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arlington, virginia 22201-3818
usa

p. 703.875.8182
f. 703.875.0445
 
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  Welcome to Ispirato.com, the home page for Ispirato — a special store located amidst the urban village of Arlington, Virginia’s Clarendon neighborhood.

Ispirato” is the Italian word that describes the state of being inspired. Ispirato is more than a store. It is also a gallery reminiscent of the tiny art-focused shops found in London and New York.

The Ispirato philosophy brings to the DC area a refreshed concept for modern interior design that emphasizes color combined with simple shapes. The backbone of the Ispirato philosophy is friendly interaction with people. So, please step inside our store. A welcoming greeting and personalized service by Ispirato’s owner and staff is waiting for you.
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ispirato.com, the home page for ispirato, a special store located amidst the urban village of arlington, virginia's - clarendon neighborhood. it's iSpirato not iNspirato!ispirato,arlington,home decor,jonathan adler,uglydogs,uglydolls,lilian wanandy (wibisono),kevin perez,lilian art gallery,paintings,design,vases,toys,funky,modern. jonathan adler wanandy (wibisono) perez lilian kevin decor. arlington home reid art gallery. design home lilian gallery of art. vases, funky modern home furnishings. wanandy (wibisono) and perez art gallery. ispirato is not inspirato. inspirato has no meaning in italian. kevin perez joined ispirato in june of 2003.
lilian started lilian art gallery. lilian found that she was able to sell her work at street festivals, like the annual clarendon day in arlington virginia. her work was also well received at the eastern market in washington d.c.. as people discovered her work, they often asked where they could buy the paingtings. as her work became more popular lilian decided to open a store to offer her paintings. they decided on a space in clarendon, an area where her work was originally well received. prior to the opening of ispirato, lilian's work was featured at the barnes and noble in clarendon. uglydolls joined in 2005.
a very successful show in arlington. along with paintings, lilian decided to offer lines related to home decor...in hopes that the gallery style store wouldn't have an intimidating feel. lilian brought in lines from jonathan adler, uglydolls, rachel urbicki, and thomas paul. she wanted to include local artists as well. kevin perez, a local who attended secondary school in the arlington area, offered painting in much the same style as lilian. fun, funky and modern. kevin perez studied at art center college of design in pasadena, california. uglydogs are coming in April 2005.
kevin perez also studied at the school of the art institute of chicago. but, kevin perez found most of his education was at el camino college in torrance, california. ispirato became a success. being featured ispirato's first month in the washington post. deborah dietsch wrote about lilian and her new store, ispirato. deborah also spot-lighted other neighboring new, hip stores like a.k.a. spot, nora's arlington gift and garden, and sjtorm and theory. ispirato also was featured in lucky magazine as being one of the top five best new boutiques in the nation. washington flyer picked up ispirato as being on of the newest and hip places to see in washington. washington business journal, highlighted ispirato as a successful start-up. ispirato lilian art gallery
Wedgehead has his eye on you... and he likes what he sees! Finally, someone who understands him! He is very handsome too... can't you tell? What do you mean he looks pitiful? Look at that charismatic posture! Wedgehead understands you too. He sees things the way you see them... OK so he has to stand on his head to do so, but still! He understands exactly what you mean. Wedgehead and his best buddy OX are on a mission to prove that humans really do exist, and he would like you to help them on their quest. The proof can be found in the snacks! Have any?
Wage is a hard worker, just like you!He works at the local Super Mart and wears his apron to serve his customers best.Does Super Mart know that Wage works there? Nope. But Wage doesn't mind. He likes to put things in bags, especially snacks. Wage is best friends with Babo, but there is always room for one more (you). The two of them can often be found on the sidewalk trying to make friends with fire hydrants, phone booths, and other lonely creatures. Wage hates for anyone to be lonely! What's with that look? Is Wage happy? Sure he is! He smiles on the inside. The next time you go grocery shopping remember to take Wage along on your adventures
What kind of name is OX? No, not like the animal... OX, as in HUG and KISS! How can he hug you with such short arms? OX uses his ears! He's not a very good listener, but he puts his ears to good use in many other ways! Tuck them in your shirt and take OX on a stroll! OX is great at magic, and his best trick is turning your stuff into his stuff. His best buddy Wedgehead calls that stealing, but OX just wants to borrow things from you for a few hundred years. He promises to put everything back when he's done. What he wants to steal the most is your heart, and he promises to be your friend if you would lend him a hand, or an ear... or like two dollars.
Ice Bat lives in an ice cave inside an icebox. Everything he touches turns to ice, yet he warms your heart! Ice Bat thinks you are cool, and he wants to chill with you. He wants to hang out with you... or just hang upsidedown, if that's okay with you. Ice Bat is there for you when you feel like you may be losing your cool, or getting hot under the collar. Don't panic! Don't stress out! Just grab Ice Bat, close your web browser, leave the office, and go get some ice cream! Ice Bat's pointy ears hear ice cream trucks from miles away, and your round ears hear the boss coming, so better get a move on it!
Jeero wants to hang out with you. Why? He needs you. Jeero thinks life is so complicated, so he needs you to comfort him. Wage and Babo ask him so many questions, and he isn't sure what makes them think he has any of the answers. Maybe they think his red nose means he's Jeero The Wise. Well he's not! What time is it? Jeero has no idea. How do you get from here to there? Don't ask...Jeero doesn't know! Jeero just wants to sit on the couch with you and eat some snacks. Is that too much to ask? Jeero doesn't know much, but he does know that it's time for you to cancel your plans and hang out with the Uglydolls.
Babo will protect you. Having a bad day? Someone giving you a hard time? Babo's got your back. What babo lacks in mind power, he makes up for in love.He's everybody's best friend, He will stick with you to the end, and when something scary happens, he will send you a nice greeting card from wherever it is he runs away to. A very curious mischievous creature, Babo may need some guidance and parenting, so make sure to bring him with ou to as many places as possible.Leaving him alone is fine, but please put all cookies and money on the highest shelf.
the uglydolls uglydog creator... david horvath

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Anyone who is a fan of the Uglydoll craze probably knows that there is a love story at the root of the Uglydoll story. Creators David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim were separated by thousands of miles (David in the United States and Sun-Min in Korea) after spending several years together in college. David would say in contact with Sun-Min through letters, and drew one of his artistic creations at the bottom of one (now known as the Uglydoll named Wage). Sun-Min later brought the character to life by sewing the first plush Uglydoll and sending it to David as a Christmas present. And that is how the Uglydoll craze was born. David and Sun-Min still are still busy creating new Uglydolls and plan on getting married in 2005.

I must admit that I have been a fan of Uglydolls for a while, so this review might be somewhat biased. I also appreciate how they helped make plush dolls "cool" to collect again. I also had the pleasure to chat with David Horvath over the computer and tell him how I really enjoyed his artwork (and it's 3-D counterpart). However, I think David probably thought I was a stalker and now there's that whole restraining order thing (just kidding).

I received two Uglydoll characters (Wage and Target). Wage is the "original" Uglydoll, being that he was the first plush creation from Sun-Min. The story says, "Wage is a hard worker, just like (me)!" I guess they don't know me! Wage wears an apron because he works at the local Super Mart. Each Uglydoll character does include a small bio (this helps give each character it's own identity).

Target is the elder statesman among the Uglydolls. You can tell because he has more teeth (determines age) and he also has body hair. I just thought Target might have hit puberty early, but Target's bio definitely does state that he is the oldest and wisest among the Uglydolls.

Currently there are nine total Uglydoll characters, with more in development. Also in development is an Uglydoll cartoon, looking to hit television in the fall of 2005. So with the success of Uglydolls and impending nuptials, I would say that those love letters were probably the most important things David Horvath ever written.
From the minds of artists David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim emerge the Uglydolls!

What started as a drawing of an orange creature known as Wage has turned into a whole new world of Ugliness and fun.

After taking the first Wage Uglydoll along with him to his favorite hang-outs, David noticed that Wage was attracting a great deal of attention. Not wanting all of his new-found fame to go to Wage's head, David and Sun-Min created a group of friends for him to share the spotlight with.
Clarendon is begining to become a hub for a lot of young professionals. The unique shopping and dining village of Clarendon has actually become largely popular beyond the best Whole Foods / Fresh Fields grocery store in the Washington metro area. The dining now includes many major national and internation chains, including Cheesecake Factory, La Tasca (based in London, England the city where Lilian incidently went to school), Bertucci's, and Baja Fresh. Local chains include Harry's Tap Room (which is connected to Sam & Harry's steakhouse) and Hard Time's Cafe. And independents like the Vietnamese restaurants, Clare N Don's, Wilson Deli (Formerly Big Belly Deli), Hunan One, Mexicali Blues, Lazy Sundae, Faccia Luna, Boulevard Woodgrill, Whitlow's on Wilson, Iota, Galaxy Hut, Sobe Seafood, Moby Dick, and Java Shack.

Nightlife...Galaxy Hut, Iota, Whitlow's on Wilson, Boulevard Woodgrill, Faccia Luna, Mexicali Blues, Clarendon Ballroom, Clarendon Grill, Mister Days, Talulah's, Eleven (or the Eleventh Street Lounge), and more to come.

Condominiums... Clarendon 1021, Clarendon Station, The Hartford, Odyssey Condominiums (including the Platinum), 1800 Wilson, Zoso Condominiums, and many others awaiting approval or start dates.

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Ruehl 925 http://www.ruehl925.com 0000-00-00 Abercrombie, David In 1904, Abercrombie & Co. becomes Abercrombie & Fitch. Ezra fitch beleived that the future of the business lay in expansion and in bringing the outdoors to more of the general public. He wanted the store to have the feel of the outdoors; tents were pitched on the floor, as if in use, and a campfire was built in one corner where an experienced guide gave information to interested customers about the correct ways to bank a fire. The clerks were not professional salesmen; they were real outdoorsmen who were dedicated to educating their customers. They loved to talk, trade hunting stories, and give all sorts of advice on the best places to go hunting and fishing. In 1909, Ezra Fitch published the first 456-page catalog and mails the 50,000 copies all over the world. The catalogs were free to customers, but they cost the company about a dollar a piece to publish (a very large sum in 1909!) In 1910 Abercrombie & Fitch introduces sportswear for women. In 1913 Abercrombie & Fitch moves from the Reade Street address - which was not a convenient shopping location for women - to a more fashioanble midtown address, 55/57 West 36th Street, just off 5th Avenue. In 1917 Abercrombie & Fitch moves to Madison Ave. and 45th Street, where it occupies an entire twelve-story building, making A&F the largest and most impressive outdoor gear and sporting goods store in the world. The Madison Avenue store was a fantasyland for the lover of the great outdoors. The sign outside the store read, "Where the Blazed Trail Crosses the Boulevard," and that's exactly what it was like. Fitch had a log cabin built on the roof, which he sometimes used as a townhouse. Next to it he installed a casting pool, where serious fishermen could try out the store's largest collection of rods and flies. In the basement, an armored rifle range was set up for customers to test the store's vast collection of guns. The huge store also contained a golf school, a floor consisting entirely of setup camps, a picnic department, the famous seventh floor gun room (for many years, A&F had the finest gun department in the world), and a dog and cat kennel. In 1920, Abercrombie & Fitch was the first store to import the Chinese tile game Mahjong to the United States. The story goes: a woman entered the store wanting to find the game that she had played in China called "Mahjong." Fitch sent to China for the game and had the rules translated and printed in English. The game became a huge, instantaneous success, and Mahjong sets flew out the doors as fast as they came in. A&F sent emissaries to Chinese villages to buy every Mahjong set they could find and ended up selling ove 12,000 sets in all. In 1927, Abercrombie & Fitch outfitted Charles Lingbergh for his historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1978, Abercrombie & Fitch is bought by Oshmans Sporting Goods, which struggled to develop a strong identity. In 1988, Abercrombie & Fitch is purchased by The Limited, Inc. In 1996, Abercrombie & Fitch is spun off from the Limited. Fully divested in 1998. In 2001, Abercrombie & Fitch moves into a new 300 acre home office in New Albany, OH. Currently (as of 1/12/2005) there are 792 total stores across 4 brands: 363 Abercrombie & Fitch stores, 176 abercrombie stores, 249 Hollister stores, 4 Ruehl stores. 6301 Fitch Path usa
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2620 wilson boulevard
arlington, virginia 22201-3818