Holiday Love from the Chicago Tribune

The Three Ways of Christmas! The Chicago Tribune ran a cool little gift guide in the Sunday Home section and featured the Maku Bench as one of their "Sky's the Limit" Gift Choices.

For the Full Story click here

Many thanks to Lisa and Dina @ Cattails in Chicago for the props and holiday stoke! Everybody in Chicago should go and buy their holiday flower arrangement from them!

Mission Playground Warehouse Sale

My good buddy Mark and his peeps @ Mission Playground are having a warehouse sale this weekend. If you are in So.Cal or SD County cruise on over and check their stuff out! Not only is the style rad but it's also good for ole mother nature!

Welcome Soho Living!

Welcome to the crew @ Soho Living in Florida! With 3 stores in the state we are really stoked to have Anand, Joe, and the rest of the staff preaching the power of Maku sustainable outdoor living!

A fresh shipment of Maku goods are on their way to Soho Living and if you live in Florida, have friends in Florida, are visiting in Florida, or just want to check out a really cool retailer that is taking an eco friendly stance by brining in products such as Maku, then go to their website for all details and contact info!

Now I can go see my buddy Rob, surf a good hurricane swell, stop in on the Soho Living crew and call it a business trip, sweet!!!

Singe Speed Cyclocross World Championships

As you may have read in an earlier post, our buddy Dennis @ Eclectic Home in Portland but a deal together for Maku to sponsor the Lounge area of the World Single Speed Cyclocross Championships.

What are the World Single Speed Cycloross Championships you ask? Well, mix a bunch of PBR which is one of my favorite beers by the way (my wife is gasping that I have actually admitted this in public forum... hahhaa!) a limitless supply of local Portland Micro Brew, 140 contestants, a tequila shortcut, a golden speedo, some muddy terrain, single speed bikes, and you have the making for a great contest!!

By the looks of it, I'm going have to start training for next years race and get in on the fun!!

Click here for a great recap of the races from Bicyclenorthwest.com and here for a full list of the winners from cycling news.

Congratulations to the winners!

Wendy Williams


Barry Wicks


All the crew celebrating a great day of single speed in the NW!


And of course no contest is complete with out a Kiss Fan!


All photos courtesy of Carson Blume. Here is a direct link to all the killer shots!

Do something good for yourself and the environment this holiday season!

Check it out, our good friends at 1% for the Planet are having an online auction featuring all kinds of cool stuff from a Maku Limited Edition Lounge Chair to Surfing with Eco Warrior and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and a bitchen bike from one of my favorite breweries New Belgium and the home of Fat Tire!

You can take a look and bid on all the items here

Make somebody's xmas that more special by taking a vested interest in our environment!!!

Eclectic Home - Portland

In any retail sector, there are going to be slow times because of the economy or maybe because it was a bad snow year (hearkening back to a few of Johnny's former employers). The smart retailers will always survive though and Maku likes to think we work with only smart retailers.

Have you ever heard of Eclectic Home (www.eclectichome.com) in Portland?


Dennis, EC's owner, is one of those guys that gets it. He doesn't just put an ad in the Portland Oregonian and hope people come buy furniture. Dennis thinks differently, he wants people to associate his offerings and store with a lifestyle and passion. Maybe you don't surf like Johnny does, but it doesn't mean you lack passion for life.

Dennis has done a lot lately to help his store and promote the Maku brand. Last month he setup the eco-lounge @ Portland Fashion Week (www.greenlivingonline.com/HomeGarden/lounging-in-style-at-portland-fashion-week).

This month he sponsored a single-speed bike event (http://eclectichome.blogspot.com/2007/11/single-speed-lounge.html), in addition to his new Web site.

Know what's even better? He's blogging about it all right here .

Just a couple extra hours a month in time (not everyone has to hire the over-paid BBPR (www.bbpublicrelations.com) like Maku does ;-) and Dennis is transforming Eclectic Home from a store to a community.

Even if you're not looking for home furnishings right now, just pop into Eclectic Home while you're cruising Portland. Dennis is a super friendly guy and his team there will make you feel at home. You won't need to purchase anything to feel good when you leave (although you may come back later to do just that).

W.R.O.N.G. - World Riders of the Next Generation!

First off a Big Thanks to all the Veterans out there that have so bravely defended our freedom and the democratic process!

Not that this has much to do with furniture, but a nice sunny fall day in Maku'ville and the groms having the day off from school for Veterans day made for a great skate session on the ramp here at Maku HQ. Check out their t-shirts - W.R.O.N.G. - World Riders of the Next Generation!

Fun was had by all and these guys were killing it!

Lavish Lifestyles

Cynika Drake and Fox NFL Weather Girl Jillian Barberie hosted the debut of Cynika's new venture Lavish Lifestyles at the Jim Henson studios in L.A. earlier this week. While there were no drive by muppeting's taking place I did get an inside look at the cool world of muppet creator Jim Henson!

Lavish Lifestyles is a personalized concierge service that can pull off pretty much anything if you got the doh re mi ($$$). The VIP Invite Only party was attended by some of Hollywood's tops and of course Maku was there to furnish the event! Check out all the of the pics.

The Hosts


The Crowd


Who is the guy on the left...


The Furniture looked great!

Seattle Chic & Maku

Hello again from Maku PR. The fires have calmed down , but our hearts go out to those that lost their loved ones or homes.

A big trend in media is localism. Not the kind of localism you see in surfing, more the support of local brands by locally based media.

While Maku isn't based in Seattle, we are sold at the very cool Velocity Art & Design.

Why am I bringing this up? It's because Kate, who writes the Seattle Chic blog wrote about Maku today. Thanks Kate!

While I don't know if Kate surfs or not, she digs our affiliation with One Percent for the Planet , which means all of us at Maku dig Kate.

More news to come from Team Maku, thanks for all your support!

Green Living online

check out the love from Green Living Online and all the coverage of the Portland Fashion Week!
http://www.greenlivingonline.com/HomeGarden/lounging-in-style-at-portland-fashion-week/

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful...

What a day here in Carlsbad. Our little piece of paradise is amidst the worst wildfires we have ever seen... Yet at the same time the combination of 2 solid swells and the Santana Winds (more commonly referred to as Santa Ana winds) blowing off shore are making the waves the best we have had in years! Mother Nature sure is a fickle and torturous entity...

Not a lot of work getting done at Maku HQ today as we are currently under a voluntary evacuation and packing up valuables, etc. right now just in case the fires continue to move west towards the beach... My thoughts are with those that have lost their homes today and many thanks to the brave firefighters out there trying to control the beast...

Here are a few pics from today:

The Good -
My local Spot Going Off, Had a great 2 hour session this morning with only 8 guys out!




The Bad:
Early Morning Smoke moving in from the east


Looking East from the Beach


Looking South Down the PCH Mid Morning....


The Beautiful:
The Smoke made for some great lighting

Maku / Eclectic Home and Portland Fashion Week!

Sorry for the lack of updates, been swamped! Check out our latest press release below. Stoked to support the independent designers of Portland Fashion Week along with Dennis and the crew at Eclectic Home.

MAKU FURNISHINGS AND PORTLAND RETAILER ECLECTIC HOME
TO OUTFIT PORTLAND FASHION WEEK’S ECO-LOUNGE

Innovative Maku Furnishings and Eclectic Home Combine Efforts to Support Like-Minded Fashion and Design Enthusiasts During Portland Fashion Week

PORTLAND (October 17, 2007) -- Eclectic Home, Portland’s leading retailer of environmentally sensitive home resources, together with Maku Furnishings, are pleased to be the lead sponsors of Portland Fashion Week’s Sustainable Lounge. The lounge will provide an area for Portland Fashion Week’s sustainable-design enthusiasts to relax and also to showcase that modern design can co-exist with sustainable products within the home.

Taking place October 19-22, Portland Fashion Week brings renewable and independent products into the mainstream. The show’s commitment to the environment is all encompassing. Besides showcasing clothing from environmentally conscious designers and Maku’s most recent furniture offerings, eco-friendly styling products will be used on the models and earth-friendly materials have been incorporated into the production of the show’s runway.

“In Portland, being green isn’t a trend, it’s a lifestyle. With the eco-lounge we’re showing Fashion Week attendees that green living can be brought into the home without compromising style or quality,” said Dennis Rose, owner of Eclectic Home. “Anyone who has ever seen Maku knows that modern design and sustainable products can go hand in hand, without compromising comfort or quality.”

Eclectic Home’s participation in Portland Fashion Week is the continuation of a greater trend in specialty retail, where independent entities succeed in the face of larger big-box retailers through innovative thinking and a commitment to the community.

“When Dennis approached us about participating in Fashion Week, it reaffirmed that Eclectic Home was the right retail partner for Maku in Portland. Out of the box thinking, a commitment to the community and a friendly environmental stance are the new prerequisites for surviving in the specialty retail marketplace,” commented Johnny West, co-founder of Maku Furniture. “While some complain the big chains are killing their business, Eclectic Home is succeeding by giving Portland a reason to shop in there. Eclectic Home is more than a retailer, it’s an incubator of ideas and sustainable design in the community.”

Portland Fashion Week will be held at the Cascade Shipyard, 5555 Channel Drive on Swan Island in Portland. More information on Portland Fashion Week can be found online by visiting www.portlandfashionweek.net.

About Eclectic Home
Located at 2259 NW Raleigh Street, Portland’s Eclectic Home offers unique products from around the world to enhance your lifestyle. More than just a furniture store, we strive to create environments which promote good health and energy while being sensitive to the resources used to make those products. Many of our products are made from either reclaimed materials, sustainable resources such as bamboo or woods from managed forests. More information can be found online at www.eclectichome.com or by calling 503.224.0551.


About Maku Furnishings
Maku Furnishings (www.makufurniture.com) is the first home furnishings line designed to encompass the global consortium of action sports athletes, design enthusiasts and passionate lifestyle participants. Founded by action sports veteran Johnny West and business partner J. Michael Johnson, the Maku collection consists of authentic and contemporary furnishings that are relevant to today’s lifestyle consumers.

For additional information on the Maku product line, visit www.makufurniture.com

To schedule a time to speak with Dennis Rose, owner of Eclectic Home or receive images of Maku’s sustainable furniture elements, please contact:

Bill Byrne
BBPR
858-652-0153
bill@bbpublicrelations.com

The North Pacific Finally Awakes

After Taking the summer off and letting the South Pacific Generate a few meager swells, the North Pacific is finally waking up and our first NW Swell of the Winter season is on the way! Which also means it's snowing in the Pacific NW and Shredding (snowboarding) season is just around the corner!

Check it -

Californication

Nope, not the song by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, it the new series on Showtime featuring David Duchovny a.k.a Agent Mulder from the X-Files plays Hank Moody a famed novelist with a bit of writers block who is struggling to get his career back on track, raise his teenage daughter, has the hots for his ex who is now engaged, all the while dealing with his own vices of Women, Drink, and drugs.

Sounds pretty rad and makes me wish I had Showtime. Especially so I could see all of the Maku furniture out on the deck of his pad in the episode that aired 2 weeks ago! Stoked!!!

Here is a podcast interview with David Duchovny. If anybody happens to have a dvr that you can burn this episode to a disc and send it to me let us know!

New Board Stoke!

Just picked up a new board from Cole. 6'6" x 19 1/4 x 2 1/2 rounded pin with future fins. Stoked and can't wait for that first solid overhead NW to roll in. Good riddance to summer of 2007 - crowds, no waves, and more crowds...



Here's the quiver -
L to R - 6'1" Bat tail Quad, 6'4" round tail X's 2, 6'6" Rounded Pin, 6'10" C.I. K-Step Up for the big days!