Great Taste Times Three
A trio of women is behind The General Store of Greenwich, a new shop focusing on home furnishings, linens, and fashion accessories. “One’s home is the most direct reflection of one’s personality,” says co-owner and interior designer Lonnee Gayle Star. “And expense and size are no indication of taste or style.” If you’re looking for lots of the latter, do stop in. In addition to Star’s collection of rare antique linens from Paris and her European, goose-down sleeping systems ($50-$400), you’ll find a “luxe little flea market” of antique and period furniture and accessories and “art de la table” ($50-$3,500) curated by Louise Tyan, a 30-year veteran of New York’s fashion industry, and chic tabletop, home accents, and small leather goods ($20-$200) designed by Karen Callan. Callan’s popular designs, usually found on the shelves of Neiman’s and Saks and mentioned both in In Style and on Oprah’s “O List,” will be sold here for less than retail.
The General Store of Greenwich
154 Prospect St, Greenwich, CT
(203) 923-8808
Tory’s Ex Does Decor
Want to freshen up your home and inject a little whimsy—without putting a big dent in your budget? C. Wonder, a new lifestyle shop—it sells both home accents and fashion accessories—is big on style but light on the wallet. Launched by Chris Burch (Tory’s ex), the White Plains location is one of four in this new chain and the first in Westchester. In the home section, you’ll find an appealing selection of all the accents that go a long way in warming up and personalizing one’s lair—cloth napkins, lacquered trays, dinnerware, wool throws, and enamel picture frames as well as decorative ceramic plates featuring various dog breeds ($38), faux-fur throws in leopard or mink ($98), and zebra-embroidered pillow covers in charcoal, orange, or chocolate ($38). We also spotted some great hostess gift ideas: single-initial monogrammed wine stoppers ($22) and cheese boards with matching spreaders ($18), in case you ever want to accept an invite to leave your own spiffed-up, cozy nest.
C. Wonder
125 Westchester Ave, White Plains
(914) 289-1500; cwonder.com
Feather Your Nest
Good things clearly come in threes. Not only is this inviting home-furnishings boutique the third such new business to open here recently—the others are Hampton Whites and The Open House—it is the collective brainchild of three local women. After spending a decade raising their three children each, Bets Miller and Wendy Williams of Rye and Aly Drew of Harrison decided to launch Nest Inspired Home. Its 2,100-square-foot showroom—featuring an original, tin ceiling; dark hardwood floors; white marble countertops; and a striking, white-twig “branchelier” light fixture (for sale at $3,100)—offers an appealing selection of vintage and classic modern styles. “We sell what we love,” says Miller. Offerings include elegant furniture and lighting from Oly Studios ($200-$3,500); hip, colorful, and fun accents by Jonathan Adler ($38-$390); and such store exclusives as monogrammed pillows, Lucite and fabric benches, even original, Cameroonian Juju headdresses for display as wall art ($15-$4,000).
Nest Inspired Home
20 Purchase St, Rye (914) 921-6378
On the Move
Kent Home has moved from King Street to more spacious quarters at 77 S Greeley Avenue in Chappaqua. Other contact info (914-861-2690; kent-chappaqua.com) remains the same. Greenwich Orchids has relocated from Yellow Monkey Village to 573 Bedford Road in Bedford Hills, and its contact info (914-763-3600; greenwichorchids.com) has not changed, either.
Cool Company’s Coming
One of our all-time favorite gift and home-decor wholesalers has launched its very first retail store in downtown Greenwich, Connecticut. A family-owned distributor founded in Westchester in 1967—its corporate headquarters is in Elmsford—Two’s Company is known for its popularly priced, ahead-of-the-trend accessories. Think cool, colorful, whimsical, well-designed and reasonably priced pieces such as just-like-the-real-thing artichoke tea-light candles, a backgammon-board glass serving platter, vibrant paisley-print photo frames, and polka-dotted dinnerware. Similar to its wholesale Manhattan showroom, the new 1,500-square-foot store showcases items from the company’s three brands.
Two’s Company
68 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT
(203) 622-8967; twoscompany.com
A Breath of Fresh Flair
Susan Maher, a former Crate and Barrel manager, launched this lovely little tabletop boutique in an old Tudor in her hometown of Chappaqua. Showcased in a crisp, clean-looking space with a refurbished tin ceiling painted white, hardwood floors, and a dressed-table dining area, Breeze offers an enticing array of items much more unique and colorful than standard department-store fare. You’ll find a large selection of dishware from Juliska (“It is classic and versatile and you can mix and match it with pieces you already own”) and Vietri ($20-$200-plus), and table linens from Le Jacquard Français of France ($22-$450). We also spotted a lush, burgundy silk flower arrangement with roses and hydrangeas by Diane Jane ($400) and, a favorite of Maher’s, a potted artificial lemon topiary tree by Zodax ($44).
Breeze
1 King St, Chappaqua (914) 238-1900; breezegifts.com
Jonesing For Bronxville
Customers in her eponymous Princeton, New Jersey, and New Haven, Connecticut, shops kept suggesting to Lisa Jones that she open another shop in Bronxville. When Jones, who attended the New England School of Art and Design and whose previous work experience includes both interior and jewelry design, finally took a field trip to the charming little enclave, she fell in love with what she saw and launched her third location there soon after. Specializing in “affordable luxury” home accessories and fashion, the store, says Jones, is “a visually pleasing and pocket book-friendly prices.” Sourced from a variety of different vendors, flea markets, antiques shops, and the like, the home décor portion of Jones’s collection features such accent pieces as mirrors, vases, prints, picture frames, and small pieces of furniture. Included are a lovely selection of mid-century vintage vases ($20-$40), distressed silver-leaf wooden mirrors ($125), and black wood signs sporting the names of such chic locations as Paris—and Bronxville. An elegant crystal bobeche—a collar placed on a candle to catch wax drippings ($11), a sweet cream-colored ceramic pitcher in an owl design ($38), and a chic fleur-de-lis embroidered fabric photo album ($22) make fabulous gifts for your hostess—or, better yet, you.
Lisa Jones
66 Pondfield Rd, Bronxville (914) 779-8002; lisajonesstyle.com
