been adapted into dozens of movies with the most famous being the Walt Disney animated version in 1951.

Disney is at it again with its 2010 “Alice in Wonderland” from the always-imaginative director Tim Burton (no stranger to remakes as he brought us “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in 2005 and “Planet of the Apes” in 2001) and his male muse Johnny Depp, who plays the “Mad Hatter.” It was the number one movie at the box office on its opening weekend, earning an estimated $116.3 million (the highest grossing weekend ever for a spring release) and has created a lot of chatter with its 3-D visuals and talented pedigree. Ironically, the 1951 version was a box office disaster that later became a cult classic during the 1960s.

However, this new “Alice in Wonderland” isn’t actually the remake one might have expected. No, it’s actually a pseudo sequel that’s simply inspired by Carroll’s works, not based on them. It takes familiar situations and characters from those stories and dreams up a completely new tale. Because of that a trip down memory lane is almost necessary for any kind of true appreciation.

Whether or not you have strong memories of the earlier films, you most certainly will remember the White Rabbit saying “I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date” or Alice’s culinary choices of “Eat Me” and “Drink Me.”  You’ll probably too remember the silky smoothness of the disappearing Cheshire Cat and the Red Queen’s mantra “Off with his head!”

All of these things are thankfully in the new movie. Beautiful as it is, the film may remind us of the “Alice in Wonderland” we all know so well, but really it’s anything but.  It is more of a straightforward adventure story that plays off our nostalgia from the original films. Based on last weekend’s box office numbers, it seems that moviegoers are open to Tim Burton’s new interpretation of a highly-regarded timeless classic.

Starting bid: $899

This is a classic cognac-colored crocodile belt with a unique gold toned hardware through the closure.

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Many shoppers start early—some diehard ones arriving at 5 AM. Fighting jetlag, we got there at 7:30 AM. I never go into these things looking for something in particular. Sure, it would be great to find certain pieces, but I always try to keep an open mind. Last time I was here, I randomly found the most amazing buttons. I’m not sure what to do with them yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they inspire a whole new jewelry collection someday. That’s what I love about these markets. You walk around and something just hits you.

I had a great day roaming up and down this familiar street that I have been visiting for many, many years. This is where I first began to appreciate vintage finds, which ultimately led to the creation of my own jewelry and home accessories collections. The dealers here specialize in so many things, such as frames, art, books, vintage fashion, and lots of collectibles. This time around, I made so many new friends, including this adorable pup (pictured right) and a gentleman who only sells forks, knives, and spoons. He had piles and piles of them! It reminded me that I need to have friends over for dinner again soon.

Next up is Paris’ Marché aux Puces, an open air market that hosts some 3,000 stalls spread out through tiny side streets in a quaint neighborhood. We’re heading there on the Eurostar, which feels like a plane traveling on the ground at insane speeds (I don’t even want to know how fast). It’s from there that I’m writing Monday’s blog, so I can’t tell you what I’ll discover at the market, but I can’t wait! And then after that we’re off to Florence to collaborate with some our artisans. Catch regular updates about my vintage shopping adventure abroad on my Facebook page.

xox,
M

P.S. Later this week, we’ll introduce a new column about film and nostalgia. With all the remakes Hollywood’s planning to release this year, it’s hard not to take that trip down memory lane and compare the various film versions, starting with Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” which opened on Friday.

Starting bid: $0.99

This sterling silver cigarette case is hallmarked Birmingham 1963 and is lined in cedar.

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Starting bid: $399.99

This is a glass perfume bottle from the Victorian era, complete with a dogwood and foliage design etched on all four sides.

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To collect her prize, we asked Nanette to answer one simple question: What’s Your Heirloom? Here’s her answer:

“I am fortunate to have many heirlooms that mean the world to me.  My family kept everything for many generations and gratefully, I have been the recipient of many, as well as have my 5 brothers and sisters.  One of my very favorite heirlooms is my ‘Hossier’ cabinet.  It is made of gorgeous oak wood with amber-colored stained glass windows. The bottom half is an ice box.  I use it in my dining room to display many other of my sentimental heirlooms.  This hossier was purchased by my maternal grandmother, Faye, whom I adored and spent many vacations with. When I look at my hossier, I can see her baking and cooking with it, and it makes me feel very connected to her although she died many years ago.

My husband and I have moved many times over the years.  The hoosier is extremely heavy.  Always am asked whether we have to move it one more time!  My answer is always a resounding, ‘of course!’  Any house would not be a home without my Nana Faye’s hoosier!”

If you’re a member of an online social network, you’ve probably already noticed a new crop of portraits on display. Yes, we’re talking about the near-perfect animated versions of your friends—the few early adapters who’ve picked up the trend. An old idea with a new twist, these tiny digital portraits still stand for “status.” It’s just now the Facebook variety, which usually accompanies daily updates on anything from workplace shenanigans to announcing the birth of your first child.

The demand for these portraits became clear to Brooklyn artist and stay-at-home-dad Matt Held when he formed the group “I’ll have my Facebook portrait painted by Matt Held” on a whim in November 2008. Held’s group has since amassed 11,000 followers and he’s completed 72 portraits. After selecting a member’s photo (basically whatever catches his eye), he recreates it on canvas, sends the member a free jpeg, and gives him or her the option to purchase the painting for about $1,800.

Sift through his six virtual pages of portraits posted in his online gallery and you’ll quickly see that the quirky trumps the stuffy for Held, who has cast everything from a guy wearing a bunny suit to group paintings modeled after old famous works. Elizabeth Mansfield, PhD, an associate professor of art history at New York University, gets the growing mass appeal. “We represent ourselves so easily now that we don’t have to commit to a single identity,” Mansfield says. Beyond just a fun memento, these funky images may just make their way into museums someday. “They’re a document of our age,” she adds.

[Images courtesy of Matt Held]

Starting bid: $3575.00

This is blue-colored Hermes saddle bag with gold hardware was made in Paris about 40 years ago.

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