ARTIFAKTORI 

       

Sophie Grossman - Somerville Journal

All kinds of treasures in all price ranges appear every day, making for an intriguing mix of objects — from genuine mod watchbands, kitschy chip and dip bowls, mah jongg sets, troll wrapping paper, lamps of all shapes and sizes, and other housewares and ephemera from the past century.

We’ve got it made

By CHRISTINE LIU - Weekly Dig 7/30/08

After inviting me to perch on either an elaborate, yellow velvet couch or a diminutive vanity stool, vintage boutique Artifaktori’s Amy Berkowitz explains that the store “brings art, antiques, things I like, all together.” Nearly four months since its opening, the Somerville spot fuses vintage clothing, artwork, furniture and jewelry, with pieces—from feathered “fascinators” hairpieces to a dolls-gone-wrong “Baby Face Nelson throw pillow”—by local artists, including Berkowitz herself. After recently graduating from MassArt’s ceramics program, Berkowitz began the steps to open Artifaktori. Rather than going the way of a professional artist, “getting famous or selling in galleries,” she preferred “using her hands creatively.” A significant takeaway from the program was “not being scared anymore to pursue the ideas I had before.” Additional encouragement stemmed from many friends commenting on how creatively her house was decorated. “I’ve always had a thing for funky stuff,” she explains, with a tongue-in-cheek confession, “I might have a shopping problem, too.” The modestly sized shop is, admittedly, a dense trove. Although the “saturation of the store,” as Berkowitz puts it, might be intimidating to some, it’s an organic kind of madness that can be more than enthralling to the curious. Weathered trunks and suitcases splay open to stacks of old books (Tartuffe meetsBackpack Fishing); apothecary vials share étagère space with old magazines and glittery baubles; leather watch fobs and bright, behemoth pulse telephones turn up in unexpected corners. The brilliant finds are sourced from all over, from estate sales to individual consigners to wholesale vintage warehouses. “I got connections,” says Berkowitz assuredly. After rifling through a rack of tops sewn together from vintage bedsheets (Pac-Man! TMNT! Smurfs!) by Stephanie Leonhardt, Berkowitz points out more art near the front of the store, casually remarking that a guy’s “waiting for his pension” to purchase a striking “puppet person” sculpture by artist Eileen Gagarin. “Some people get it, some people don’t,” she says, gesturing to the mishmash of objects, art and styles sharing close elbow space. “It’s not for everyone.” Hence the upside—more for us.   [22a College Ave., Davis Sq., Somerville. 617.776.3708. 

Artifaktori less factory, more vintage museum

Mon Jul 28, 2008, 12:31 PM EDT

Best of the New: Shopping - Boston Globe Sunday Magazine 1/25/09

• Next
• Previous

Artifaktori

Vampy vintage high heels sit next to kitschy ceramic figurines, scarves knitted by local artists, and other antique and one-of-a-kind items in this charming, crowded Davis Square shop. Owner and recent Mass-Art grad Amy Berkowitz, who opened Artifaktori last spring, says customers have told her they love the “crazy stuff packed into this tiny space.”

22A College Avenue, Somerville, 617-776-3708,artifaktori.com

(Courtesy photo)

Turn heads by wearing fascinators

• Next
• Previous
GLOBE STORY Plume crazy

Jewels and feathers, $25. Iridescent green feathers with sparkly ornamental gem and varied vintage bauble dangles. Ondiwear, available at Artifaktori, Somerville. 617-776-3708. artifaktori.com.

(Michele McDonald/Globe Staff)