All posts in: Totokaelo

10 Jul 2020

Totokaelo and Need Supply Shutter

When I think about retail stores, I always think that they are going to be around forever. Sure, I may not shop at a Forever21 anymore, but there will always be someone that will. When stores close within a mall, it’s not because they are being removed from existence. They are just moving to another retail space within the mall or another mall. These are the things that I tell myself and maybe that’s because my first job ever happened to be in retail.

Earlier this week, Totokaelo and Need Supply announced they would be shutting down as a result of COVID-19 impacting the retail environment. While I’m more aware of Need Supply than familiar with it, Totokaelo is a brand that I know well. It started as a boutique in the neighborhood that I lived in in Seattle and while I couldn’t afford many of the items there, it doesn’t stop me from visiting every time I return home. The store is full of beautiful designer pieces, accessories and home items. Walking into the space itself is a minimalistic dream. The retail climate has always been challenging for boutiques like these, but these times are much tougher. While we’re sad to see these two go, we’re hopeful that others will make it out okay.

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Life

06 Apr 2020

Scenes from Seattle

After spending most of last year traveling and staying in the Bay Area, I saved the last quarter of the year for Seattle. It’s a breath of fresh air to be able to get out of the city and into some colder weather. Holidays also mean less commitments. There are plenty of days to lounge around without an agenda. During this time, I used it for writing and catching up with friends and family. I also wanted to return back to my old neighborhood of Capitol Hill with Veronica to visit my favorite spots and see some new establishments.

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07 Jan 2017

Seattle’s Summer

Whenever I return home, I never feel like I have enough time. In a perfect world, I would spend every summer in Seattle and then elsewhere for the other seasons! I spent a week this past June like I always do and we’re now sharing some of the photos from our trip. If some of these look familiar to you (because you’ve seen these shots before) it’s because I basically will do the same kind of thing on every trip. We know what we like, obviously! Now if only we could get back there more often…

^^ I will tolerate sushi in the Bay Area, but we all know that it doesn’t exactly compare to Seattle. And even though my go-to place looks like a club inside, the food is 100. This is at Wasabi on 2nd Ave!

Yow Yow! Goes Back to Seattle!

I’m starting to think that no matter how often I go back to Seattle or how long I stay, it will never be enough. I took a trip back last weekend for the long holiday and those three days quickly escaped from me. While I saw most of the friends I wanted to see, I didn’t see all of them. I didn’t get to eat at all my favorite places or venture back to my old hometown. We did as much as we could though! However, it looks like some of the things that we didn’t get to do will just have to roll over into our next trip!

Pictured above: a view of the prettiest chandelier at The Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard. I absolutely love this little town and this was my first time stopping by this restaurant. It opens at 4 and you’ve got to be in line by the time it opens if you want to grab a seat without waiting. We got pretty lucky!