Dream Weavers
Past And Present Artfully Come Together In The Brentwood Country Mart.

By Raechel Donahue

"I think I was meant to be born a lot earlier than I was," says Kami Lerner, as she gives a tour of Dream Weavers, her treasure-laden shop in the Brentwood Country Mart. As strains of Grateful Dead and Van Morrison waft through the air, it's clear that this long-haired beauty is in her element, strolling between shelves packed with artful arrangements of candles, quilts, jewelry, picture frames, lamps, journals, dishware and antique knickknacks.

Regardless of budget size, Dream Weavers has something for everyone with an eye for beauty. Almost everything is handcrafted, either by Kami herself or by artists she has met during her travels and on the Internet.

"I'm an artist myself," she says, "and I kept coming across these incredibly talented people who couldn't get exposure, so I decided to make a place for them." It's rare to find an artist pushing other people's art, but that's exactly what Kami does. She admires something beautiful and without hesitation, pitches it as though it were her own creation. Speaking with great enthusiasm about the process of each individual piece, as well as the artist who made it.

Part gallery, part boutique, Dream Weavers has only been open a short time and has already garnered a following. Although, trying to get a celebrity name out of her is close to impossible. Kami doesn't believe in naming names for privacy purposes. Plus she says, "everybody is treated the same here, so it doesn't really matter."

After being here for almost an hour, I'm still catching myself finding things that I hadn't seen before. All the while, singing along to the great mixes that Kami herself makes for the store. Now I understand why she has the following she does. Where else could you find a lava lamp and a fine beaded curtain to complete that retro lounge, as well as a faux mink throw for those cozy nights in front of the fireplace?

Small delights cover virtually every surface in the store, but most of the furniture is for sale. Feast your eyes on the graceful lines of acrylic-lacquered dresser crafted by David Matthews (not the musician) and the cunning china cupboard faced with weathered window panes, and you may find yourself thinking about redecorating. Or perhaps one of Lerner's modernistic portraits is just what you're looking for as an accent piece for a dreary room.

Those in search of unique special occasion gifts will be in heaven here. A multi-tiered "wedding cake" is fashioned from dishtowels, both practical and lovely, perfect for the bride-to-be, and the "diaper cake" makes for a fine follow-up a year or so later. All by the way, created by Kami's Mom, Phyllis Lerner. Unusual gift baskets, refigerator magnets, beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry (made by Kami), ancient wooden lunch boxes and some fine pieces of carnival, cranberry and Depression glass are affordable and sure to thrill the recipient.

Children aren't left out here at Dream Weavers. There's a special Kid's Corner featuring tie-dyed baby clothes and marvelously creative toys and crafts all laid upon a usable chalk table. Bring along a snapshot of your little ones and Lerner will create a personalized photo greeting card while you shop. I still haven't been able to figure out what exactly Kami CAN'T do. But, it doesn't really matter because she's so sweet and genuine that you just want to make sure she keeps laughing that incredible laugh of hers.

Everything old is new again, and it's all presented with love at Dream Weavers. Of course, patrons of a certain age may think they've entered a time machine. But, hey, they said there would be flashbacks.