This Saturday, Abacus Row is kicking off "Wishes for the New Year," a pop-up conceived around traditions and rituals of ushering good fortune into the new year. For the six days leading up to the Lunar New Year, the doors to our San Francisco-based creative studio, Baana, will be open. Regardless of whether you celebrate the holiday, we invite you to come in. We've strived to create an informative (translated) experience by offering a selection of goods with symbolic meaning to bring home and to gift. Pick up florals like quince blossoms that represent prosperity, enjoy treats like candied lotus seeds that represent "a full wallet," and join us for a round of bau cua ca cop (a popular Vietnamese game played during the new year). 

We've created a limited selection of AR jewelry for the spring festival that you can at the pop-up shop (stay tuned for the launch of these pieces on Tuesday, February 13). We'll have these pieces worked into the pop-up if you drop by and our full collections will be available upon request. Drop in and let us know if there's something you're looking for in particular. We know there's another popular holiday happening this week ;)

Sat, Feb 10 / 10am-6pm
Sun, Feb 11 / 10am-2pm
Mon, Feb 12 / 11am-7pm
Tues, Feb 13 / 11am-7pm
Wed, Feb 14 / 11am-7pm
Thurs, Feb 15 / 11am-7pm

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here. I have much to be grateful for, both professionally and personally. This year, we celebrated the opening of our creative studio, Baana - a space for Abacus Row to grow and a gathering place to build connections and community. This year, my husband and I also celebrated our first wedding anniversary (though only after a long day at NYNOW). 

This year has been full of hard work and long days. It's a choice and I feel fortunate to be in a position where I get to make the decisions on how I spend my time and what I'm working towards. While the holiday season is ramping up, I'm trying to make time for friends and family. To take it in without the weight of a never-ending to do list in front of me. 

For small businesses in the retail industry, the holidays are an especially challenging time to find balance. Encouraging people to stop and take a deep breath is what makes me particularly excited about the #optoutside movement. A new tradition that encourages people to slow down and spend time in nature rather than rushing around in crowded stores.

Every year, we travel up to Washington to spend time with family. Following a big day with family, we plan to spend our Friday walking the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful estuary at the base of the Puget Sound. This is where fresh water from the Nisqually River meets the salty tides of the Puget Sound. It's a place where changing management practices are restoring the naturalness of the place and improving the health of the Puget Sound. There aren't endless trails here, but we'll take it slow. It's one of my favorite places in the world.

I suspect I'm not alone in needing a day to get outside and recharge, so with that in mind I'm sharing a list of recommended outdoor walks or hikes around Northern California. We've asked a few of our outdoor-loving friends to share their favorite hikes and they provided a range of options, from easy-to-access spots in San Francisco to a dog-friendly trail with ocean views in Half Moon Bay to a mountainous trail in Tahoe. Take your pick.  

Northern California
a few outdoor recommendations from our friends 

Genevieve: Tomales Point Trail (Inverness)

Genevieve Bandrowski
Co-owner of WEND Studio & proprietor of LeMay Shop

This trail has been a long time favorite of mine. The drive from Point Reyes Station is in and of itself fantastic, but the stretch out to what my family dubbed the "Elk Trail" is breathtaking. Picture rolling green hills spotted with cows and an ocean that goes on for eternity. The start of the hike is alongside a historic farm with a whitewashed barn that is almost too picturesque to be real. But best of all, if you're lucky ( you most likely will be) you will be rewarded with a heard of wild Elk that are the cherry on top of a truly fantastic hike. On your way home stop back in Point Reyes Station and pick up a bottle of wine and some cheese from Cowgirl Creamery to wind down your evening with.  

Mary: Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail (Half Moon Bay)

Mary Livadas
Founder of Nellie Victoria 

My husband and I love hiking the Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail with our pop, Penny. Unparalleled ocean views, low impact workout, lots of open space. Best part - you can reward your post-hike self with a glass of wine and fried artichoke hearts by the fire at dog-friendly Moss Beach Distillery. 

Rae: Tahoe Rim Trail (Tahoe)

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
Conservation Biologist at the American Museum of Natural History

I'm hard pressed to name a second-favorite hike. My absolute favorite, everyone-should-do hike is the Tahoe Rim Trail. It's amazing. And not just for people who are tracking bears ;) The most beautiful views you've ever seen - google them and you'll be in awe.  

Jen: Andy Goldsworthy's 'Woodline', adjacent to Lovers' Lane (San Francisco)

Jen Szeto
Blogger, Window of Imagination 

Created by the iconic artist Andy Goldsworthy, it's a natural feat of wonder made entirely of fallen Eucalyptus trees that zig zag through the Presidio forest. In the late Fall and Winter, the fog hangs low and the calmness of the earth brings true peacefulness to the soul.  

Maggie: National Cemetery Overlook (San Francisco)

Maggie Spicer
Founder of Whisk & co-founder of Baana

This walk is easily accessible and is located in the middle of the Presidio forest in San Francisco. Beautiful views of the cemetery and its rolling hills with the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, and the San Francisco Bay in the distance.

Devon: Matt Davis-Steep Ravine Loop (Stinson Beach)

Devon Turner
Christine's husband and Baana Handyman

This moderate loop hike starts and ends in Stinson Beach, just north of SF in Marin County. Do the hike clockwise to minimize contact with other people and get the steepest part of the hike out of the way first. You'll climb up the side of Mount Tam to beautiful views along the coast, and then back down through the Redwoods into a steep valley that leads back to Stinson. Take a blanket and a bottle of wine in case the weather allows for a post-hike sunset on the beach.

It's been a busy season here at Abacus Row while I've been working concurrently on three separate bodies of work. Finally today, I have the pleasure of introducing the Observations Collection. This body of work is very exciting for me to release, by comparison, these designs are far more structured than the rest of the Abacus Row line. Observations necklaces and bracelets were created through a process of experimentation that felt both divergent and pleasing in their contrast to the romanticism that is present in many Abacus Row collections. Each of the 8 designs features forms that hold their shape and yet feel almost liquid in nature while gracefully draping across the body.

Pieces work with simple lines and shapes created in circular form to develop a structured yet delicate aesthetic. Collectively, I see the pieces as having a planetary feel due to the celestial and iridescent colors featured as well as the orbital gold spheres which delicately glide along bead work. To give an ode to this inspiration each of the designs is named after an observatory, hence the collection name, Observations. The materials used in the collection are high-quality Japanese glass beads and 14k gold-filled beads.

In honor of Earth Day, 50% of all online sales this weekend will be donated to National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), two environmental organizations focused on protecting public interests.

We made a conscious decision to select two organizations operating at different scales because environmental issues, especially environmental justice,  depend on efforts both at the national level as well at the local level that directly engages with communities.  We selected NRDC and APEN for their strong visions, reputations, and records in driving positive change through their work. NRDC takes a science-based approach to working on a range of issues, including climate & clean air and land & wildlife, at regional, national and international scale to" safeguard the earth - its people, its plant and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends". APEN is an Oakland-based not-for-profit organization whose organizing, civic engagement and policy work strive for environmental justice for local Asian and Pacific Islander communities. To learn more about these organizations, please visit their sites, NRDC and APEN. 

International Women's Day deserves our attention. It is an important day worldwide to celebrate the accomplishments of women and a day to acknowledge that there is a gender problem. It calls upon us to challenge conscious and unconscious bias, to value men's and women's contributions equally, and to find resolve in creating a more inclusive, gender-equal world. 

Today, I'm taking a moment to highlight a few talented women in the Bay Area that I am grateful to know. Please take the opportunity to learn about these women, their work, and support them in achieving their ambitions. In the year ahead, we'll continue to celebrate the women who inspire us to do better. 

VALERIE LUU AND KATIE KWAN,  RICE PAPER SCISSORS 

Meet Valerie Luu and Katie Kwan, the duo behind Rice Paper Scissors, a Vietnamese pop-up restaurant. They are a couple of my favorite people in San Francisco. Smart and multi-talented, full of energy and personality. After six years of operating as a pop-up, they will be opening a restaurant of their own! I am thrilled for them and excited to support this next chapter of their business and I hope you will too! Keep up with these two on Instagram @ricepapersf and please check out their Kickstarter and consider supporting the build out of their restaurant. Seeing these women secure a space in San Francisco has me feeling optimistic about the future of this city that is increasingly defined by a male-dominated tech workforce. 

NATASHA WONG, SELDOM SEEN

Meet Natasha Wong, Co-Founder of Seldom Seen, a boutique located in San Francisco's Hayes Valley curating a modern and urban style. Tash is a San Francisco native with an entrepreneurial spirit and is passionate about cultivating community and connections. She is smart, focused and full of determination. What is more, she is genuinely kind and supportive. It's been exciting to watch Tash and her business partner, Daniel, build their business. Follow along on their journey on Instagram @seldomseen and take part in their Phenomenal Woman campaign next weekend, March 18 + 19.  The campaign celebrates the achievements of women and a new generation of activists, but in particular, directs attention to intersectional feminism and how overlapping identities, such as race and ethnicity, impact varying experiences of discrimination.  

I am excited to share our latest work - a limited release from ARCN, our collaboration with Christy Natsumi. One year following our debut collection, we have produced a short run of new designs just in time for the holidays and available to shop at WITHIN, our holiday curated pop-up in San Francisco.  

I started collaborating with Christine Comstock, of jewelry line Christy Natsumi, in Spring 2015. When we first met to discuss and experiment with ideas, neither of us projected working together for an extended period of time, considering we each had growing businesses of our own to manage. In fact, Christy figured we would work on one design and that we'd make just a handful of pieces together. But shortly into our process, we saw the beginnings of an entire collection come together; and six months after that first meeting we had made a couple hundred pieces of jewelry for the release of ARCN. More than a year later, we're still carrying on our partnership. We are proud of our work together and we are so grateful for the positive response to our first sold-out collaboration that we have created a new collection of work, though this time in very very limited quantity, to share this holiday season.

SAVE THE DATE //

Join us this year at West Coast Craft to kick off the holiday season. This is one of our favorite shows of the year because it showcases many of our favorite artists and designers, and continues to introduce us to new talent that we're thrilled to be alongside. Mark your calendars for November 12 + 13 for a weekend of west coast inspired shopping. 

You can find Abacus Row at booth H28 - that's the far right aisle towards the back of the Festival Pavilion! We've got a corner booth so hopefully we won't be too hard to find. We'll be there both days from 10am-6pm!

To check out the line up head on over to the West Coast Craft site here.