For a few weeks now, we have had some new faces at Spruce. Each are filling different roles where we need some fresh new help! Now that they are here, it’s about time we introduce them!

We have added a new Spruceter to the workshop. His name is Brian Barnhouse, and he has taken over as head stripper around here! This face has been familiar to us for some time now since Brian is actually Frank’s son! We have gotten to know Brian since Frank joined Spruce over a year ago and thought he would make the perfect Spruceter. Father and son share similar features (check out their same smiles!), but are uniquely different in many ways. Check out some fun facts about Brian:
– Born in San Francisco
– Has four lizards, three cats, and one dog that he loves to take care of!
– Favorite movies: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Big Lebowski, Casino
– Favorite TV shows: The Sopranos, La Casa de al Lado (Spanish Soap!)
– Favorite artists: Deftones, NIN, Goldfrapp
– Overall design style: Minimalist, loves dark rich colors
– Things Brian enjoys: Taking care of his pets, photo/video editing, and he can’t pass up a good ghost story!
– Something you wouldn’t know about Brian: He loves to write! Screenplays, novels, or shorts. I pressed for his favorite character, and he said he wasn’t quite ready to share him/her. Can’t wait to wriggle that out of him!
We are jazzed to have Brian as our newest Spruceter!

Next, we have had an addition to the front of the shop in the form of my newest intern! We got connected through one of our fantastic customers, and I am seriously glad we did. Her name is Gabrielle Stein, and she couldn’t be more fantastic! For the last few weeks Gabrielle has helped us overhaul our fabric section. She is quick as a whip and super friendly, just what we love in a Sprucette! Check out a few things to know about Gabrielle:
– Grew up in Dallas
– Got her degree in Studio Art, specifically painting and print-making
– When she is not helping us at the shop, you can find her at the new, delicious eatery, Elizabeth Street Cafe.
– Favorite music: Indie Rock, Old school Honky-Tonk (we were destined to like each other because of this one!)
– Overall design style: She is still developing what that is, but her home would be described as eclectic. She has a prized possession from her grandmother of a lime green tweed sofa, love it! She loves to collect vintage pieces with personality and build around those items.
– Has spent some time creating beautiful copper plates for print-making, and is excited to possibly be joining a print makers co-op in Austin!
– Has a biz of painting pet portraits! Check out her site here.
– Something you wouldn’t know about Gabrielle: She loves to boot scoot, a true kindred spirit! She can’t get enough of the local dance halls (Don’s Depot, the Spoke) and two-stepping. I am sure she can dance circles around most folks with her background in dance, as well!
Our little family is getting bigger, and we couldn’t be happier about it. Next time you are in the shop, be sure to say hello to the newbies. I know they will appreciate it!
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