About the Store

If you are an English major or an English teacher, you know that 'Rare Device' is from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan. (If you are a true bookworm, you know that Ray Bradbury took a stab at that phrase too.)

Rare Device is, simply, good stuff for you and your home. Rena Tom, the founder, is a former jewelry and graphic designer who loves design. She was so inspired by all of the fabulous, creative designers she met along the way, both in person and online, that she decided she had to share her discoveries, and she opened Rare Device in Brooklyn in October 2005. The webshop opened in December of that year and, combined with a lively and generally topical blog, has developed into its own microcosm of design.

The storefront is a place to promote designers, artists and artisans plus help them grow by taking on new projects and collaborations. Every object in the store has its own story, and has been chosen because it is either handmade, well-designed, useful, beautiful or all of the above. The aesthetic is modern and quirky while remaining warm and inviting - design that is accessible to all. Influences range from comic book art to entropy in nature, laser-etching to hand-lettering to nautical lore.

Building on the success of the Brooklyn store, Rena has partnered with artist Lisa Congdon to open a second Rare Device in San Francisco in October 2007. This larger location also accomodates an art gallery with monthly shows by local, national and international designers whose work meshes with the Rare Device aesthetic. Rare Device Brooklyn closed in May 2008 so that Rena and Lisa could focus on growing the flagship store in San Francisco.

About the Owners

Rena Tom has a background in both liberal arts and engineering, not being put to very good use these days. Previously, Rena was involved in the Internet world before deciding to be crafty for a living, though she seems to be online as much or more than before. She has a touch of synesthesia which informs the selections at the shop. She used to own and operate a '67 Mustang Fastback and a Kelsey letterpress but now takes after her father, stopping in her tracks to check out every vacant storefront in sight.

Lisa Congdon spent 17 years in the nonprofit sector before partnering with Rena at Rare Device in San Francisco. Lisa is a working artist who spends most her days off from Rare Device in her studio making pretty things to show and sell. Lisa is a self-proclaimed cat lady, scavenger and obsessive paper recycler. Known for her unique sense of style, she has never worn the same exact outfit twice in approximately 20 years.