Thanks & Giving.

There are many things to be thankful for, all day, everyday. In addition to the air we breathe, the golden yellow piles of Ginkgo leaves on the sidewalk this time of year, and the blessing of a city such as ours, we are thankful for: meals cooked together. And family. And friends. The ability to appreciate beautiful things. And having these exorbitantly expensive roofs over our heads (for they certainly are better than no roofs at all). And for one roof in particular, we at COUNCIL are particularly thankful. More than the roof itself (obviously), the love - the warm, generous, overwhelming, graceful, demanding, gratifying, and sometimes completely surprising love that it has sheltered this past year. For that, and so, so much more, 

Thank you.

xoxo COUNCIL

P.S.

An excerpt from our supper (that turkey's a fake!!!).

And when the night calls.

Scenes from our Alexis MacDonald opening.

xoxo COUNCIL

Alexis MacDonald, tonight!

We hung Alexis MacDonald's show for COUNCIL last night, and the store has never looked so good. Her works of ink, dye, and acrylic on canvas have infused the space with an incredible color palate and an expansive, new scale.

We hope that you can join us this evening for her opening from 6 - 9 where we will be serving wine and Alexis may even be mixing cocktails for a lucky few...

If you would like to know more about her, please visit her website here.

xoxo COUNCIL

I left my heart in Palm Springs.

Our Pam's nuptials in Palm Springs stole us all away from the store for a weekend and stole our hearts forever. The ceremony was a dream set atop a grassy oasis in the middle of the Southern California desert, surrounded by the splendor of the chic Viceroy Hotel. The couple's I do's may have been 18 years in the making (beginning with a homecoming dance at 14), but the ceremony was almost more than memory could bear. A charmed, twinkling, colorful evening full of love and lovely people. We are so happy for Pam and Josh!

xoxo COUNCIL

the location, cocktails / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

the location, ceremony/reception/dance-off / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

the designer of The Dress, Alireza Massoumnia / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

Final Touches / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

tulle / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

flowers by Miranda Bennett / photo by Athena Von C

the bouquets / photo by Athena Von C

flowers by Miranda Bennett / photo by Athena Von C

flowers by Miranda Bennett / photo by Stephanie Schwallie

first walk, over pom-pom's and flower petals / photo by Athena Von C.

first laugh / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

first walk, cont. / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

Man and Wife / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

Teenage Mariachi Band / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

Teenage Mariachi Band / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

First Dance / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer

The Times, they are a changin'.

Emily S. Rueb recently wrote a story for the New York Times called A Street Where Old is New, Again about the transformation of the store fronts along Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Our shop was lucky enough to be profiled. We have included an excerpt of the story below (slated for print in this Sunday's edition of the paper). We could not be happier. Really and truly.

xoxo COUNCIL

LOCAL STOP | ATLANTIC AVENUE

A Street Where Old Is New, Again

2:30 P.M. Walk back toward Atlantic, admiring the Victorian rope moldings on buildings along the way, and stop at Council, 360 Atlantic Avenue, (718) 522-6906. The store is named for the collaborative decision-making of its three owners: Miranda Bennett, below, who uses details from vintage pieces to design items like a pier dress with a bubbled waistline ($365); Pamela Johnston, who offers hair combs, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry ($25 to $400); and Genie Lee, who has rescued a five-drawer 1940s oak secretary and bureau ($400), along with other Southern Gothic furniture. Ms. Johnston likens the collective to “an old sewing circle of friends and designers.”

Caption: On any given day at Council, visitors are likely to see at least one of the three partners greeting customers from behind a desk.

Caption: Miranda Bennett sells her vintage creations at Council, a collective owned by Ms. Bennett and two other women who each bring an expertise to the space. She shares the store, on Atlantic Avenue, with Pamela Johnston, a jewelry designer who does her own metalwork, and Genie Lee, who rescues Southern Gothic furniture.

Photos: Julie Glassberg/The New York Times

She dreams in colors.

We are so pleased to announce that our next show will be the work of our lovely friend (not to mention a brilliant painter), Alexis MacDonald.

She will compliment the large scale, abstract canvas work that she is already known for with a special collection of small canvases made just for the shop. This group of paintings is truly stunning and we can't wait to share them with you.

Join us at the opening next Thursday, November 19th from 6 - 9 p.m.

xoxo COUNCIL

Palm Springs or bust!

In case you don't already know, our very own lovely and amazing Pam, COUNCIL co-owner and Plume designer extraordinaire, is getting hitched this Saturday to her high school sweetheart and long time beau, the wonderful Mr.Josh. We are all beside ourselves with excitement as we prepare for our departures to sunny Palm Springs, California tomorrow.

We look forward to sharing the wedding details and oodles of photos with you upon our return and hope that you will come and visit our lovely shop girls who are holding
down the fort through the weekend.

xoxo COUNCIL

Home.

A new friend recently furnished us with a copy of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros 2009 album Up From Below and we have been playing it incessantly in the shop ever since.

Take a look at their happy little performance on Letterman (below). They're also playing this month at The Bowery Ballroom and The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Find out more here!

xoxo COUNCIL

Dia de los Muertos.

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, was très popular this Halloween. 

The Mexican holiday celebrating departed family and friends is connected with Catholicism's All Saints Day, though it dates back to several of Mexico's indigenous cultures. 

The Dia de los Muertos idol costumes that we saw out and about last night were truly stunning; the painted faces and alter accessories were incredible in their detail and execution. It's interesting that the holiday has gained recognition with so many non-Latinos and somehow, strangely, has infused the otherwise secular Halloween holiday with a distinctly non-secular, spiritual element. 

It's a far cry from the counter of Ricky's or the pre-packaged costumes at Rite-Aid, and we're all for that. 

xoxo COUNCIL

courtesy of them

courtesy of them

courtesy of them