Dreams
In my previous post, I mentioned that we used to be a vendor in a multi-vendor marketplace. I worked part time as an assistant in a law office and would refinish mid-century modern furniture and create home decor on my days off. The hours spent stripping, sanding and staining furniture felt like meditation to me. I absolutely loved it. Then life hit…and boy, did it hit us hard and repeatedly. My focus moved from what I wanted to what was needed from me. Time slipped by and before I knew it, I was walking away from our vendor spot. We needed to be able to spread our wings, and that was not going to happen where we were at.
Opening this shop has been a dream of mine for at least 20 years. I have been keeping track of ideas for years and years, and earlier this year plans began to unfold that would allow me to finally realize all those ideas. Problem was…how on Earth would it all fit together? I love furniture, but I love art too. And shoes. And perfume. And jewelry. You get the idea. How could we make it all work together? I scrolled through endless Google searches trying to find something like what was in my head. Nada. Zilch. But I did find two words in my search that changed my mindset from “how” to “when”…lifestyle boutique. Viola! That’s exactly what I want to create. Somewhere interesting, full of character and charm, and a place that stands out from the crowd. Our goal with Brass Velvet from the get-go was to make it an experience for customers. And how do you create that unique experience? By evoking the five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. And that is exactly what happens to you when you walk into our store. It is visually appealing, smells divine, there is always good music playing, we encourage our customers to familiarize themselves with the products, and lastly, we have some Icelandic salt out to try out. Honestly, as a retailer, the taste one is the toughest sense for us to figure out. We have a non-alcoholic bar in the works, so that should fulfill the taste sensory experience.
Brass Velvet is a dream that has finally came to fruition, and a labor of love. It feels like we are juggling 100 things at once ALL THE TIME. But, for me anyways, when a customer tells me how cool my store is or is simply in awe of the store, it fills my cup. It keeps me going through the no-customer days. I know in my gut that we have created something special and unique. The dream of Brass Velvet has been fulfilled, and now I am dreaming of roots and wings…
