The Enchanted Home

I am so giddy with excitement about my post today.  For those of you who have not yet met Tina from The Enchanted Home, you are in for a treat.  Not only does Tina have the most amazing new home, she also has a blog that has invited her readers to join her in the journey of creating that home.  Tina recently opened her own online shop which features beautiful home decor wares at very reasonable prices.  I have ordered a candle from the Seda France line that I can no longer find locally (shown further below). 

Tina also invites people to let her know if they have been looking for something unsuccessfully and she will try to find it.  I can attest to how helpful she is. I was looking for Olde English Bulldog bookends and in the blink of an eye I had my choice of two that she will soon be offering on her site!  One of them was exactly what I was looking for.

Well I am going to stop gushing now and let Tina speak for herself.  She was kind enough to allow me to interview her and showcase her shop.  I am sprinkling the interview with photos of some of my favorite items from her shop.

What inspired you to open your online shop?

It really came out of frustration at not being able to find certain things I was looking for in my own home. When I found certain lines either for myself or for a design project, I was thrilled but exhuasted that it was so difficult to source certain items which I think of as special, but affordable pretty old world accessories for the home. I wanted to offer a place where there would be a plethora of beautiful things for the home all in one place. 

                     

Do you have prior experience in the retail world or is this your first time?

Yes, I was a buyer for a large department store and had retail experience.  Being on both the retail and consumer end, has allowed me to see what was missing on both ends. 

                   

I have followed your blog for quite some time now and it is obvious you have an incredible eye when it comes to decorating.  Do you have experience in interior design professionally or are you naturally blessed with this talent?

Thank you! I have always loved it. After I got married I did go to design school (after college) but after a year found out I was pregnant so took off a long time to raise my family. I then started to decorate and before I knew it, had my first client and the rest as they say is history! I have always loved making a room beautiful and remember  from when I was very young,  going to my grandmothers house and rearranging things in her living room! (as well as anyone else who would let me, normally unsuspecting relatives) Guess it's in my blood....my mother has superb taste and I grew up in a home where there were always beautiful things around, and a lot of emphasis on creating a beautiful environment.

How did you go about forming relationships with your sources?

Through a lot of searching and perseverance. 



                              

Is your inventory stored at your home or do you order directly from your sources once a customer orders from you?

I just got a small space where things are going to be shipped. In a few cases the manufacturer will be drop shipping but for the most part everything will come directly from me. 



        

Do you have an assistant or are you doing this by yourself?

You are talking to her, the one and only, shipper, buyer, packer! Based upon this last 9 days however, an assistant might just be in order!


                    

I know you have just recently opened your shop but how has the experience been so far?  What is your favorite aspect of the business and what is your least favorite?

Amazing, exhilarating, validating and exhausting. Favorite aspect is someone emailing me telling me how excited that they are that all their favorite things are finally under one "roof". Least favorite, still trying to get a game plan in gear, I am learning as I go along and there is that inevitable learning curve!  Still tweaking prices and shipping rates...there is a lot to consider!

            

What advice would you give to others who may have a desire to take on a similar venture?

Be patient, stay true to what you love, you cannot be all things to all people. You will not see modern art or funky fur pillows in my store, not that there's anything wrong with them, but it's not my style. I trust people are coming to my store because they like my style. Be organized and don't attempt to grow too fast. Pace yourself, it is much more work than you realize. It is important to be realisticabout what you can and cannot do, at least for now. It is so important to take it slow but again love what you do. I have been incredibly busy this last week following up on orders to be placed and send out, I don't want anything that is going to totally take over my life and not allow time for the other things I love to do. But I also believe I am still in the learning phase and have to admit I am really having fun! 



This is the Seda France candle on its way to my home!!!

These bullies are soon to be on their way to my home!!!

Tina's shop offers an array of wonderful home decor must haves and are all in keeping with her personal style which is exquisite.  Her items are categorized as Canvas Art, Linens, Pillows, Porcelain, Topiaries, Lighting, European Kitchen, Silver, Candles, Statuaries and Planters as well as a Limited Items category.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together.  Please visit both Tina's blog and shop!

Thank you so much Tina, I know you will be very successful.

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