Saturday, August 4, 2007

TGI Thursday!


After some initial fiddling with our customer service and boutique retail hours, we have settled into a routine that seems to be a hit with customers and owners alike---TGI Thursday! Now shop online until Midnight EST or in person from 11:00 AM until 6:00 PM in our Cincinnati store every Thursday for special events and great sale prices! We offer something new and fun every week! Watch i-adorn.com for upcoming details on our next TGI Thursday--a Bohemian Chic lover's dream! And of course our online store is always open!

Decisions, decisions...


One of the most enjoyable challenges of running both online and bricks & mortar boutiques is making great decisions about what product lines to carry for our loyal customers. They seem to share our love of at least three design styles: we call them Romantic Chic, Bohemian Chic and Modern Chic. Our Romantic Chic customer loves the quintessential Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic overstuffed, floral print cottage style furniture & accessories. Our Bohemian Chic fans are looking for eclectic objects, ethnic inspired prints, textures and interesting lighting. Our Modern Chic shoppers love clean lines, modern shapes & urban industrial with a touch of glamour---much like our Cincinnati shop pairs exposed ceiling mechanics with crystal chandeliers! A recent Bohemian (and maybe a little Romantic, too!) jewelry line we've added, Vintage Faerie, is fast becoming a favorite in both of our stores. We love the quality handcrafting and vintage images in these sterling silver charms, like "Arms Always Open" shown above.

What is "real" Shabby Chic?


Our business was born from of our love of Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic slipcovered furniture and her design philosophy that furniture can be comfortable, family friendly---yet elegant! Rachel is a former stylist and set designer from England who has made the term "shabby chic" famous. It is important to understand that although "shabby chic" is a term used commonly by EBay sellers, decorators, flea market vendors and retailers near and far, it is actually her licensed trademarked brand. Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Designs began with her high end/couture line of furniture (RAD, Studio, Tufted and Collection case goods) , accessories, sleepwear and bedding. More recently, Rachel Ashwell designed and produced an additional line called Simply Shabby Chic for Target. The items at available Target have been mass produced at a price point more affordable for the masses. At Adorn, we offer the complete line of original, couture lines of Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic furniture, bedding and accessories. We are proud to be an authorized dealer for Rachel!

Our first blog!

Well, this is the first blog entry for Shaby Chic Shop Girls! I am one of the owners of a family retail business based in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have an online store i-adorn.com and a retail boutique in Cincinnati, Ohio on Riverside Drive. We are about six months into a fun, challenging and rewarding journey building our business from the ground up! We are the first retail shop in this rapidly growing development area, and we have been so fortunate to find this gem of a storefront space with great neighbors and a gorgeous river view! I have vowed to myself to spend some time today posting several entries to bring us up to date on fun happenings in and around our stores, so check back for more later.