Wednesday, March 21, 2012

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.

Click storefront to visit my new online store!

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. 

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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. 


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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.


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How did you go about forming relationships with your sources?

Through a lot of searching and perseverance. 



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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. 



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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!


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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!



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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! 


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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.

                                                              I love comments so don't be shy!
                         

22 comments:

  1. This looks wonderful, you picked so many of my favorite things to highlight! Thanks so much for highlighting me and my new store. You did it justice:) I will mention it to my readers tomorrow morning for my new post. Thanks so much Lisa!!

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  2. That's a brilliant interview - so informative! I've been following Tina at The Enchanted Home for a while now, but it's so wonderful to hear her background and inspirations in one concise interview - fascinating. Delighted that this introduced me to your blog also - it looks like I'll be spending a lot of time here - it looks fabulous - keep up the great work, I'm your newest follower!

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  3. How sweet of you! My goal was to ask non-cookie cutter questions. Tina was wonderful to work with. Now I must go check out your blog!

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  4. Hi Lisa...what a wonderful interview and I love Tina's shop! I'm your newest follower as well and thank you for stopping by my blog. Funny but I'm actually in NH in the southwest corner so probably not to far from you. I look forward to reading more from you!

    XX
    Debra~

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  5. Loved your interview with Tina! I am so happy for her new found success! Have a wonderful day!

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  6. Hi Lisa,
    I just found you through The Enchanted Home (thank you, Tina). How fun your site appears to be. Love the peat pot idea! Great interview with Tina.
    Karen

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  7. Shelly, Debra and Karen, thanks so much for stopping in! Nice to have new visitors (and followers!)

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  8. Hi so nice to find your blog through The Enchanted Home. I am also a fan of Tinas and love her new store. I really want the belljars but am waiting for my kitchen reno to be completed. So I found some other goodies to hold me over. Your blog looks wonderful, I look forward to going through it.
    This interview was wonderful, thank you.

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  9. Nice to find your blog. I am a huge fan of Tinas!!! Love her blog and new store. I am also new to the blogging world. I will become your newest follower. Have a great day.

    xo
    Shauna

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  10. What a great feature on Tinas new store.I love it too and cannot wait to get my order. Am a huge fan of her blog too and love her to pieces. Glad to find your blog, looks like a good one. Good questions you asked and I enjoyed hearing more about what got her started in opening up the store, thanks!

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    1. Thanks so much. It was a lot of fun putting it together!

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  11. I absolutely love Tina, her gorgeous new home and her fabulous shop...how can one human do so much?! Thrilled to find and follow your blog ~

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    1. I know, I was shocked she didn't have an assistant. If I lived closer I would offer! (maybe she would hire a virtual assistant how fun would that be!)Thanks for stopping in. Your blog is beautiful and I am now following!

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  12. Hi Lisa, I just started following Tina at The Enchanted Home recently and really admire her amazing home. I just came over from her blog to say hi! Congratulations on your new blog and great interview. I'm new to the blogging world aswell but really enjoying the experience so far, I've come across so many lovely people, for me that's the best bit! Enjoy!

    Your newest follower,

    Sharon

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  13. Hi Lisa,
    I found you through The Enchanted Home. I am also a new blogger and a new follower. I need to get working on getting posts done. Your blog looks great.

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  14. Hi Lisa, I'm back again! I have a little surprise for you! Check out my new post!

    Sharon

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  15. I was just on The Enchanted Home... must check out her new shop!
    glad I found your blog...I'm a new follower.

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  16. What a great idea! I am so impressed also by her wonderful blog, shop and how she ties her fabulous personality and devine taste into it all. Such flair, it was such a natural step for her to take, have followed her blog for a few months now and am addicted. How great is that store! I just got the pillows I ordered today and am so excited about them! I am also happy to discover your blog in the process. Have a lovely weekend-

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  17. Great interview! Tina is one of my blogging BFF's I just love learning more about her! The store is gorgeous and I know that I will be ordering one of those candles!

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  18. What a fun interview Lisa! I think Tina is amazing and has the energy of 4 normal humans! Her shop is wonderful and I know it is going to be a huge success.
    happy weekend!
    joan

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  19. Hi Lisa, I see you have met Tina, the one and only, of fabulous Enchanted Home!! I love her!! Thank you for your visit and lovely comment too. Following your blog now~looking forward to watching you grow and inspire me!

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Readers who leave comments are wonderful!