Please excuse the bad selfie in the rain photo, but guess what is behind those doors?! So, I have been keeping a little secret. I am opening up a store here in Michigan. Yes, it’s true. Well, first a little back story. When I was very very young my family and I discovered how in love with home decor & all things to do with it I was. I would watch home decor shows over cartoons & my favorite thing to do was to go shopping at home decor stores. I know, weird kid. My aunt Lisa noticed as well & from the time I was young we both said that we were going to open a home decor store together. She probably laughed it off BUT GUESS WHAT!!?? Our dream is finally coming true! Me, my aunt Lisa, & Abigail from Binks & The Bad Housewife are opening up a store, The Found Cottage, this coming January!!!!! I can hardly believe it. It’s been a dream of mine for so long & it’s actually happening. The Found Cottage will be located in Hudsonville, Michigan & will be featuring us three along with other lovely vendors. We will have antiques, vintage, handmade, unique finds, clothing, lovely gifts, bath & body, candles, jewelry, & a lot more. Thank you in advance for all of your love & support as we open & run our small business. 

Some quick FAQ’s about the store:

What made you open a store? The main objective of the store is community over competition. We were realizing that there was a huge community of creatives in our area & we wanted to bring them all together in one place. We wanted to offer a place that promotes other local stores, a place where we all have fun together, inspire each other, & focus on building the community up together. We want to have a store that offers something for everyone & gives creative people a way to sell their goods. But also a place for creative customers to shop, & other creatives in the community who are not selling in the store to advertise their creative events. We want to bring the community together & lift everyone up in this creative journey we are all on. It’s the Found Cottage where everyone can gather & be creative in our own way.

How will the store be set up? We will be different than a lot of other vendor-based stores in the fact that we will not have “booth spaces” but rather all our vendor wares will be intermingled throughout the store. Symbolizing us coming together, working together, creating together, & promoting each other. We love booth styled stores & love how they work, but we wanted to try something different & we are excited to bring this to our area.

What kind of vendors will you have? Everyone from pickers to makers. The store will literally have a wide variety of items that are new & fresh weekly.

What does that mean for the blog? Nothing & everything. The blog will still run as normal because we all know I will never stop creating or decorating. I will still be blogging regularly & you will actually probably see more of me. Of course I will be blogging the store [we are giving it a HUGE makeover right now so look for the before & after posts!]. Also if you guys want to see it more, have questions, & anything else let me know! I want to share the whole experience with you! You guys are a huge part of why I’m doing this because I want to do more in my community and get out there. I will always be blogging no matter what, so no worries friends!

What will the store have to offer? Junkin’ finds, home decor, womens apparel, baby clothing, baby items, vintage, furniture, antiques, gifts, jewelry, hand bags, candles, & so much more. It’s a boutique that just keeps giving. We will also have a classroom where people can come teach their gifts to the public & also where people who sell items can host parties if they do not want to use their homes. It’s a place where all can gather & work together. I will also be teaching classes in the classroom on social media, blogging, & more. Stay tuned for that!

When is the grand opening? January 14th 2016. Literally a month away! You can see the event page here that we just started [ here ] we will be adding a lot more photos, sneak peeks, & vendor reveals as we get closer to the opening date. Also the full reveal of our logo & building progress will be updated on their as well. You can also follow The Found Cottage on Facebook [here] & Instagram [here]. I’ll be posting a lot on there as well!

Will you be selling online? Yes. Eventually. We have a whole website coming soon. It will not be a “full blown” online shop, but when we share photos of items on our social media we will eventually be willing to ship for those of you who don’t live near us. BUT if any of you are EVER in Grand Rapids, Michigan you better come and visit me at the new shop! That’s a direct order.

Do you still have a booth? No. I no longer have a booth at any store & will solely be at our new location. That’s where you can find me! I will be selling all my unique finds, painted furniture, home decor, DIY projects, Jose’s handmade items, & a lot more. I am honored to own a store with the other two talented ladies & to be hosting some lovely talented vendors along with us.

What does the store look like now? We have made so much progress since the photo below & I will be sharing progress & before & after photos here on the blog, but to keep you guessing here is a little before shot of one of the corners of the store BEFORE we got our hands on it…

Aren’t you so excited to see the “After”?! Me too! We have so much work to do yet, but we are so excited for the Grand opening. Until then while we work the windows are taped up & it’s a complete construction zone. Thank you all for stopping by my blog tonight to read about our happy news. I truly hope that you are all excited about this new adventure for us & if you are local you are always welcome in the store & we hope to see all your faces shopping in here & for those far away I hope you enjoy following our stores journey & seeing updates. Whoop! I’m excited! Now you know why we have been so busy, why I’ve been so sick, & why I have these bags under my eyes… totally worth it! I hope you are all reaching for your dreams & pursuing your passions. Never let anyone hold you back. Go out in the world & be a light. Shine bright, be happy, & be kind to everyone you meet as you reach your goals. I’m learning that as I go & I’m far from perfect, but we all need that reminder on this journey. Love ya’ll!! xx