In the heart of Issaquah’s charming Gilman Village, two boutique stores are redefining the art of thoughtful shopping. Citrine Design Shop and its sibling store, Facet Modern Mercantile, stand as testaments to owner Adia Mei Jun Bobo’s vision of bringing uniquely crafted pieces to her community. With 15 years of experience as a jeweler and a lifetime of passion for artisanal crafts, Adia has created more than just retail spaces – she’s built sanctuaries for those seeking one-of-a-kind treasures and meaningful connections.
Join us as we sit down with Adia to explore how these unique boutiques came to be, and discover why intentional shopping matters more than ever in today’s fast-paced world.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tell us about the story behind Citrine Design Shop.
I first opened Citrine two years ago and it’s kind of been this culmination of everything that I’ve always done, and everything that I’ve always loved. I’ve always worked in retail and wholesale and I’m also a jeweler. That all ties together into how we ended up here and supporting independent businesses that are people who are designers and makers. This is a place where all that comes together.
What types of items do you sell at Citrine?
Within Citrine, we really focus on products that are thoughtfully designed and small batch as much as possible. We work with a lot of independent designers, makers, and artists from all around the world that really have a different perspective than you might see in a bigger box store.
Even the bigger brands that we work with are people that are doing things really well, really thoughtfully designed, really thoughtfully manufactured.
Tell us about the sibling store, Facet Modern Mercantile.
We just opened our second store, Facet Modern Mercantile, right next door. We are people who like a challenge and we’re not often ones to say no to opportunity.
The opportunity for the space came about and it really gave us a chance to expand the product offerings that we had. Facet focuses on elevated pantry staples, things that have a really like international flavor profile, some men’s and unisex clothing, and some things for the home.
What are some of your favorite things in the store?
I have been a jeweler for about 15 years. I’ve taught jewelry, I’ve worked with a lot of jewelers, and so being able to kind of collect all of these different materials and styles and bring them all together, it’s been really cool. We currently have 15 jewelers that we’re working with, all small batch, handmade and woman-owned. Ceramics are also very closely tied to that, and so we definitely have a really good selection of handmade ceramics.
This is my first time in Gilman Village – it’s so cute! What can you tell us about having a store here?
Everybody here is independent, all the restaurants and all the stores are all independently owned and operated. It’s a really great little community. It really is like a little village. It’s a family owned and operated property. They’re going into the third generation as far as who’s running things. There’s not really anything else like it out there.
What are you proud of as a small business owner?
I am really proud of having a place in an area that really feels like a community. This is a place that people can come and just like to be here with us. It is a store, but it’s more about connections with everybody than it is about literally being a store.
Everything is a challenge, and everything is a new thing to explore and a new thing to try and understand. And I really like that.
Intentionalist is all about spending your money at small businesses in your community. If you think that’s important, why?
I think it’s important to spend intentionally for so many reasons. I really gives us an opportunity to support people that are doing things that we love and connect with. The idea of somebody making something, and then being able to bring that into your home, and kind of being the conduit for that is really, really cool.