Black Maria opened a new store August 17, 2007

Under the Table, a new store specializing in unique art objects and unusual merchandise opened July 28.

“Under the Table, which is the only store of its kind on the Eastside, will feature a wide variety of artist-made merchandise, including jewelry and other personal accessories, postcards, wallets, card holders, passport covers, buttons, pins, t-shirts, limited-edition prints, and miniature paintings and other artworks,” said Zara Zeitountsian, proprietor of the new store and Black Maria Gallery next door. “All those who are left cold by the mass-production stuff found in the mall, will be thrilled to discover Under the Table.”

“Children, too, will find much to be delighted about here,” Zeitountsian said. The store will offer artist-made t-shirts, dolls, and extraordinary children’s books, many imported from Europe, such as pop-up volumes.

Under the Table will also carry hard-to-find products such as zines, art periodicals, vinyl collectible toys, unusual books and comics.

Another area of specialty will be the re-issues of vinyl records and CDs, chiefly from the catalogs of Dionysus Records and Sympathy for the Records Industry. Unavailable anywhere else, the albums feature the works of artists such as Shag, Mark Ryden, Coop, Andrew Brandou, Camille Rose Garcia, Winston Smith, Tom Neely, Lisa Petrucci, Tiki Tony, and Japan’s Rockin Jellybean.

Zeitountsian commented on the inspiration for launching Under the Table. “At Black Maria Gallery, our patrons are always asking to see uncommon artworks that we might be storing in ‘the back room’ – ‘under the table,’ so to speak. This is how we got the idea of offering special objects made by the artists we represent. But then we expanded that idea considerably, to include a whole slew of beautiful objects to enchant the discerning collector.”

Official Website: http://underthetablestore.com