Car Boot Sale Sunday May 22.  9am-1pm

SONOMA, CA—Loosely based on the British custom of holding a garage sale from one’s car on a rugby field or other large green space, Cornerstone Sonoma will host its own Sonoma-style Car Boot Sale on Sunday, May 22nd from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Admission to the event is free.  The inaugural sale is a cross between a flea market, garage-sale-meets-estate-sale, craft show and tailgate party all rolled into one big event with a few food trucks thrown in for good measure.

Enlisting the curatorial eye of designer/blogger Sarah Longsdale, the Car Boot Sale will feature local vendors and artisans offering an eclectic mix of vintage furniture, clothing, hand printed cards, pottery and more out of the trunks of their cars or their truck beds.  Cornerstone Sonoma’s own unique collection of shops, including Artefact Design & Salvage, New Leaf Gallery, Potter Green and Zipper will provide the backdrop to this group of carefully selected vendors.

“We plan for this event to be a mixture of great finds, whether old or new, high or low,” says Cornerstone Sonoma’s Teresa Raffo.  “There will be a selection of around 20 small, local vendors and craftspeople each displaying their wares in a similar fashion.  The vehicles will be parked inside the grounds of Cornerstone and there will be several food trucks on hand as well.”

Additional goods expected to be on hand for the first-ever Car Boot Sale include hand-made clothing, linens, recycled Lego sets, horse gear and much more.  Additionally, there will be activities for children provided by Nimbus Arts of St. Helena in barn which sits in the middle of the ground’s architectural gardens.

“This whole idea evolved from a small group of friends who were each dabbling in making their own products.  We realized that it would be great to provide a venue where like-minded people  could together and pool their creative talents and Cornerstone seemed like a perfect venue,” added Sarah Longsdale.  “This was the initial genesis for the Car Boot Sale.”

Cornerstone Sonoma is comprised of 27 architectural installations created by landscape architects and designers from around the world including Andy Cao (www.caoperrotstudio.com), Pamela Burton (www.pamelaburtonco.com), Martha Schwartz (www.marthaschwartz.com), Mark Rios (www.rchstudios.com), SWA (www.swagroup.com) and James Van Sweden (www.ovsla.com).    Each of the designers was given the same directive: to invent, inform and create beautiful and compelling spaces that engage and inspire the viewer intellectually, emotionally and aesthetically.

Since opening in 2004, Cornerstone Sonoma has drawn international acclaim from publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Garden Designmagazine.  Newsweek stated, “Cornerstone showcases the best in cutting-edge international landscape design,” and the site is featured in “1001 Gardens To See Before You Die” as well as being named one of Sunset magazine’s Top 10 Western Gardens for 2009.

In addition to the gardens, Cornerstone Sonoma offers art galleries, cutting edge design shops, wine tasting rooms and a gourmet café all set amidst acres of vineyards.  Cornerstone Sonoma – everything you never expected and more.