Desert Flower Hannah Henderson ~ General Store

One of my favorite haunts in Venice is General Store with it’s selection of hand crafted items and beautiful treasures. I always feel like I’m walking back int time to old California in the 70’s when I enter the doors. This is a perfect place to get most of your Christmas shopping done. Hannah Henderson has an exquisite eye for vintage pieces as well as local artisanal wares like ceramics, books, beauty products and more! Recently Kristen from Moon Canyon paid a visit to The General Store for some festive decorating. Interview with Hannah below!

For more of my favorite shops filled with gems from local artisans see The Local Rose.

 

1. What inspired you to open The General Store?
   I have two kids and wanted to start a project that allowed me to be close to home, but also allowed me to be creative and feel good about my work. Like I was contributing to things getting better in some small way. I had worked in fashion for a long time and it just wasn’t rewarding to me on a fundamental level. I met my business partner Serena and loved what she had done with General Store, we had so much in common and it all came together like it was meant to be…with a lot of hard work.
2. What are three favorite gift items right now at the store?
   Heather Levine ceramic wall hangings – they are so beautiful, just works of art and they are addicting. Once you have one, you want more…
   Satomi Kawakita diamond bar earrings – she is a Japanese designer living in New York and her work is so delicate, interesting and minimal at the same time which is not easy to do.
   Heidi Anderson’s handmade planters – they are my absolute favorites!!
3. Do you sense a sweet community right now centered on hand made crafts and folksy gems?
   Yes! and it is growing. I can definitely feel the movement toward craft right now and more people are thinking about the way things are made, where they are made, and moving away from a disposable consumerism. We see young and old come through the shop every day and it’s so rewarding to see their growing appreciation for craftsmen and locally made products. It feels good to buy things that someone made with their hands, it’s fulfilling and once you start thinking about where things come from, it becomes easy to feel the emptiness of mass produced products.
4. What is your go to musical selection?
   I always end up listening to the music i grew up with my mom playing… Crosby, Stills & Nash, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell. It makes me so happy.
5. Do you have a beauty secret or product you love?
   I love Earth Tu Face serums. They are so lovely and feel amazing on the skin. Made by two herbalists who use edible grade organic ingredients.
6. Are you a mermaid or forest fairy?
   The ocean and trees are lovely, but I am drawn to the desert where I grew up. I need a huge sky, warm winds and hot sun to be happy.
7. What or where is your favorite meal?
   Early Axe dinners with my man and late Axe breakfasts with my babies.
8. Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
   It’s so hard to say! I guess I am superstitious about making plans..
9. Holiday dream trip?
   Kenya
10. What book is on your night stand?
    Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The Desert is Theirs by Byrd Baylor.