Little shop is the life of the party
After throwing an epic, handmade bash for her son Tycho’s first birthday almost four years ago, Lisa Milestone’s family and friends, then friends of friends, began hiring her to design all kinds of parties for them, too.
Milestone sought out and sourced party-specific, memorable goods from around the world. What she couldn’t find, she made, such as colorful, fringe-y tassel garlands, some of which she attached to giant, 36-inch balloons. The helium whoppers were so unusual that when she planned parties in public spaces she was routinely chased by someone breath- lessly asking, “Where did you get those balloons?”
The following year, after the birth of her daughter Philippa, she decided to pursue opening the stationery store she’d dreamed of since her post-art school days in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Then it all came together: She’d make it a modern party wares shop, too.
Pippa and Co., (named for her 2-year-old daughter) opened in downtown Alameda late last year. Her children are her inspiration, and the shop is stocked like she would design a party.
“It’s everything I love, and everything I would want to buy,” says Milestone. “I blur the lines between decorating for a party and decorating a home.”
Most of the party wares and goods can live on long after the celebration, from the frilly tissue paper tassels to the head dresses, cake plates, festive dishes and gold-trimmed cork bowls. A balloon bar features those 36-inch, round tasseled balloons as well as an assortment of Mylar letters, numbers and fun shapes like a giant cactus or watermelon.
Just like any good party, Pippa and Co. feels festive and cheery. It came quite a long way from the brown, boarded storefront she first laid eyes on. The space had been used by a florist for storage for some 30 years and hadn’t been touched by sunlight in at least that long.
“I knew once we opened up the large front windows and lifted the ceiling in the front that light would flood in and it would be gorgeous,” she said. “With that in mind, we went with the all-white scheme so it could be a fresh, bright space. Also knowing that my product, which I was already planning and sourcing, was going to be very colorful, I wanted to keep the walls white so that all the merchandise would pop.”
That goes for the exterior as well. Milestone tapped Victoria Nicoll after spying displays she made for Belljar in San Francisco. Nicoll, who owns her own Mission shop, Wallflower, created and installed a throng of colorful dip-dyed fabric tassels in pink, yellow, orange, green and gray, which vary in length from about 4 to 9 feet.
The rear of the shop is treated to a pair of wooden craft tables for maker events. Class offerings span calligraphy to weaving and wooden spoon carving; in the works are classes for floral arranging, macrame, fabric painting and perhaps even tassel fabrication.
Milestone had already been hosting workshops in retail spaces before opening the shop.
“I knew I loved bringing that component of working with your hands into the mix because so much of what we sell is handmade and I was trying to bridge that connection of buying handmade wares as well as offering customers a way to learn to make it themselves.”
Pippa and Co.: 2544 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda; (510) 2639487. www.pippaandco.com. 11 a.m. -6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.