A ‘souk’ is a North African word for a marketplace (usually open-air), equivalent to a Persian bazaar, flea market or commercial quarter in Middle Eastern and North African cities.

San Francisco, CA, May 25, 2015 — A ‘souk’ is a North African word for a marketplace (usually open-air), equivalent to a Persian bazaar, flea market or commercial quarter in Middle Eastern and North African cities. Le Souk SF is filled with antiquities, folk art, ethnic and graphic arts, along with furniture, home decorative items, mostly, but not exclusively, from Asia and other ports of call. This, coupled with an extraordinary exotic outdoor garden resplendent with vertical gardens, trees, plants , outdoor sculptures and unusual planting vessels, creates a magical environment rarely found.

All located under one roof are several businesses including: Gil’s Upholstery; Khatriya Armstrong Collection; La Follia; Living Green Planscape; Richard Gervais Collection, and the latest addition SAMANA.

SAMANA’s now sole owner Sandy Martinez reminds her customers of her relocation to a wonderful warehouse named Le Souk SF in what is now BECOMING known as the new Garden District in the Bay Area: located at 1465 Custer Street, SF. Her store features unconventional furnishings, decorative accessories, lighting, garden ITEMS, and gifts brought in from around the world. She features exclusively enhanced designed objects created by SAMANA artists.

SAMANA caters to the eclectic, the bohemian; and has an unconventional approach to interior design. It’s about what’s personal, what’s meaningful, what”s fun, and what’s provocative. It’s about what feels good, looks great and, simply is “you and no one else.”

What’s behind the name? SAMANA comes from Sanskrit , India’s mother language. The word has several meanings – one being that of Hindu wandering monks who emphasize and individualize “ unconventional” ways on their path to enlightenment.

Under this inspiration, we at SAMANA try to bring untraditional inspirations that may brighten up your home, office and favorite spaces.

About the owner of SAMANA – Sandy Martinez:
Sandy was born in Argentina, the end of the world in her opinion. She grew up with the travel bug and it was only a matter of time before she started exploring the rest of Latin America. With a knack to adapt easily to other cultures, she expanded her horizons pursuing adventures in other parts of the world. Purchasing beautiful things and “buying without guilt” as she puts it, came as a natural consequence….. SAMANA was born and ironically the chosen name for her store mirrors her “unconventional” life. Phone: 866-901-1871, 415-642-1056 email:info@samana.us http://www.samana.us/

Richard Gervais Collection
Richard Gervais began traveling and shopping in Southeast Asia in 1968 while vacation traveling there with a college friend from the Philippines. Intrigued and enamored by the interesting never-before-seen folk art, handicrafts and ethnic items abounding there, they decided to open an export/import business together. They immediately began shopping and exporting from the Philippines, and shortly after added Bali, Java, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Tibet, Nepal, and eventually India, Sri Lanka and Brazil as ports of call.

The first location was a boutique shop opened on the cable car line on California Street. Since then, locations have enlarged and changed to the current location in ‘Le Souk San Francisco’ on Custer Avenue. New shipments continue to arrive and the collection still comprises and interesting and unique array of new, vintage, antique, and even ancient art and artifacts that attract Richard’s eye and aesthetic sensibilities. Phone: 415-642-1056 email: Inquiry@RichardGervaisCollection.com www.RichardGervaisCollection.com

Living Green Design:
Davis Dalbok, founder, runs a multi-faceted business. Under his guidance, his company has been creating notable gardens throughout the Bay Area and beyond for more than 30 years. Living Green represents some of the industries’ finest lines, including Luciano Antiques, Wijaya Classics Lighting, Gladding McBean Ceramics, and Nature’s Treasures — Minerals and Fossils. At his new location at Le Souk SF, Davis has transformed a former functional storage yard into a thriving exterior landscape nursery and sculpture garden. Living Green now displays garden-oriented water features, garden amenities, and cutting-edge vertical living walls. Within weeks of inhabiting the new space, birds and dragonflies have found a new home in this lively oasis. This new venue captures the spirit of what Living Green has always been about: using beautiful plants and soulful objects to create outdoor living environments that are both well-appointed and spiritually grounding. Phone: 415-864-2251 email: info@livinggreen.com www.Livinggreen.com

Gil’s Upholstery Inc
Established in 1985, Gil’s is family owned and operated and has provided the very best in upholstery services for private residences and the top interior designers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Gil’s Upholstery specializes in Re-Upholstery, Antique Restoration, Custom-Made Furniture, Outdoor, Residential and Commercial Upholstery. The owner, Gilbert Herrera, takes pride in creating and sustaining authentic relationships with his clients, a key component to Gil’s Upholstery success. With his two sons, Anthony and Marcus, working by his side, along with a team of expert upholsterers, Gil’s Upholstery continues to execute one-of-a-kind work for clients. Gil’s work has been featured in Elle Decor several times and can be seen at some of San Francisco’s most prestige homes and establishments. Look for Gil’s Upholstery Inc. on various social media outlets. Phone: Call Anthony 415-290-9320/ 650-291-5473 email: gilsupholstery@gmail.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/gilsupholsteryInc?Fref=ts Instagram: http://instagram.com/gilsupholstery_inc/ Hours: Monday to Friday 9AM – 5PM Saturday 10AM – 3pm

La Follia Floral Design Landscape
La Follia event and floral designer, Thierry Chantrel, received his degree from Ecole Speciale d’Architecture des Jardins in Paris. He began his career working with “Decoration Florale, ” one of the top Parisian decoration firms. While with them he had the opportunity to work for an exclusive list of clients and their discriminating friends, as well as the major companies in the fashion industry, such as Givenchy, Valentino, Ricci, Hermes, and many others. Thierry Chantrel now has his Atelier in San Francisco. His clientele reads like a who’s who of Bay Area society and his flowers have graced venues and homes throughout the city, the wine country and the Peninsula. He was honored with “Best of Show” for the San Francisco Landscape and Garden Show and he is regularly featured in Bouquets to Art. He is a familiar face on the lecture circuit and is a favorite of Bay Area garden clubs. His decorative furniture has been featured in Architectural Digest and in the book L.A. LOFTS by Barbara Thornburg. Thierry designs beautiful arrangements for weddings, events, or parties based on your specific needs and desires, and at the same time imbues your floral decoration with the style and classical tradition that has earned him recognition as one of America’s Top Florists (Elle Décor). His work can be seen in Vera Wang’s Vera Wang On Weddings and in Mallory Samson’s Outdoor Weddings: Unforgettable Celebrations in Storybook Settings. By appointment only. Phone: 415-551-2310 email: Thierry@Thierrychantrel.com www.thierrychantrel.com

Le Souk SF, 1465 Custer Ave, San Francisco 94124, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am- 4pm. SAMANA located at LE SOUKSF 1465 Custer Ave | San Francisco | 94124

Contact:
Marci Bracco
Chatterbox
Carmel, CA 93923
831-747-7455
marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com
http://www.samana.us/