Shop for a cause
Mod Livin’, the retro-modern beacon on East Colfax, began as a hodgepodge of secondhand furniture vendors. But the store has evolved since opening in 2001 into a design-snob destination and regional collectors outpost, stocking iconic furnishings and progressive lighting, bedding, artwork and housewares by celebrated architects and graphic designers.
Now the store is turning its attention to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, a charity championed by The Gap and U2 frontman Bono. Room caught up to co-owner Jill Warner to find out more.
Q: Why this cause, and why now?
A: The last fundraiser we did was for the Downtown Animal Care Foundation. We were able to generate so much money for the shelter, and it felt really good. So then I started looking at something we could do as a furniture store, and I thought: Why not do the same thing with furniture that The Gap does with Product(RED) T-shirts?
Q: How will it work?
A: From tomorrow until April 26, 2008, for every red product that we sell, 10 percent of the proceeds will go to the Global Fund.
Q: What’s the link in your mind between shopping and philanthropy?
A: It clicks for me because it’s so easy. It just feels good to buy something and know that part of the proceeds are going to charity.
Q: How much red can people realistically use in their homes?
A: It’s not necessarily that you have to have a red sofa; you can buy a red Alessi can opener.
Q: Mod Livin’ has come a long way since that first year of business – when people stopped shopping after 9/11 and a drunk driver smashed through the front window.
A: We started out on kind of a whim. (Husband Erick Roorda and I) wanted to open a store, and we really liked mid-century furniture, so we just did it. Our house was strictly vintage then, but we started buying a few new things and thought ‘OK, we better change the store.’ Then we started the website, and that was huge.
As we grow and mature a little bit, so does the store. People have stood by us for six years, even when coming down here to Colfax was a little scary. We’ve been really fortunate, so this next year is dedicated to giving back.
Mod Livin’ is at 5327 E. Colfax Ave. The store will launches its Mid-Centuri(RED) campaign to raise $100,000 by April 2008 for AIDS care and research with a party and silent auction from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. $10 suggested donation at the door. RSVP: 212-353-1383 or rsvp12@bdeonline.biz. Details at .
