Shop Feature: sandabeam

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you based? How do you spend your days?

Hi! I’m Chloe-- a Portland, Oregon-based, artist with a big love for collecting treasures. Digging, antiquing, and thrifting run in my blood! Literally. My grandma, Norma (who was my best friend as a kid) ran an estate sale business in Wichita, Kansas, where I grew up. Tagging along with her to sales is how I was first introduced to the magic of objects. (Fun fact: she once lived in a red caboose!) As I got older, my mom and I often spent our Saturdays taking long drives to small Kansas towns, stopping in antique shops and thrift stores along our route. There’s no thrift like a midwest thrift, I gotta tell ya! My momma taught me how to dig for the good goods and all about the thrill of the hunt.

While treasure hunting is a piece of my puzzle, at my core, I am an artist. My background is in fiber arts and Japanese art history. Throughout the years, I’ve worked a lot of different jobs, experimented endlessly, and ultimately founded a clothing line right before the pandemic. It centered around repurposing and repairing discarded garments and textiles with hands-on techniques. It was a beautiful, difficult, all-encompassing labor of love.

At the beginning of 2024, I quietly closed my business to focus on living a softer, slower life with more ease, balance, and rest. It was time for both the end and a new beginning. As fate would have it, this shift coincided with a looooong, arduous season of unexplained health challenges, which I’m still fiercely battling.

It has been a non-linear journey that has reshaped my life. I’ve been forced to go inward, to advocate for myself, as well as honor my body instead of fight against it. I am being invited to dream up a new reality that offers more tenderness. And to prioritize being service to myself, first-- a new muscle I’m flexing! “Stay soft, stay soft, stay soft,” I am saying on repeat. It is in feeling the pain, being in the mess, and holding space for heartache that offer us a map back to ourselves. That is the salve.

It almost feels as though I am in a chrysalis, so we’ll call this my chrysalis phase! Shedding layers, nesting, gently moving, protecting my peace, and enjoying the small moments of every day beauty. Recently, I noticed how my neighbor, a few streets over, every single day, morning and evening, makes a giant heart out of birdseed in her driveway. She’s likely been doing it for years because the snacking birds have imprinted an outline of the heart in the pavement. I probably would’ve missed the beauty in this before, caught up in the busyness of life. Slowing down has revealed so much juicy goodness.

Of course, I’m still thrifting when I can! Oh, and watching A LOT of Reality TV while I photograph and measure things for my Noihsaf shop.

How did you hear about Noihsaf Bazaar / when did you become a part of the community?

Noihsaf made its way into my periphery during the Instagram zip code days! I started by selling things from my closet that I was looking to rehome. Which has evolved into reselling treasures from my thrift adventures. I could not be more grateful for this platform, the team behind it, and this community. Ya’ll are keeping me afloat, offering me a way to work with my body, inspiring me, and giving me a meaningful outlet to express myself as I navigate uncertainty. How cool!

What is your favorite Noihsaf score?

A few years back, I scored a clock that was on my radar for years. It’s a hand sculpted polymer clay face clock by artist Emily Burtner. She only made a handful of them and they sold out before I could get my hands on one. So when I saw it on Noihsaf, I audibly gasped, pressing the “BUY NOW” button as fast as I could! She’s perfect and I’ll never let her go.

How would you describe your personal style?

My uniform will (likely) forever and always be some iteration of a big sack and a pair of sneakers. An oversized anything, please and thank you!

The maximalist in me gravitates toward one of a kind statement pieces. The unexpected. Things that tell a story, have soul, personality, and pizazz. Loud patterns, voluminous shapes, interesting silhouettes, fun textures. I recently went through a phase trying to incorporate more basics into my world. But that didn’t last very long. Forget the basics— give me the bold, colorful, weirdo thing!

Lately, I’ve been leaning more masculine when I get dressed. Oversized vintage tees, roomy sweatshirts, and pleated balloon pants have been in my daily rotation.

I almost exclusively shop secondhand when it comes to fashion. Whether it’s at the thrift store, an estate sale, the best consignment shop in town (I see you, Vein of Gold!), or Noihsaf, I’m a gal that loves a secondhand score. As I mentioned before, my daily fit usually consists of a pair of sneakers. With Nike and Adidas based in Portland, we have an incredible market for second hand sneaks-- many of which are unworn or very cool one of a kind samples. I live for these gems!

I can’t talk about my personal style without talking about my relationship with my body. I am in the process of getting to know my body and how it looks, feels, and takes up space in its current form. This is a perpetual learning (and unlearning for that matter). Not a place I’ll ever really arrive, I suppose. Chronic illness is teaching me how to trust my body’s intrinsic wisdom. To love it for how it shows up for me. This body, every body, is a good body. And that idea will always be in style!

Do you have any style inspirations that you return to?

One of my biggest style inspirations, especially in terms of pattern and color, is Fran Dresser, in The Nanny. I’ve been rewatching the whole series and it’s so delightful. She’s a national treasure! Her style is so joyful, playful, and fun-- reminding me not to take getting dressed too seriously. Life is too short not to have fun when getting dressed!

I am also very inspired by activist and author Fariha Róisin’s style. Have you read her work? If not, you should! And after that, check out her fits. She’s so refreshing! Sophie Strauss, “a stylist for regular people,” based in LA is always a joy to learn from. Her tricks, tips, and wealth of knowledge are vast. Last but not least, I am inspired to the max by gallerist Margaret Bakke’s style. A fellow maximalist, she is always taking chances when it comes to fashion. Her ability to mix and pattern clash is unmatched! And I especially love how you can tell she is having fun while staying true to herself. Her gallery, Friends Artspace, in Arlington, VA is an inspiring gift to us all.

Do you have any designers/brands that you’re especially into these days?

There. Are. So. Many. (Remember, I’m a maximalist!) Some of the brands I admire include Julia Heuer, Mr. Larkin, Simone Rocha, Marni, 69 US, Commes Des Garcon, BLANCA, Tigra Tigra, Kenzo, Nancy Stella Soto, Faris, Chelsea Mak, Kate Towers, Toga Archives, Issey Miyake, and Norblack Norwhite. The list goes on!

What trend are you currently loving, or what trend would you like to see?

I’m thrilled to see the shift to shopping secondhand more and more. Keep it up, kids!

I’d love to see more body inclusivity and better body representation, please! While there have been shifts in this arena when it comes to fashion and beauty, there’s still a long way to go. Especially in the age of perfectionism, Ozempic, influencers, and women being asked to take up less space, we have to work harder to shift the pendulum to a place that feels more inclusive, representative, and diverse.

Favorite song to play when getting dressed?

Patti Labelle’s “New Attitude!” It’s as good as it gets. I betchya it’ll make ya feel like a million bucks!

Thanks Chloe! 👋 You can shop these picks and more over at her Noihsaf shop!