Tag: Union Rose

Bar, Entertainment, Event, Food and Drink, Montavilla December 17, 2022

Montavilla’s Saturday Winter Celebration

Two events will attract visitors to Montavilla’s commercial corridors this Saturday evening. Winter Wassail along NE Glisan Street features festive beverages, snacks, carolers, and holiday lighting. Participating stores and restaurants between 82nd and 68th Avenues will remain open for last-minute holiday gifts and festivities. People are invited to Wassail (Go from location to location caroling and/or drinking in merriment) on Glisan from 4 to 8 p.m. this December 17th.

*Promotional image provide by event coordinators*

That same night, SE Stark Street businesses will host the Montavilla Soiree & Pub Crawl from 6 to 9 p.m. The Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA) organized this winter celebration in the historic downtown to support neighborhood businesses as they enjoy the best parts of the colder months.

Drinkers, shoppers, and anyone looking for a fun Saturday night can explore the collection of holiday-themed cocktails, food specials, live music, and late-night last-minute shopping in one big evening event. No matter where you reside, some part of Montavilla will have an activity to warm your spirit on a cold night.

These are some of the participating businesses on Glisan Street:

Futura Coffee Roasters – Truffle Parmesan Popcorn, Molasses Cookies, and Pistachio Eggnog jars (vegan options)
Blank Slate Bar – Collaboration with Futura Coffee Roasters for a joint celebration
Citrine Bloom
Hinterland
Fressen Artisan Bakery – “Insanely delicious winter dinner and treats”
Secret Pizza Society
True North Studios
East Glisan Pizza Lounge – Eggnog by the glass (boozy option) or by the flight (includes alcohol)
Sparrow Salon – mini energy clearing sessions

These are some of the participating businesses on Stark Street:

Beer Bunker – music with Gwen Hamilton and Travis Shoemake with Peruvian food
Vino Veritas – Live music and holiday themed drinks with food specials, games and prizes
Tinker Tavern – Holiday food and drink specials, cocoa bar and photo booth
Threshold – Drink specials, music and live music
Arbor Hall – Live music and hot buttered rum
The Observatory and Over and Out – $5 holiday drink special
Wink Vintage – holiday sale and collection box for Rahab’s Sisters
Union Rose – holiday sale and collection box for Rahab’s Sisters
Personal Beast – all night happy hour for treats
BoneJax – open late for last minute holiday sales
Red Shed Tree Lot – Photo booths and fire pits

Rahabs Sisters will be collecting gloves, hats, jackets, blankets, and tents. Drop off locations will be Union Rose and Wink Vintage.

Disclosure: The author if this article serves on the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association (METBA) board. METBA sponsors some of these events.

New Business, Property Lease May 13, 2021

Wink Vintage on Stark Street

On April 10th, Wink Vintage opened a new shop on SE Stark Street. The owners merged two successful online vintage businesses into their first physical store. Located at 7909 SE Stark Street, this collaboration from Jennifer Strom and Courtney Kimball provides a curated vintage store where anybody can find something they like.

Having taken over the recently vacated Union Rose space, the store only required minor updates before opening. Outside of painting walls and sanding the floors, the shop was in a usable condition. “They left it in good shape, so there wasn’t a lot of work to be done,” explained Strom. “[We] just adding our own flair,” added Kimball.

Although both are veterans of the vintage sales market, they had day jobs that provided additional income propr to opening this new shop. Kimball has worked for 20 years as a hairstylist and continues to see clients one day a week. Strom left a five-year-long bartending career to pursue her passion for vintage retail full-time. Both are enthusiastic about their new location in Montavilla and have already found foot traffic encouraging when neighboring businesses are open.

The owners are still adding items to the shop, particularly expanding non-clothing goods. However, they are intent on not overcrowding the shop. Items on the racks represent a fraction of what the pair have collected. They regularly scour garage sales, estate sales, and private collections for the best vintage items. Additionally, they invite people to sell items directly to the store. The expanded collection outside the store allows the business to provide personal shopping services. The store staff can hunt for particular items or recommend something based on past interest. They continue to sell online for the many customers across the country and have a devoted audience on the company’s Instagram.

Vintage clothing will not be the extent of the store’s apparel offerings. Working with a local seamstress, Wink Vintage will produce an in-house line using selectively sourced textiles. The backroom will soon become a workspace for clothing production and the occasional alteration of purchased items.

Only a month old, and the shop is already vibrant and active. They are open from 11 AM to 7 PM Wednesday through Saturday and 11 AM to 5 PM on Sundays. Visit them online and in person to get an idea of what items they have, and don’t be shy about asking them if they can find you a particular item.

Business Relocating, Event, New Business, Property Lease January 8, 2021February 18, 2021

Union Rose Open in New Location

Union Rose completed the move one block east to a new location. Now at 8029 SE Stark Street, the longtime Montavilla retailer has doubled the shop’s footprint. The storefront exchange, completed two days ago, was briefly documented on the shop’s Instagram account with pictures and a video tour.

The new location also has update hours of operation. The store is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sundays. The store is now closed on Mondays in alignment with the neighboring children’s retailer Beanstalk.

The impending move was previously reported at the beginning of December 2020. The former location of Union Rose will soon be available to rent. Located at 7909 SE Stark street, the vacant shopfront is between Vintage Cocktail Lounge and Redwood restaurant. Union Rose owner, Rita Hudson-Evalt, describe the previous space as “a fantastic location” that the store just outgrew.

The paper is down from the windows at the new Union Rose location. Stroll-by the shop and peek in the expansive storefront windows anytime. Shoppers can drop in to see some of the new items filling the larger store, and everything is also available online for local pickup.

Business Relocating, Construction, History, New Business December 5, 2020February 18, 2021

Union Rose Moving Locations on Stark

Union Rose is moving down the street to a new storefront at 8029 SE Stark Street. Currently, they are located a block east on the same side of Stark Street. The larger space will allow for more onsite manufacturing of women’s clothing and expanded gift-items available in the shop.

Owner Rita Hudson-Evalt was excited to find a new place nearby. “I love being in Montavilla,” remarked Hudson-Evalt when describing the short move. Staying in the neighborhood is essential for the business and staying on the street ensures minimal disruption for customers. Union Rose has been in its current location since before Hudson-Evalt bought the store in 2014. The original owner, Nicole Prevost, opened the store on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in 2007 and moved to Montavilla not too long after that. Hudson-Evalt was a designer, selling to the store when Prevost was looking to leave the business. “I couldn’t handle the place not being around,” explained Hudson-Evalt when describing why she bought the shop.

Six years later, the store is continuing to survive in the pandemic thanks to a loyal customer base and the online store’s success. “We are going to make it through,” Hudson-Evalt said with a tone of relief. Doubling the store’s floor space affirms the businesses’ health and positions the company to be more flexible as the economy changes and recovers.

*The rough outline of the future storefront*

The store will shut down its old location on December 28th and reopen in the new storefront around January 6th. Hudson-Evalt will bring clothing production entirely onsite, moving from the basement studio where much of the work happens today. The back portion of the new shop becomes dedicated to product creation. A curtain behind the counter will hide overly messy projects, but most times it will remain open to show customers the process.

Union Rose’s location at 7909 SE Stark Street will become available in the new year. “It was a fantastic location,” according to Hudson-Evalt. Growing out of the space was the only issue for the company. Montavilla retail space is affordable with accommodating building management. “Both landlords have been great,” said Hudson-Evalt about the process of switching locations. For instance, the new owner of 8029 SE Stark Street upgraded the front windows to new energy-efficient glass, retaining the old appearance with improved comfort.

The future home of Union Rose previously housed Tanuki and other restraints. The building’s history began in 1924. This particular space had an address of 2019 E Stark Street before the street renumbering of the 1930s. The first business listing at that address was for The Pastime pool hall. A 1926 advertisement in the Montavilla Times declares it “Where All Good Fellows Meet.”

This move is an exciting shuffle of Stark Street businesses. Carmen Ripley, the owner of Beanstalk Children’s Resale Clothing, expressed excitement about Union Rose’s future move to the storefront next to her shop. The two apparel stores should complement each other’s business with minimal overlap in offerings. The new year will bring many changes to the neighborhood, and Union Rose’s move seems to be only positive for the community.