Sloan/Hall co-owner Shannon Hall finds in-store parties incredibly boring. "I don't like parties where people just sit around and drink," he said. "I like to make it interesting."
When Christopher Ciccone (a.k.a. "Madonna's brother") came to the store for a book signing last year, Hall and co-owner Marcus Sloan stationed an Armando's taco truck out front. For Wednesday night's reception for Bryan Downey and Mickey Rosmarin, who have launched a line of ceramic pieces from Waylande Gregory Studios, they brought in singer Kristine Mills, who performed tracks from her CD bossanovafied. (It's the store's best-selling CD.)
As Mills belted tunes, guests examined the collection based on designs crafted by Gregory, who was one of the foremost art deco ceramic artists of the 1930s but faded into obscurity after his death in 1971. Downey, who teamed with Rosmarin to revive the line, is Gregory's grand-nephew. The pieces, which are marked by bold forms, graphic color blocking and 22-karat gold finishes, range from $135-$895.
Mills' hip-shaking music fit in with the evening's theme. "[Gregory] did a lot of work in Rio and Bryan does a lot of manufacturing in Latin America, so I felt like it worked with the collection," Hall said.
Marcus Sloan, left, Bryan Downey and Shannon Hall
