Florida's must-stop shop

Lose yourself in this playful store on Fort Lauderdale's quaint Las Olas Boulevard.

With a few minutes to spare, you duck in Seldom Seen Gallery. Next thing you know, you've missed your dinner reservations, and your meter has expired. Time seems to get lost in this shop.

Loaded with a variety of mementos from a $1 pocket angel to a $9,500 hand-painted buffet, this Fort Lauderdale institution breaks the normal gallery rules and isn't one smidgen stuffy. Owners Don and Charlotte Gorenberg wanted a carefree and playful atmosphere, and that's exactly what they've created.

"Retail is entertainment," says Don. "It's showtime in here every day." And like good theater, a lot goes on all at once.

At first glimpse, Seldom Seen overwhelms. Shiny items dangle from the ceiling, large pieces of furniture sit scattered about, and fragile whatnots perch on shelves. The large countertop area in the bull's-eye of the store offers a wide selection of jewelry. The rest of the building feels somewhat mazelike with designated areas grouping hand-- painted furniture, garden decorations, barware, cards, journal notebooks, and wooden animals. Paintings, sculptures, and clocks hang a bit higher up-they say for better views of the products, but height also lends safety.

Charlotte and Don opened Seldom Seen in 1989 after years of wanting to start a retail store. A three-part philosophy drives their success. "Do whatever it takes to make the customer happy" leads their list. "Offer merchandise that doesn't need a product demonstration" claims the number two spot. Lastly, "We don't encourage people to buy an item because it's an investment," Charlotte says. "We say, 'Buy it because it makes you happy and because it's fun.'

"Before opening, we decided oneof-a-kind doesn't really apply here, but 'seldom seen' really does," she continues. Sure, the store sells cards and magnets that, although they will make you laugh out loud, can be found at common greeting card shops. Some picture frames may retail at a boutique down the road too. Yet how often do you see a parchment bowl (that looks like a colored taco salad shell) made from beets or cabbage? Or a lamp with sandled feet as the base?

"We've had customers say that they have seen a lot of the things we sell," says Charlotte, "but not under one roof." And with 6,500 square feet of space, that's one heck of a roof for an equally impressive gallery.

JENNIFER L. MCKENZIE

Seldom Seen Gallery: 817 East Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301; (954) 764-5590, 1-800-872-9884, or www.seldomseengallery.com. Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Hours are often extended to 11:30 p.m.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Mar 2003
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