The Ballet Shop

Monday, November 30th, 2009 | All Posts by Valerie Megas

When SF Ballet is in season, The Ballet Shop occupies a narrow mezzanine on the south side of the Opera House. When the Company vacates the theatre in the late spring, so does the Shop. But packing up everything – including tables, lighting fixtures, computers and supplies – and moving it to the warehouse is only the beginning of the Shop’s off-season work. All summer long and into the fall, I’ve been working at the warehouse, aided by a few part-time employees and a crew of amazing volunteers. For months, we’ve been preparing merchandise for the upcoming Nutcracker and Repertory seasons.

The Ballet owns a big warehouse in the southern part of San Francisco, and here we store all of the sets and costumes from the archive of productions. The Shop also has space in this building, and our volunteers wind through a maze of tutus and bins of backdrops to work in a large open corner next to props, like the giant eggs from Nutcracker’s Russian divertissement. It can get cold in this windowless space, and we might look a bit silly wrapped in jackets and scarves on a warm, sunny day, but the space becomes cheery when filled with both staff and volunteers, who have fun listening to the radio, or just chatting as we price merchandise and check that the quality of the products is up to our standards.

I literally could not do my job without our dedicated volunteers. Some have been working with the Shop for years, others are new to the organization, but all of them are hard-working and dependable. I am so appreciative of all the hard work these volunteers put in; the Shop would not survive without them.

Last year we finally managed to secure a custom-made nutcracker, following Martin Pakledinaz’s beautiful costume design and with his stamp of approval. This nutcracker was a big success, with his silver epaulets and signature flaming red hair. This year, we’re presenting his nemesis, the Mouse King! With his purple jacket, spiky teeth and gold crown, this new custom-made nutcracker is spectacular, and sure to be a huge hit with our patrons.

In addition to nutcrackers and tree ornaments, we’ve also begun processing merchandise for the upcoming repertory season. Every year I attend The International Gift Show in New York. This year, there were new vendors on display with really cute, good-quality kids’ items. I also found some newly released ballet books, both for children and adults. After New York, I always travel to Paris to buy jewelry and other assorted items for the Shop. On my latest trip, I found some amazing costume jewelry in the showrooms of Paris and also attended Bijohrca – the bi-annual international jewelry show at the Port de Versailles in Paris. This show always has a wonderful selection of designers and this year was no exception: I found some very cool jewelry, including lots of handmade pieces from Italy, Israel, Netherlands, and Paris itself. After hitting the show and showrooms, I left Paris and ventured into the French countryside to meet with independent jewelry designers, where I found more unique, handmade pieces from these local artists. I am always impressed at how well the French combine whimsy, art and of course their exquisite sense of style to create such beautiful and unique jewelry.

This season promises to be a great one and I hope you’ll visit The Ballet Shop on the south mezzanine next time you come to a performance! As part of San Francisco Ballet, all Shop proceeds directly benefit the Association’s annual operating fund.

The Ballet Shop is open to the public and a Shop pass is available at the box office.

Tags: Ballet Shop, Nutcracker

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