letting go

"you must be open to change in order to evolve and achieve success"

I have sad news to share with you today, I have made the heart wrenching decision to close my store. We have had a good 10 year run and I feel the tides are not changing quickly enough to warrant sticking with it in the hope that things will turn around. I fear it will be a good long time before stores like mine will be on the minds of shoppers again. I do not sell necessities and it appears people can't bring themselves to purchase things they don't need the way they used to. My career seems to be leading me in the direction of freelance editorial work and event planning which will give me more time with my family and time and space to be creative again. I've spent the better part of 20 years behind a cash register (10 of which were for my store and the remainder for other store owners). It is time to re-invent myself. The prospect is both scary and exciting.

I am so grateful for all the good fortune my shop has brought my way and all the lovely people I have met along the way. You are the reason I held on so long.

Please don't be sad for me. I have shed enough tears and I am sure there will be more to come as we go through the process of selling off the inventory and fixtures. I am excited about the coming year and the opportunities I will have. I will miss all of you very much and I will miss my shop even more.

I would like to acknowledge my family and friends, my wonderful staff, loyal customers, sales reps and fellow retailers for all your support over the last 10 years. It has been an amazing journey, thank you for coming along and thank you for believing in me.

When it is all said and done if you are wondering where can you can find me? You can check in on my blog or send me an email for any updates. I will be in a tiny studio where I can meet with brides and work on projects for my editorial clients. I hope to teach some workshops, finish the two book proposals I started over a year ago and I'm bound and determined to get a product development/licensing deal with a manufacturer. I'm also planning to get a couple of spaces in antique malls and host some sort of pop up shop or warehouse sale from time to time (announcements will be on the blog) and if that isn't enough, I will finally have time to concentrate on getting the e-commerce portion of the @home website so I can sell online. So you see I will be very busy, just a different kind of busy.

I'm sure this has come out of left field for many of you but it has been a year in the making. This was not an easy decision. Many professionals around me thought I should have done this the first part of 2009 but I had a tough time letting go and it took the better part of the year to mourn the loss of this part of my life and come to the realization that I needed to cut my losses and move on. I also had to stop blaming myself. I did not create this. My shop is really neat, people love it, I have great stuff, a fantastic location and an outstanding staff. I am the face of the recession. Small businesses like mine all over the country are struggling and contemplating their futures. Please know that your dollars are better spent with the local guy, the one that knows your name not the retail giants. Even though I have had to give up the dream of my small business I will always be an advocate for independent retailers.

Thank you for everything (and yes, I'm crying.....again).

Liz

owner

@home

vintage general

photo: Kate Compton Photography

you're invited

holiday hues

This is the most recent installment of my styling/production work for Savannah Magazine.I will be doing some more assignments for Savannah Weddings and Savannah Magazine in 2010. Look for the current issue on news stands and look for the new Savannah Weddings in February. Click on the image to enlarge and zoom in if you want to read the editorial.

photographed by Erin Adams

christmas ideas

Our house was photographed for Country Home magazine a couple of years ago and was slated for a holiday issue before they closed so our story was passed on to one of their Special Interest Publications Christmas Ideas and is on news stands now. I've included some pictures below.

If you are a Christmas Ideas reader looking for the items pictured in the CI story I regret to tell you most of those items have sold but if you are a hunter and gatherer like me check in with your local independent retailers or look online. I've been getting the most calls about the red bottle brush trees on my mantle and they are made by Bethany Lowe Designs. The wreath above my sideboard is from Katie Runnels and the new glass jars are from the Paris Market (old candy jars are mine and are not for sale). The boxwood garland came from The Magnolia Company and the boxwood topiary came from Arcanum in Savannah. As always I sell loads of vintage ornaments at my shop @home and the wrapping paper & ribbon is from my shop as well.

The magazine neglected to source all the lovely people that loaned me things, put up with my frenzied attitude or made things for me. So I hope you patronize their shops too.

photographed by Reed Davis






And these are the pictures that did not make the cut. I styled the house for this feature so and can't help but share.....

lemonade

Thank you Bradford for sharing this amazing and inspiring video.  

http://www.lemonademovie.com/

http://www.pleasefeedtheanimals.com/

well isn't that nice

I got all teary reading the kind things Grace said about me and my shop in the October 18 post on Martha Stewart Weddings blog.  I cut and pasted the post below. 

Grace Bonney's Décor

Posted by Shira Savada, Real Weddings Editor: Martha Stewart Weddings

Today we've got a double dose of our behind-the-scenes series about Grace and Aaron's wedding. Grace bulked up her standard rentals and enhanced her décor with the help of two great shop owners. And in case you wanted to revisit Grace's first mention of incorporating vintage pieces into her wedding, you can reread the post here.

Photo by Tara Donne.

Grace: Our wedding wouldn't have been the same without the help and generosity of Paula from Paris Market & Brocante and Liz from @home vintage general. Both women really embody the welcoming spirit of Savannah and were incredibly kind to let us borrow such beautiful vintage and antique pieces. 

When I walked into Paula’s store (which I visit religiously each time I’m in Savannah) during wedding planning, I knew that her collection of vintage and antique chandeliers would set the perfect tone for our "secret garden" reception. At first, I think my guests thought the pieces were just for show, but when the sun set and the lights turned, on I watched people admire the soft, romantic light they cast on the reception. People like Paula really helped us have the sort of dream wedding that wouldn't have been possible without the generosity and support of a team of local artists and business owners. 

When it comes to Liz from @home, I can't say enough nice things. I’ve known her for a while now, and she's the heart and soul of the Savannah scene for me. Her support of local students, designers, and businesses is incredible. Liz’s store feels like the sort of place you want to move into, so I knew I’d turn to her for help with the wedding. And thankfully, she was kind enough to let me borrow some really key pieces, like the vintage petticoat dryer and the green-tiered plant stand. I think people thought I was a little nutty wanting to use the petticoat dryer for the escort cards, but I loved the way it expanded and thought the miniature clothespins we used to attach the cards was such a fun play on the idea of drying clothes. Liz’s store is always full of unexpected but beautiful items, and I felt really lucky to be able to use a few of them for the big day.

send holly to martha bake sale saturday oct. 31

We are hosting an old fashioned bake sale Saturday Oct. 31 from 10-6 to help raise money for @home shop girl Holly Sexton.  The money will go towards tuition for her dream internship at Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine.  We are all contributing yummy baked goodies so please stop by, meet Holly, make a purchase and wish her luck.  

320 West Broughton Street Savannah, GA  

912.201.0015