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Celtic Necklaces Available at L&D 15

L&D 15

A few of our Celtic necklaces are featured in this new Davenport store.

L&D 15 Outside
L&D 15 Outside

A few Celtic necklaces from D&O Celtic Jewelry are for sale at L&D 15. This is a new store in Davenport that opened last month. The store is unique compared to other stores in this area. They feature things from local artists and crafters. They also carry national brands we don’t normally see here, such as Me&Ro. They selected a few of my necklaces to sell there. It was humbling to see my Celtic necklaces next to some of the great jewelry they have.

The two people behind L&D 15 are Lepeti Etu and David Balluff (L&D). They feature their own work there as well. Lepeti is best known for his hats. He comes from New York and has worked with world-class designers. He also designs clothing and jewelry. David does silk screening and art. He used to work at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. He also has a silk-screen business called General Assembly. They are both extremely talented.

Leaf Celtic Necklaces - Brass
Leaf Pendant – Brass

The space itself is still a work in process. It will be more than just a store. There is a mini coffee shop inside. There is also a workshop space for makers to work on their products. They are going to have a regular series called “Meet Your Maker”. Local makers will come and talk about what they do. This is a chance for customers to meet the designers. They can ask questions and see a demonstration. The store has furniture, jewelry, art, clothing, hats, household items and more. The store is at 520 W. 2nd Stret in Davenport.

I wish nothing but success for L&D 15. They bring a very unique resource to our city. I look forward to see if it leads to a larger project. I think some very cool collaborations could come out of this. You never know what might happen when you get so many creative people together.

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Carlow: My hometown’s sister city in Ireland

Graiguecullen Bridge
Carlow, Ireland
Carlow, Ireland

I was recently reminded that Carlow is the sister city of Davenport, Iowa. It is located in Southeast Ireland about 45 minutes from Dublin. I did some reading to learn more about it. This is what I learned.

Carlow has a population of 23,000. So it is smaller than Davenport but there are still several similarities. It has been known as an agricultural stronghold of Ireland. The city landscape has a urban/rural mixture. Carlow also has a notable river and bridge. The River Barrow runs through it and the Graiguecullen Bridge crosses the river right near the center of town. This bridge dates back to 1569! According to Wikipedia, Carlow was one of the first places in Ireland to be served by train. Davenport also has early train history and was the site of the first train bridge across the Mississippi River. Finally, it also has two universities: Carlow College and the Institute of Technology. St. Ambrose University has a partnership with both of them.

Graiguecullen Bridge
Graiguecullen Bridge – Photo from Debra Moraes on Flickr

Obviously, Carlow is much older than Davenport. It has history that goes back thousands of years and many notable historic landmarks. The Brownshill Dolmen is an ancient burial site just outside Carlow. The Old Leighlin Cathedral is also nearby. It dates back to AD 630. This cathedral is where the Catholic Church decided which date Easter would fall on for the entire Christian world. Located right near the Graiguecullen Bridge is Carlow Castle.

People from both Davenport and Carlow have each visited their sister city. Davenport mayor Ed Winborn visited Carlow in 2006 when the sister city agreement was announced. In 2007 a group of delegates from Carlow visited Davenport. According to the Quad City Times article about their visit, they got some pointers on dealing with flooding. They wanted to learn from the experts, I guess!

Davenport and Emmetsburg are the only cities in Iowa that have a sister city in Ireland. In Illinois, Chicago, Peoria, Niles, Tinley Park, and Springfield each have a sister city. This site shows a map of many sister cities of Ireland around the USA.

Additional reading:

Carlow, Ireland Wikipedia Page.

Davenport, Iowa Sister Cities.

Wikipedia – List of Sister Cities in Ireland.