There is no Peach event that ranks higher in our hearts than Bastille Day.  The traditional celebration of French independence can mean only one thing to us:  let’s throw a party!  This year, July 14 happens to fall on a Wednesday, so we’re holding our celebration on Saturday, July 17 for maximum champagne drinking potential.  We’ve got a lot of big plans, including live music, yummy food, and even yummier cocktails, but before we tell you all about what’s coming this year, why don’t we take a look at our Bastille Day Celebrations of yore?

The Peaches love any excuse to get all done up.  Past costumes have included towering Marie Antoinette wigs and the traditional French beret, but we’re always willing to get a little goofy.  I mean, when one of the main features of your event is something called the Poodle Parade, you’ve got to enjoy the silliness in the situation.

That brings us to, in fact, the Poodle Parade.  We love pooches, especially our posh, poofy friend the Parisian poodle.  On Harrison Street, you could expect to see a gang of pups marching merrily down the sidewalk, helped by some of our favorite Peaches as ushers, walkers, and, of course, last year’s Grand Marshal: Eliana.  Though the poodles will be sitting on the sidelines this year, as always, furry friends are welcome.  If they’re in costume, like Peach faves Floyd and Hannah, all the better.

Lloyd the Frenchman and Hannah the French Maid

We love the charm of having live music at our events, especially when the weather’s fine!  Our favorite accordionist, Don, has been a fixture the last few years and yes, we’ve booked him again for this year.  How could you resist such a sweetie who gets so into the spirit of things?!

Don serenades us in Parisian garb.

And because a Peach party is not complete without champagne, we include the following image for reference.  Sure, it may be from Le Grand Opening rather than Bastille Days of yore, but we can’t help but approve.  Champagne makes the Peaches very happy.  We hope to see you on July 17!!

Just like Christmas!

If you’ve made it this far into the post, may we also tell you that there will be Peach raffles and giveaways!  That’s right, we’re quite literally giving it away this Bastille Day.  Raffles are every hour, and you must be present to win!  Come celebrate our favorite Frenchy holiday this July 17!  See you there…

Well we’re just blushing.  All the sincere love and compliments from our favorite Peaches have really shown us just how much our hard work is paying off!  It’s truly been a delight to see some of our wonderful regulars popping in to see how the new Peach progresses.  If we haven’t seen you yet, please swing in!  We’ve got tons of old favorites and new goodies and a whole lotta hard work to show off.

Speaking of work, we’re not exaggerating when we say that we never want to see another paintbrush again.  Under Karen’s artistic guidance, we’ve made some huge changes to the existing space and it’s been an almost overwhelming change!  The shop is still, by all means, a work in progress–there’s still awnings to be hung and stained glass windows and doors to be installed, but we couldn’t be happier to be open for business.  Come see your favorite Peaches!!  PS:  Lucky for you, Mondays just got a little better–we’re now open 11-7!!

Sneak a peek at the new place below!

As our time at 128 Harrison St. comes to a close, we can’t help but want to take a walk down memory lane and remember all of the things that have made our stay here unforgettable. We asked Karen, Le Grand Fromage, to tell us what growing a CarefulPeach here has been like.

Longtime Peach Sarah P. on Carmen Miranda Day

Q: You’re known for all the great events and parties you throw at the Peach. What have been some of your favorites?

K: Oh gosh! We’ve had so many! But I’d have to say that our Carmen Miranda Day was a riot. It was great to see customers come into the shop with fruit on their heads all day. Then we had a Louis XV day where we wore gold and big wigs. We felt so regal! Oh! And there was also Kelli Kline’s Girl’s Night Out party, that was so much fun!

Karen at the 2007 Poodle Parade

Q: You’re also known for your Bastille Day celebrations, any favorites?

K: Well, Bastille Day is always a special day at the Peach what with our  Baguette Give-aways, accordion accompaniment , free-flowing Champagne and berets! But the Poodle Parade takes the cake every year. Everyone gets their furry friends dolled up and we go up and down Harrison St. spreading the French goodness. I, for one, look forward to it every year. Just something about the buzz and the feel of the day makes it magical.

Q: We know you’re always on the look-out for unique items, but what have been some of your favorite finds at 128 Harrison?

K: There was this stunning Peking Glass Necklace from the 1940s that I was delighted to find a happy home for, but it broke my heart to see it go. It was a choker style necklace with white, hand formed glass flowers all the way around. Just stunning! As far as furniture goes, we reupholstered a turn-of-the-century easy chair with a great zebra print fabric that was dynamite. And, of course, a stunning mirrored demi-lune cabinet with an antiqued mirror finish we had in the shop. It was such a show-stopper.

Q: What about the space itself? Are there any Peach-worthy factoids about 128 Harrison to share?

K: When we first moved in we wanted the windows in the back to be made operational so we could open them in the summer and get those great summer breezes in the shop. But if we wanted it done, Peter and I had to strip the 50-some odd years of paint off of the frames ourselves. All that dirty work paid off, though, because the windows ooze vintage charm. They even have these great metal plaques detailing information on when, where and by whom they were made. It’s a charming touch of history.

Q: You’ve moved once before from 11 Harrison to 128 Harrison. What was that move like? Was it anything like this one?

K: They have been nothing alike, let me tell you. The first one was…chaotic and simultaneously hilarious. We were taking some of the bigger pieces in the shop and literally wheeling them down the street on carts. It was pretty funny. With the move from 11 to 128 Harrison, we winged everything. At 128, it was a game of hide and seek; how can I hide this? What can I disguise? At 1024 North Blvd, its completely the opposite! I’m trying to enhance the beauty of the space.

Q: What will you miss?

A perfectly Peachy window display

K: What won’t I miss might be a better question! But the sense of community and belonging I’ve felt these past 5 years on Harrison will be hard to be away from. I look forward to, weather permitting, coming in every morning, putting on my work apron and sweeping our storefront, saying hello to all of our wonderful neighbors and sitting down with old friends at the shop over coffee or more likely champagne! I look forward to that everyday here [at 128 Harrison]. You can’t replace something like that, but I’m hoping to find the same feeling of belonging and community on North Boulevard.

We’ll be closing our doors for the last time at 128 Harrison St. in just a few short days on Tuesday, March 30th. It’s a bittersweet moment for all of us Peaches, but we can’t help but look forward to all of the exciting new possibilities at 1024 North Blvd. Art nouveau, a bigger space, A FULL BASEMENT?! We’re giddy with the thought of it! Stay tuned for information on our grand opening at 1024 North Boulevard. Champagne is sure to make an appearance!

When we first started thinking about a move, we had so many ideas whirling around our pretty little heads that it was hard to truly envision the new direction that we would take the Peach in.  As excited as we are for many things about out upcoming move, perhaps what we are most excited about is (dun dun DUN) the design process!

Well it goes without saying that we’re fools for design–we love exploring as many different styles and facets of design as possible.  And while some things are more Peach-appropriate than others, that doesn’t mean we haven’t had fun digging through magazines, websites, and so much more for inspiration.

And as they say, inspiration often strikes in the unlikeliest of places.  Karen was perusing an exhibit at the Art Institute back in January (“Apostles of Beauty: Arts and Craft from Britain to Chicago”, now ended, unfortunately) when the metaphorical apple fell from the tree and bonked her right on the head.  But of course!  Art Nouveau!  Something about the elegantly curved lines is so appealing and so perfectly Peachy–think gracefully intertwining lines, abstract floral motifs, and dusty tones with vibrant pops of color.  We don’t want to give everything away, but here’s a hint: you’ll be blown away by our stained glass commissioned from Morava Glass Studios.

Beyond the aesthetics of the Art Nouveau period, we were also inspired by the philosophy behind it.  Art Nouveau was, at its root, a statement against the industrialized, manufactured mentality becoming so prevalent at the time.  Inspired by nature, the artists of the period were incredibly organic, placing an emphasis on the artistry of handmade items.  Though they didn’t completely shun new technology, they used it to their advantage, enabling them to create sculptural shapes in nearly anything, from architecture to jewelry and more.

There are few things Peachier than really appreciating the craftsmanship and detail put into unique items, straying from the “bigger and faster is better” mentality that’s so pervasive in our modern-day culture.  We want to keep having more, more, more…but sometimes it’s best to take a minute and appreciate a little something made with care and passion.

And, through all the hurdles and obstacles that come our way in the process of getting the new store up and running, at least we can say that passion is the one thing we have more than enough of!  Upper body strength and patience, maybe not so much.

And because we’re never far from our Francophile roots, here’s some Parisian architectural inspiration.

I know all you Peaches are itching to see what we’re doing to the new space so here’s a tantalizing morsel of visual delight for you to snack on while we cook up the main course.

Introducing 1024 North Boulevard! from Moy Medina on Vimeo.

CarefulPeach boutique is on the move! Keep up to speed with the Peaches on our new blog at

www.carefulpeach.com/blog

Bonne séance!
(that’s French for happy viewing)

Did you know it’s almost March?!  MARCH?!  Luckily, we’re getting rolling on renovations to our new space.  Our new space used to house a women’s clothing boutique with a completely different look than the Peach, which means we’ve got worlds of opportunity to redecorate and reinvigorate the space!  To open it up, our demolition crew has been hard at work breaking down walls, quite literally.  Not to mention they’re installing a bathroom, and we thank them profusely in advance for that.

There are so many things we love about the space, from its gorgeous geometric tin ceiling tiles to the exposed brick wall and hardwood floors…not to mention the perfect location.  We’re thrilled about our new neighbors:  Mephisto, Divine Consignment Shop, Bleeding Heart Bakery (ohmyheavensyes)…among many other delightful companions.   So yes, there is much work to be done, but we could not be more excited at the moment.  Especially because TODAY the wall came down.  It’s no Berlin Wall, but it certainly feels monumental to us!  There are so many opportunities unfolding.  So enjoy, for your viewing pleasure, some dusty “before” pictures.  Because without these bad boys, you’d never be able to fully appreciate the “after”.  Take our word.

As WordPress so aptly put it, Hello World!  We are the various components that make up the CarefulPeach.  If you’d like a little info on who we are exactly, check out our bios on the about us page.

We plan on using this space to share with you things are special, funny, endearing, and intriguing and we hope you’ll come along for the ride.  Check back periodically for little pieces of Internet flotsam and an insider look at what precisely makes a Careful Peach.  Our first order of business?  Taking you along with us for the journey that is opening our new shop!  Like expectant mothers, we are simultaneously excited and biting our fingernails in anticipation.  It’s gonna be a crazy few weeks, but please, join us while we show you the inspiration behind CarefulPeach version 3.0.  More to come.  A bientot!

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