In 1940, the village of Garzon was, in fact, a fairly robust town of 2,000 who gained a comfortable existence working in the wheat mill. It straddled the Garzon river where travelers would rest on their way to Rocha and it made good use of the railroad that ran through town to carry the milled sugar, Eucalyptus and mined gray granite to market.
And then the road came. The trains stopped running and Garzon, with its graceful station house and lovely symmetrical square, was bypassed and went to sleep.
http://www.maplandia.com/uruguay/maldonado/garzon/
Eight years ago Francis Mallmann, South America’s foremost chef, bought the general store on the village square and lovingly converted it in to a 5-room hotel and a sensational restaurant. Slowly, with the help of friends, the buildings fronting the square are being salvaged.
But Pueblo Garzon, now home to 250 souls, is still a sleepy place with an air of the frontier about: dusty roads; wandering farm animals; cocky dogs; hitching posts;and locals who mind their own business.
It is also my home.
Updates to Garzon: The Life of a Village will be posted frequently
John Derian is a treasure. It's not that there aren't many with talent and vision because there are, the world over. But Derian has other attributes that make him so beloved. His eye is unerring, his sense of scale is perfect, he layers cultures and eras seamlessly in a room. And he is accessible in brick and mortar. His two shops on East Second Street have been haunts for years. One carries the decoupage he designs and constructs locally (and that make the best gifts ever) along with the coveted ceramics of Astier de Villatte. The second Dry Goods store next door showcases quirky antiques, an assortment of vintage furniture, stacks of heavy french linen, Moroccan rugs and soft cotton Indian clothing. Both are small, but intriguing and interesting enough to seduce you on a journey of the senses.
And now, Derian has opened on Christopher Street in a double-windowed storefront of a two-story 18th century house. It's like walking in to another world. Traditional Astier, and the later Derian/Astier collaborative pieces, line the walls from roof to floor of the front room. The back room, wallpapered in his new cabbage rose design and lit by beautiful Balthus-designed standing lamps with parchment shades, offers a living room in which to settle in, thumb through books and albums, and rest the soul.
So, go to shop, or simply go to travel in spirit to another place and time.
https://www.johnderian.com/pages/our-locations"
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