Vertegres
Old and New; Near and Far…
Written by Melissa Brumer

This past summer downtown Kalamazoo was introduced to a unique and inspiring boutique. Since June, Christine Willson, the owner of this fabulous boutique called Vertegres, has experienced a warm and receptive reaction from local shoppers. People are brought in by curiosity, stay awhile in fascination, and return for the quality and affordability of the products at Vertegres. As the holiday season approaches, boutiques such as Vertegres cater to the innovative and original gift shopper.
Christine and her husband Josh Willson (of the locally family-owned “Willson Insurance Company”) met in Chicago where they both attended The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Christine received her MFA specializing in jewelry design, and the couple decided to move back to Kalamazoo where Josh joined his family business and helped Christine open Vertegres.
The shop is located in a building that had been empty since 1961. The renovation that has taken place is amazing. I was given a tour of the store and the upstairs where Christine and Josh live with their two cats, after I saw the “before” pictures. There has obviously been a large amount of time and care invested in the rehab of this 1869 building. Josh is a part of The Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission, and Christine had many photographs and lots of historical documentation about the building. It had been a grocery store for almost 25 years, a mortuary, and most recently the Tracy Beauty Academy. Now Kalamazoo can welcome Vertegres.
Vertegres offers a collection of purses, jewelry, soaps, fabrics, and many other arts and crafts with origins ranging from places like India, Vietnam, and South America to local artists right here in Kalamazoo. As I looked through the store, I could hardly focus on my task at hand (writing this article!) because I was so struck with the originality of items such as: purses made of silk with pieces of tile -- made from shells and horns -- sewn onto them; fabrics with such intricate designs you would need days with a magnifying glass to get bored; beautiful hand-painted silk scarves; hand-made cards; and of course the one-of-a-kind hand-made jewelry.
Almost all of the jewelry is made by Christine and another local artist, Tori Taylor. Semi-precious stones such as garnet, citrine, hematite, amber and jade are used with sterling silver and other materials to create some of the most original and beautiful pieces I’ve seen. Some of my favorites were necklaces that Christine referred to as her “cluster” pieces -- clusters of semi-precious stones in tasteful colors and sizes. Most necklaces had earrings to match as well. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that even I could afford to impress my sisters with these locally made pieces of artwork this holiday season!
Christine spends anywhere from an hour to an entire day creating a piece of jewelry. She enjoys working with different sizes and colors in an effort to create an overall cohesive balance in her jewelry. She refers to them as “mini-compositions” and will gladly make custom-ordered pieces. In fact, she just recently finished a custom order for a group of bridesmaids.
There is so much to choose from, so I asked what she would buy for herself and Christine knew right away: an amber-colored handmade necklace, or the sheep horn tile on silk purse.
Prices in Vertegres range anywhere from $1 to hundreds of dollars. If you go in with about $40, you will have many, many choices. Find it all (and have fun looking!) at this wonderful new boutique in downtown Kalamazoo.

VERTEGRES
244 E. MICHIGAN AVE.
KALAMAZOO, MI
(269)343-4438
CHRISTINE WILLSON, OWNER