eden: a look back
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As many of you know, Jennifer Hansen of Eden passed away last week. While I didn't know her well, I loved her shop and the environment that she created there. Over the years, Eden has been featured in a variety of publications and I thought it'd be nice to have them all in one place. Below are links to a few of my favorites...
photo (left) by Cassandra Monroe
My good friend, Cassandra, recently interviewed Jen about the obstacles she overcame when opening her shop. It was interesting to read how she had to fight for the rights to sell Kiehl's. I had no idea that sort of thing was so difficult to acquire. Who knew?
Erika's love letter to the shop is still one of my favorite things from the past year. It takes on new meaning after Jen's passing, too. Read it here.
On a personal note, it was fun to be able to showcase the shop on my Design*Sponge guide. I remember that day well because of how cool it was outside and how the soft, afternoon light flooded into her shop. Plus, Stevie Nicks' Seven Wonder was just blaring.
And the Register had a sweet write-up earlier this week. Jen was a real visionary and I have a feeling that the East Village wouldn't be as cool as it is if it hadn't been for her.
And there seems to be no better way to end than with Jen's own words from the "about" section of her site. Below she describes visiting Eden's current location for the first time. Gosh, reading this I realize how much she loved our city. In some ways, maybe she loved it before anyone else?
"A few years went by and we realized that we were outgrowing our happy little corner. Some friends of ours at Gong Fu Tea quietly told us of a building just up for sale at 418 e. 6th street. For the past thirty years it had been a popular pawn shop. We could tell after a very short while that she was a diamond in the rough and we loved her. We discovered the original 1880's tin ceiling 8 feet above an over painted drop ceiling, also hidden for decades was a beautiful 19th century lead glass block store front waiting to again let the glorious sun shine in. The people that uncovered King Tut’s tomb couldn’t have felt more wonder. And after years of renovation, we finally moved into our new home in the summer of 2010."
photo by Liz Brown
