[area] shows retro can last

A furniture store with a bracketed name leads the vintage vanguard

STORY SUMMARY »

March is the six-month mark for [area] -- the retro furniture store opened by Mark Pei and Travis Flazer -- and the owners have been caught by surprise by the realization. "Has it really been six months?" wondered Flazer aloud, ticking the months away on his fingertips.

Yes, it has.

The two friends called their store [area] -- with brackets to set the name apart -- and opened it in a 100-year-old building in Chinatown, the heart of the arts and culture district. Their specialty is mid 20th-century furniture and accessories that they refurbish themselves.

Both still hold down regular jobs -- Pei as a pilot for Aloha Airlines and Flazer as assistant technical director of theater for Punahou School.

"Well, Mark does have a lot of free time," offered Flazer cheerfully.

The duo did a test run at the Hawaii All-Collectors show last March before committing to opening the store, and results were positive; the consensus of customers was that they should open a showroom. The goods then were representative of the stock today: simple pieces with long histories but good bones. Customers at the show snatched up every item.

"We just wanted to sell everything at the show so we wouldn't have to move it all back to the warehouse," said Flazer.

But loyal customers got their wish: Pei and Flazer opened their 530-square-foot business in October. The two scour garage sales, thrift stores and swap meets both here and on the mainland. Their reputation for their hip operation and urbane aesthetic has spread mostly by word of mouth.

"We just started it for fun and for a love of the stuff," said Pei. "We both appreciate it. ... We don't have business degrees or a background in business, and maybe that's a good thing because we wouldn't have known what we were getting into."

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Meeting through mutual friends years ago, Mark Pei and Travis Flazer discovered that in addition to a shared sense of humor, they also shared a passion for design and collecting vintage furniture from the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s. Though both hold down steady jobs, they decided to give the furniture business a go in their spare free time.

They opened their furniture business -- called [area] -- over the summer, at first selling furniture out of a warehouse, with transactions handled through their Web site. "But people want to see examples of the furniture they were looking at on online," conceded Pei.

Last fall, the Oahu-raised guys found a home for the store on Nuuanu Avenue, above Indigo and the Louis Pohl Gallery. The warehouse continues to store seconds and thirds of items on display.

Customers come to [area] seeking out pieces from a previous era, when standard pieces were not only functional, but well crafted. Indicative of the time period are surprisingly comfortable metal patio chairs by Russel Woodward and the occasional collector's piece from Eames, which Pei and Flazer cite as a favorite from that period. The inventory changes on a regular basis, with items such as airline bags, brightly colored dial phones, dressers and sofas hauled away routinely.

Not a single piece of bamboo or koa can be found on the free-floating, white shelves at [area]. "It's the complete opposite," said Pei, who is proud to offer an alternative to island-contemporary arrangements.

The two also plan to branch out with clothing, and, yes, the vintage theme will carry over to authentic clothing of the '60s and '70s. "Modern artifacts," said Pei.

AN INITIAL party brought in droves of people, "wall to wall people," said Pei, who wonders now whether the offer of free grub and alcohol sweetened the deal on opening night.

But customer count hasn't lessened over time, even though the store is open only during Chinatown's monthly First Friday celebration and by appointment. Conflicting schedules lead to limited hours, said Flazer. (Note to those who like what they see in these photos: First Friday is tonight.)

Pei said their clientele falls into two categories: Those willing to hand over the green are architects and designers with a taste for clean looks, and young professionals for whom old is new. East Coast transplants often take a second look, said Pei, perhaps being of a generation that grew up with nearly identical items in their homes or at their grandparents'.

There's a 50-50 split between stock purchased on the mainland and what's found locally, said Pei. Danish woodsy pieces reflect Flazer's tastes, while Pei's can be found in the sculptural pieces that line the room and rest upon the store's plush green shag rug.

BOTH PEI'S and Flazer's primary jobs influence their roles in the store -- Pei scouts for furniture on layovers in California, while Flazer, who has built stage sets since his high school days at Kamehameha Schools, brings his knowledge of restoration and refurbishing to the business. Before they set up shop at [area], Flazer would repair and refinish their finds in his grandmother's garage, giving each item the full restoration.

Now only special pieces get their attention.

"We used to do a lot of work on the furniture at first," said Flazer, "but we don't have the time anymore."

Pei is proud that distinct conversational pieces from the past are now holding court in people's homes; he himself has mixed in hand-selected furniture from the same era at his Makiki condo, alongside treasured pieces handed down from his grandfather and other family members. "Buying vintage pieces speaks of who you are and where you came from."

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