Page 6 Stepping into Phoenix’s Sweet Salvage store is a bit like an exploration. Strong pieces of American history are tucked away among romantic trinkets from faraway lands. Crinkled letters and old photos peek out from a vintage box, while delicate fabrics float near industrial fi xtures and rustic cabinetry. A hint of mystery exudes from every display. Is it a cozy French farmhouse? A rich 19th century study? Or a mid-century modern living room? The answer is all of it – and much more. And if that isn’t ambiguous enough, Sweet Salvage isn’t a store – yet it isn’t quite a flea market either. Sweet Salvage is a shopping event that occurs for four days each month and sells a variety of antique, re-purposed and pre- owned furniture, art and home pieces from around the country and world. During the other approximately 26 days in each month, Sweet Salvage designers scour estate sales, flea markets, the Internet and more to find unique pieces to sell to the public. But it’s the staging that makes Sweet Salvage unlike many stores carrying similar items. Each month, 11 designers meet and select a theme for the event. The designers then interpret that theme in any way they choose and embark on picking trips to select and buy the items that fit their vision. A 5,000 square foot warehouse is then parceled out to each designer, who creates a “vignette,” or staged space, with all of their items for sale. On opening day, customers can see a variety of vignettes, which each tell a story and showcase clever uses for the pieces, while incorporating a variety of design ideas. “There is a theme so it feels cohesive, instead of too loose…like a flea market,” said Sweet Salvage owner Kim Rawlins. “Having a beautiful space makes you feel better for creating, so we want to really drum up enthusiasm for embracing your home, but not in a big box way.” There is everything from rustic farm tables, to vintage suitcases artfully arranged and old mail cubbies sitting atop a rustic desk to form an entirely new piece of furniture. There is even a 12-foot aged wood, hand- chiseled window from an old church. In all, there are thousands of pieces for sale. “We find the authentic things that really make it come together,” Rawlins said. Like Christmas morning The morning air is chilly and the smell of rich coffee and sweet pastries for sale from The House Brasserie floats through the breeze as the excitement builds. It’s opening day for January’s Sweet Salvage event, and a crowd of nearly 100 is already lined up around the building – near 7th Avenue and Camelback Road – waiting for the doors to swing open. “I come and wait in line every month,” said Arcadia resident Sarah Hubbard. “Usually I have a whole bunch of Arcadia girls with me.” Inside, the Sweet Salvage merchandise is artfully arranged to fit the theme “For the Love of Home.” Nearly 40 employees scurry about with excited energy, never standing in one place for too long. One tilts a frame; another fluffs a pillow, and still more put the final touches on their displays before the crowd fi les in. “When it opens, it’s like Christmas morning,” said Heather Moeller, the store’s creative director. One regular customer, who lives just south of Arcadia skipped work to attend opening day. “Sometimes I come here not really looking for anything, but it’s just comforting to be here,” the woman said. “I’d just like to stay in there a few days.” Hubbard said that during January’s show she hopes to find a petite chandelier, but that she likes to keep an open mind, and usually comes home with much more than she intended. “Last month, you couldn’t fit a pencil in my SUV,” she said with a laugh. Still, Hubbard’s favorite Sweet Salvage finds are her two white corbels, from a convent in Maine that now form her fireplace mantle. Arcadia husband and wife shoppers Gordon and Kay LeBlanc said they enjoy coming to Sweet Salvage events to purchase items for their garden. “The way everything is displayed is just so beautiful,” said Kay. “And it smells clean in there, unlike a typical antique store,” Gordon said. As the doors open, the crowd steps in a few at a time to allow everyone to enjoy their experience. At the end of the day, designers will pull out fresh pieces from the back of the store to fi ll in spaces where items have been sold – preventing the store from feeling picked over. When the event ends, some of the items are sold in other places, some are re- purposed and refreshed for the next show, and others are donated. “A commitment we made as a group is to keep it fresh,” Rawlins said, “so each month they can expect it to be new.” Sweet dreams come true While today’s Sweet Salvage customers embrace the idea of an event-style store, some doubted the concept would work. And when Rawlins, along with general manager Stephanie Williams and Moeller prepared to hold their first Sweet Salvage event in summer 2011, they too were scared. “People were like, ‘How are you going to pay your rent?” Rawlins said. So the ladies tried to get the message out as much as they could. “We were like, okay, I invited 10 friends and you invited 10 friends, and hopefully a few of them will come,” Williams said. “I had to strongly believe it was going to happen,” Rawlins said, “but I cried the night before to my husband.” The next day when Sweet Salvage debuted, they were astounded. There was already a line wrapped around the building. “It was absolutely a dream come true,” Rawlins said. The three designers and colleagues knew at that moment that they had created something magical. And what makes them even happier today is the joy it brings to their customers, whom they casually call “our friends.” A hand-selected team Just as every Sweet Salvage vignette comes together eclectically, yet seamlessly, so did the designers who bring them to life. Rawlins, a petite blonde originally from Minnesota, spent her career working in the car business before opening an antique store on Cave Creek Road in 2008. Through working there, she met Moeller a jack-of- all-trades daughter of a designer, who was the first person to tell Rawlins that her Sweet Salvage idea “wasn’t crazy.” “She embraced the same energy,” Rawlins said. Williams, a formal floral designer, was the third to join the team after her display in another store caught Rawlins’ attention. “She was that cool girl,” Rawlins said. “We asked her to join us.” “I said ‘yes’ right away,” added Williams. Today with a total of 11 designers – including two men – Rawlins said people ask her all of the time how they can get their displays into Sweet Salvage, but Rawlins insists that the designers must be hand- selected. “It’s really about the synergy of the group,” Rawlins said. They help one another bring their spaces to life, just as they help their customers with their homes. “I think that we help people find their own style and define it,” Moeller said. “Our guests come in here with a sense of ‘I like that piece and I want to put it in my home,’” she added, “and that’s okay, because everybody has a story and their house is reflective of that story.” More about Sweet Salvage Sweet Salvage is located at 4648 N. 7th Avenue in Phoenix and opens the third Thursday of every month. The next event will be held Feb. 20-23 and the theme will be “Raw and Refined.” For more information, visit www.sweetsalvage.net or www.facebook.com/ sweet.salvage. Sweet Salvage By Katie Mayer Sweet Salvage owner, Kim Rawlins

Kelly Knapp 602.882.1332 Kelly Knapp 602.882.1332 Homesmart Elite Group • kellyknapphomes@gmail.com r e a ltor . r e novator . r esou rc e . SELLING HOMES IS NOT MY JOB... IT’S MY PASSION! pending  e. sells drive $, Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of renovating dozens of Arcadia homes. I now have the opportunity to share my experience and know-how with my clients. When listing a home for sale, I personally prepare it as I would my own. And when working with buyers I have ideas which uncover a home’s true potential. My clients tell me my insights are invaluable. I tell them I love EVERY minute of it! 3000 sq. ft. of pure arcadia perfection! 4 Bed/3 bath and a pool. gourmet kitchen, wood floors and moulding throughout. $795,000 just listed  n.  st place ONE OF A KIND OPPORTUNITY ON A 37K LOT IN THE HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT. 3300 SQ.FT. LOADED WITH NATUR AL LIGHT AND VIEWS GALORE! $899,000 incredible view home  e. rancho drive sold first day  e. whitton $, pending  e. patricia jane $, sold  n.  rd place $, sold  n.  th way $, sold-buyer  n. manor drive $,, Kelly