zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
Photos by: Jeff Greenwood
zenDeluxe is an independently owned and operated home goods store located on Holly St. in Old Town, Pasadena, CA. What makes zenDeluxe special (besides their abundant stock of reasonably priced, temptingly fresh ideas for the home) is that all their products are made by hand, are guaranteed Fair Trade, and are primarily imported from Bali!
zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
It was “zen zen” – serendipitous – that I found this store! I was looking for parking in Old Town on my way to purchase a gift for someone at Crate & Barrel. After studying John Ruskin and discussing the nobility of handmade craftsmanship at length while on study abroad in Florence, Italy, I have to admit I was a little sad to be heading to such a big-box store to purchase the gift. Enter serendipity! As I shut the door of the car, I noticed I was right in front of one of the most charming, brightly colored shop windows on Holly Street!
zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
“Everything hand-made with love!” This is intriguing!
zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
The more I found out about this shop, the more impressed I became!
zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
The bright colors and creative displays in zenDeluxe are a delight for the eyes. Do I need to mention that I never made it to Crate & Barrel that day?
zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
Colorful pillows for every decor!
zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
Unique umbrellas for the patio or poolside!
zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
Best of all, everything is Fair Trade! The zenDeluxe website offers this insight into their mode of operation: “Our company is a registered Fair Trade Federation member. This means that everyone we employ, and our subcontractors too, get a fair living wage, have good working conditions, and use planet friendly practices. Our Bali workshop employees have health insurance, a pension plan & Saturday afternoon sports.
But for us Fair Trade means more than that. To us, “Fair Trade” means fair to everyone – from our most basic material suppliers/growers to the end retail users. No one gets a huge markup while someone else is getting little. This means that our customers get a really good value for their money too.
In addition, we support and are involved in sustainable education, reforestation, organic farming, community empowerment projects and contributing to the GreenSchool Bali scholarship fund.”
zenDeluxe Owner, Andrea Phillips, & daughter Lucy, Pasadena, CA
I’m sure many have read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love like I did this past year. The owner of zenDeluxe in Pasadena, CA is Andrea Phillips. Her adventure in Bali and ongoing connections there have made her life a truly wonderful journey! After studying art at Pitzer College, Andrea worked for a time in fashion & costume in L.A. & NYC, and then joined her friend in an import business out of Hawaii bringing products from Bali to the U.S. Her journey continued from there to marriage with a local Balinese business man, having a family, and creating an entire line of hand-made, Fair Trade homewares and gifts with her husband, Nyoman. Take that Julia Roberts 😉 But seriously, hats off to Andrea and zenDeluxe!!
zenDeluxe, Pasadena, CA
Visitors are always welcome at zenDeluxe in Pasadena!
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