Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/357002
Car Themed Carmel Shop Attracts Auto Lover s P ebble Beach. Quail. Laguna Seca. Monterey Jet Center. Custom House Plaza….just a few of the legendary locations that automobile aficionados flock to during Car Week on the Monterey Peninsula. To that hallowed list add one more: Woodies of Carmel. If an automobile enthusiast of any level of dedication can't find some- thing here to feed their passion, he or she just isn't looking very carefully. This small shop in Carmel's Crossroads Shopping Center is packed liter- ally to the rafters with car-related merchandise. Woodies carries neon and metal signs of automotive products past and present; furniture (notably some uber-comfortable chairs made from car seats); art, including paint- ings by Thierry Thompson and the whimsical sculptures of Guillermo Forchino; scores of die-cast models representing just about every auto manufacturer on earth; clothing such as a selection of Hawaiian-style motorsports shirts; and a vast array of collectibles and gifts. For those more inclined to two-wheel motoring, some motorcycle memorabilia is scattered here and there. A recent addition at Woodies is the line of Griot's Garage car care products designed to maintain a Concours-like shine on the family sedan. A "woodie" is on the dream car list of both the husband-and-wife team owners, Chris Sollecito and Becky DeSmet Sollecito. Both are born-and-bred Peninsulans whose love of everything automotive goes back to childhood. "I've been collecting car stuff since I was 12," the affable Sollecito says. A series of circumstances led to the couple casting about for a new way to keep the wolf from the door and the pair decided to turn their pas- sion into a vocation. "I was watching 'Biker Build Off ' on the Discovery Channel," Sollecito recalls, "and I heard [show regular] Indian Larry say something about, 'do what you love and the money will follow.' We took the plunge and opened the doors to Woodies of Carmel." That was seven years ago, and the shop is now firing on all cylinders. Tool into Woodies, located at 114 The Crossroads in Carmel or visit www.woodiesofcarmel.com. 831/626-9064. —Michael Chatfield SHORTCUTS BUSINESS Jackie DeSmet and Woodies' owners Chris Sollecito and Becky DeSmet-Sollecito, with Peanut and Pepper, enjoy fueling their automotive pas- sion with their Carmel Crossroads store. The store sells signage, furniture, art, sculpture, models, clothing, gifts and premium car care products. 68 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 4 Photo: Kelli Uldall