I just read on Design Sponge, that Rena Tom, a Park Slope shopkeeper and blogger is opening a San Francisco branch of her lovely Seventh Avenue shop, Rare Device. From the sounds of it, she’s moving to San Francisco but will be heading back east to Brooklyn frequently to check on her shop.

Grace Bonney of Design Sponge writes:

I just wanted to post a public farewell to the lovely Rena Tom who’s headed west tomorrow to open up shop in San Francisco. i’m going to miss having her right up the block from me but look forward to her new shop in SF and the reopening of her Park Slope shop which will now be a combo between Rare Device and Erin Weckerle’s gorgeous Sodafine."

I too which to send my  best wishes to Rena. I always had the sense that Rena left her heart in  San Francisco (we talked about Northern California one day in her shop). I discovered her on the blog, One Good Bumblebee, back in 2005 and was delighted when she morphed from jewelry blogger to Park Slope storeowner.

Rena’s shop, Rare Device, on Seventh Avenue near 16th Street, is simply gorgeous as is her taste in jewelry, bags, clothing, home accessories, and books.

Her website, where she sells Rare Device merchandise is also totally teriffic. Rena came to the first Brooklyn Blogfest. I think of her as a blogging pioneer, as she was an early user of blog technology to sell her jewelry. I think she may have been a software designer in a former career.

Rena is cool.

I came into her shop just days after she opened and said: "Hi, I’m OTBKB." She was happy to see me and very friendly.

Good luck to Rena in San Francisco. I for one can’t wait to visit the new Rare Device/Sodafine combo shop. And I will certainly check out the new SF shop when I’m in San Francisco at the end of the month.