A Shop Owner Drawn to the Contemporary Edge

Following her instincts, she opened Contemporaria on Del Ray Avenue in Bethesda in 1999, selling edgy Italian design in an office that had housed an architectural firm. Business was fine until Sept. 11 and the sniper attacks a year later, which chilled the local economy. Then the rise of the euro against the dollar pushed up prices of European imports." Every year it was something else," says Kalkstein.

Meanwhile, she was becoming increasingly intrigued by word of Anthony Lanier's ambitious project. In the early stages of the Cady's Alley renovation, the two had discussed the possibility of opening a second Contemporaria there. "I wasn't ready back then," she says.

But by last year, she was. She leased the space at the corner of 33rd Street and the alley, and brought in Washington architect David Jameson to give the store a look combining warm, sensuous materials with cool, rough-edged backgrounds.

The original idea was to keep both stores going, but she was increasingly drawn to an energy in Georgetown that she felt was missing in Bethesda and the pedestrian-friendly atmosphere. And as a working mother of two -- her older child, Camille, is 12 -- she was stretched too thin. "My husband helps out a lot, but it's tough with my schedule."

Kalkstein keeps her look and her outlook fresh with annual trips to Italy, where she mingles with designers, retailers and manufacturers. "I can explain to the customers why the pieces cost what they do," she says. (She can also explain why some Italian beds aren't available in king size: Europeans like to sleep closer together.)

"I have been to all the factories of the companies I sell. There is so much technology in the furniture in Italy, but it's so modern and simple, we often don't see it." That's why, she says, it takes 10 to 14 weeks to get the product. Contemporaria sofas start at $4,500; sectionals run from $7,000 to $20,000.

She knows the prices are high but says more Washingtonians are getting comfortable with serious, big-ticket design. She has clients who save for years for pieces they love. "It's like you mix your Levis with your $1,000 Prada bag. A sofa will last for 10 to 15 years if you buy a good one."

Since her new store's opening, she's seen the alley knit into a vibrant, sophisticated design community.

"Georgetown is full of life," she says. "You'll see all the city's design minds around here now. I needed some city energy. And right now, this is the place to be."