There was a chalk drawing of a robot on the ground. No explanation. Just an arrow.
So, of course, we followed it – and the next one and the next one – down the steps behind Pike Place Market in Seattle.
We tried to guess where they were leading. A street art project? A robot maker? Nowhere? The den of our new robot overlords?
One lead us to turn the corner, and then, “Is that it? Is it a baby store?!!”
Nope. A larger robot drawing pointed inside a store with a chalkboard sign that answered my question: “{Ugly Baby & La Ru} Handmade local art for grown-ups and practically nothing for actual babies.”
It was a gift shop owned by two artists – Rosalie Gale (of Ugly baby) and Lauren Rudeck (a.k.a. “La Ru”), who was there in the store that day.
She creates illustrations of animals and robots, and seemed delighted to hear her chalk drawings had lead us in. The store was full of craft kits, cards, and mini works of art, and I wanted to buy everything.
The entire store wouldn’t fit in my suitcase, but I did take home a really great sloth coffee mug.
June 2022 UPDATE: In 2018, La Ru moved to her own space, now called Robot vs Sloth. It’s still in Pike Place Market but not so hidden away! You can see it right on the corner of Pine and 1st Ave.
In fact, I must’ve been practically standing in front of the shop’s future home when I took the photo below.
And, yep, I still love my sloth mug. I’m drinking coffee from it now!
