Here’s an improvement in home improvement. Say you need a washer for the faucet, some penny nails for the porch, or solid hinges so the backdoor swings open when you’re welcoming friends and slams with gusto when you’re not.  You can pick up all that – and a beer – at the Cannon Beach Hardware and Public House.

Brian Faherty was working in real estate when he noticed that otherwise tastefully restored historic homes often fell short on lighting. That gave him a brilliant idea. 

Boys Fort beckons. Wandering through the pop-up shop is almost as much fun as sneaking into the “No Girls Allowed” forts of childhood. Boys Fort is chock full of the kinds of things that beg closer inspection. Like desk lamps made from vintage cage front mechanic’s lights. Or birch bark containers that look as if they were just peeled from the tree.

Grace Bonney was fresh-out-of-college in a ho-hum public relations job with dreams of a career writing for shelter magazines.  She couldn’t figure out how to get her foot in the door so launched a blog in 2005 called Design*Sponge.