fredflare.com | fred friends: Jack and Lulu

We are thrilled to introduce fredflare.com’s first in-store boutique devoted to one designer brand: the chic stationery and wrap collection from Chicago’s Jack and Lulu. We’ve been admirers of this company for some time – check out our Holiday 2002 interview with them – and are honored to be the only online shop to feature their entire line. You can count on us to stock Jack and Lulu’s latest and greatest as well as keep you updated on what the designers, Julie and Tom Murphy, plan to do next. Please check back for updates! Recently, we chatted with the talented couple all about their new collection, their new obsessions and their new home.

Hi Julie, Hi Tom! We love your new collection so much! What inspired it?
We were inspired by the look of fancy department stores, 1960's country clubs and movies like the Pink Panther and Pillow Talk.

Do you have a personal fave Jack and Lulu product?
Right now, we are really excited about the Fine Line boxed sets and the green lattice wrap... The Fine Line boxes remind us of perfume packaging and the wrap could be wallpaper in a hotel lobby in
Palm Beach!

We heard you've recently moved into a new home in Evanston, Illinois. Tell us about it.
Oh yes, we have moved to the country! Evanston is a really cool town just outside Chicago. We found a great little cottage there. It has this amazing side yard lined with hedges that is perfect for croquet. Watch out if you come over! We'll make you suit up in a white cardy and play…

Any quick decorating tips for our readers?
Do they have any tips for us? We're still trying to get our living room to where we want it! Hmmm, some advice... Don't be afraid of paint, and not just on the walls. We've been into buying thrift store furniture and painting it white. Also, try using things for purposes that weren't intended. Our coffee table is a stack of old suitcases.

What are some of your favorite places in Chicago? Any good shopping you'd recommend?
We love Grant Park for picnics, Old Town for walking around, Muskie's on Lincoln Avenue for milkshakes, and the Matchbox for drinks. Robin Richman is a great store for clothing and jewelry. Bookman's Alley in Evanston is a cool, dusty old bookstore. Posh on Southport has neat
French tablewares.

When you visit NYC, what do you love to check out?
We like walking around Nolita to see what's new. We always get a slice at Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street. On our last visit we spent a little too much time at the bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel. You should see their chairs!

Hey Mr. DJ... What's spinning in the Jack and Lulu offices these days?
Lately we've been into Curtis Mayfield, James Yorkston and the Athletes, and Via Tania. And a little 50 Cent never hurt nobody...

Time machine... If you could travel back in time, what era would you love to live in?
Our time machine would land in Paris in the 1920's.

We know you're big Willy Wonka fans. (Have you heard Tim Burton might do a remake?) We're wondering what are some of your favorite candies?
We are so excited! ONLY Tim Burton could pull it off! We're huge fans of his! Our favorite candies are Maltesers, gummy Coke bottles, and Mr. Wonka's Everlasting Gobstoppers. Kinder Surprises are great, too, because you get a little toy inside the chocolate covered egg.

Now that Jack and Lulu is well on its way to being a household name, where do you see your company headed?
We'd love to try things outside of paper... We have an idea for a documentary about all the things people put on their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

What advice would you give our readers interested in starting their own companies?
In all seriousness, having your own company is one of the most fulfilling things you can do. Be ready to work long hours. Create products you would love yourself, and hopefully others will like them, too.

08/2003