After the flood, our Great Flood, we were awarded a small business loan thanks to FEMA.   Though we weren’t able to salvage the MANY barrels that floated down the Santa Ynez River to Buellton, Lompoc and beyond, we moved forward (or southward) to our new home in Carpinteria.  And to us IT WAS HUGE!  First, we scheduled a generous sale in order to relieve ourselves of inventory from the former business.  Let’s just say the merchandise didn’t exactly fit our style and vision – ours was upscale, authentic, and NO plastic.  Then we began to fill the aisles with fountains and pottery from the best California manufacturers (more about these great people later…).  Our gift shop became home to extravagantly elegant handmade birdhouses, small statuary, garden books and tools.  It began to look like Eye of the Day.

…and then…?

We had been to the Atlanta Gift Show, the San Francisco Gift Show and The Los Angeles Gift Show and soon found ourselves answering to the primal pull of Paris – talk about authentic!  En route we made a stop in Chicago where Brent was the target of a would-be pickpocketer (Brent chased him down and recovered his wallet).  And at last!  Up the stairs from the Metro and into the City of Light –Paris!  We settled in and started our education and search for all things Eye of the Day.

Many of the artisans we met on that first trip in 1999 are still with us: Terrecotte San Rocco with their excellent Galestro clay terracotta, French Anduze pots and beautiful hand painted tables and tableware from Provence.  We set our course and our precedent with this trip, we continue to pursue new items for Eye of the Day throughout Europe, but we also remain loyal to our longtime suppliers who have helped and supported us throughout difficult times and times of growth.

Here we are. Eye of the Day. A “garden design center” in the peaceful California coastal town of Carpinteria. At our store we have a VERY BIG selection of things that we want to talk to you about AND that are waiting to be placed in a garden.

We are going to show you our discoveries as we, yes, discover them and invite you into Eye of the Day through photographs. That is, until you visit in person.

There is always A LOT of activity at Eye of the Day. The container from Italy, loaded with terracotta pots of all sizes and shapes arrives at the Port of Los Angeles and high-tails it up to Carpinteria for us to unload, inspect and artistically place for our customers to see. A group from a Northern California Garden Club visits for a tour conducted by our leader Brent, and learns what container is best for which plant. One of our California manufactures of concrete fountains, birdbaths, statuary and benches arrives for an observational visit to see how we have displayed their merchandise. Lisa, our merchandising whiz, is deciding how best to show off the recently received old Greek jars in our well-endowed Greenhouse. And all in one day, too!

Through it all, we welcome our familiar customers and the new ones, wide-eyed with wonder at the beauty and abundance of our store. If you have yet to visit us, here is a taste. Check back with us often to find out what’s new or not new but still exciting at Eye of the Day.