Shared Space Becomes Shared Venture

When you walk into Hen's Teeth Rare Gifts on Oakland Ave., among the racks of locally made, specialized jewelry, clothing and home accessories, there is also a set of steps that takes you into Chris' Cottage, a store that specializes in unique home furnishings.

Both stores have similar philosophies of offering products and ideas that you simply cannot find at the usual box stores, such as handbags upcycled from old tire treads. These are the places to go when you want something for the house, your child or dog that sparks of personality.

"I have two criterion fro the things I carry in my store," said Schwartz. "Would I buy it, and do I feel comfortable selling it to someone else?"

With so much alike, it was only a matter of time before Hen's Teeth owner Lisa Schwartz and Chris' Cottage owner Chris Robinson joined forces. Earlier this month, they announced the creation of Cottage & Coop, a line of special gift collections they compiled together.

For starters, the collections come in metal galvanized tubs for the adults or plastic pails for the kids and pets because, as Schwartz puts it, "Who needs another basket? The tubs can be reused to keep drinks cold at a party."

The gift collections come in several different themes. For example, the Morning Glory breakfast gift features all-natural waffle and pancake mix, a pound of coffee from Small World Coffee, a container of pure maple syrup and some Honey Creme from Sleeping Bear Farms.

"Everything is totally natural, with no processed chemicals," said Schwartz. "If you wanted to, you could eat the lotion in one of the collections."

The prices range from $35 in the Tea Collections to $205 in the baby gifts, which includes onesies, all-natural laundry detergent, a hand-knit cap and zero-toxin lotions. The collections are specially tagged and featured throughout both stores.