Elevate decor inside your store

With the full return of travel, coastal vacation destinations remain a popular choice.

Sunshine and water are always a winning combination, and for vacation shoppers, decorative items featuring the natural colors associated with the shoreline can contribute to a relaxing home environment. From herons and crabs in Maryland to mermaids and manatees in Florida, coastal images on home decor merchandise also remain favorites to take home from a vacation or to decorate a seaside residence.

Speaking to the shoreline

At White Cottage in Northborough, Massachusetts, Owners Alicia Garbarino and Cheryl Meyer offer classic coastal style in a simply stated way.

“Our Newport rope wreaths are a top seller for us,” Garbarino and Meyer say. “They are indoor/outdoor, handmade in New England and are made to withstand the elements outside. They age beautifully and add so much character to your home.”

Garbarino and Meyer say their top-selling finishes or materials would definitely be barn wood, cane and rope. In addition to the rope wreaths, white and blue faux hydrangeas, White Cottage and Farm + Sea soy candles and Rustic Marlin wood blocks and signs sell well.

“We are seeing lots of cane, straw and jute,” Garbarino says. She also notes, “Our faux hydrangeas look so real, it’s like they were just picked off the bush in Nantucket!”

White Cottage also specializes in custom window treatments, upholstery and pillows. The store’s design area is filled with beautiful fabrics in hues of blues, whites, grays and all the makings to create a simply stated and pretty coastal home.

The store’s signature motif is its classic stripe. “Our signature ribbon on all our products is [a] white and navy stripe and carries throughout our product lines and packaging. It’s a clear identifier of our White Cottage brand,” Garbarino and Meyer say.

The store offers always simple touches, so it’s not overkill, but rather clean, fresh and timeless, according to Garbarino and Meyer.

A local connection

In response to the pandemic’s delays in supplies and shipping, White Cottage introduced curated gift boxes filled with products from other New England small businesses.

“It was our way of working together like one big family. It was a very special time, and we all came together supporting one another,” say Garbarino and Meyer.

Beverly Farro, owner of Beverly’s Coastal Living in Hernando Beach, Florida, also works with local craftspeople and artists to stock her store. She sells furniture, handmade candles, paintings, jewelry, lawn ornaments and more.

A former flight attendant, Farro has been in business for eight years. “My husband said, because I am a go-getter, ‘Why don’t you open up your own business?’ That’s how it came about,” she says.

Business is definitely up for Farro, and she even has customers who stop in weekly. “I’ll be honest, everything goes. I don’t have a problem moving the products,” she says.

Her prominent coastal and nautical colors are greens, blues and yellows. Decor featuring manatees generate interest due to the store’s proximity to one of their habitats, Weeki Wachee Springs. Mermaids, sailboats and other coastal and nautical likenesses also do well for Farro.

Farro says vendors typically come to her, and she has made a lot of connections to makers. “Even my shutters are made of flip-flops. My girlfriend and her husband surprised me. They hand made them for me and hung them up, it was the coolest.” she says. The friend is no longer taking orders though because it was difficult to meet the high demand.

Other vendors include a couple who make handmade wood items, and a husband-and-wife team with the husband working in sea-themed metal art and the wife working in resin. The store also carries the work of a photographer who captures beach and coastal scenes and frames them to sell.

The store’s primary customers are second homeowners and visitors, and among the biggest sellers are furniture. The store sells dressers, television stands, bars and other items. Colorful furniture does well.
“Right now, it’s pretty much furniture with end tables and outside patio,” she says. “If a customer is looking for something particular, or a special painting, I go to my consigner, call them and see if they can do it or have it,” she says.

Beverly’s also has a screened-in patio for outdoor furniture and products.

Farro tries to provide a welcoming environment. When customers arrive, she says, “We like to greet everyone that comes in to show hospitality. And we ask them to review us. This way it brings in more people.”
We just ask, ‘What are you looking for, how can we help you, and what are the colors that you are looking for?’” she says. “They come in and see we have different, unique items.”

If a customer asks Farro, “Can you do better on price?” she usually tries to help them. She says it is gratification to know that one of the paintings, or a piece of furniture or candle is going to a place where it will be treasured and well taken care of.

From near and far

Kim Hannon, owner, Ophiuroidea, with locations in St. Michael’s and Grasonville, Maryland, is also excited to offer unique items to her customers. The shop is curated with a mix of local artisans and national brands, featuring coastal home decor, art and gifts.

“Over the years I have added more selection to my shop’s offerings to include more clothing, jewelry and gourmet food items,” she says. With shipping charges rising and limited availability of merchandise the past few years after the pandemic, Hannon has geared her selections even more toward curating Made in the USA and locally made products.

Her stores also cater to mermaid fans.

“My shops have always been full of mermaids (I’m secretly one as well) so there will always be mermaids,” she says. “I carry exclusive mermaid art, so it makes it special for people when they shop at The O. There are plenty of mermaid lovers around, and I think it will only increase with the new Little Mermaid movie this summer. I also make sure to have other personalized home decor specific to our area and towns. People love hometown pride gifts and for visitors, they love taking a memory home with them.”

The O is full of color, from muted coastal tones to vibrant prints. “Our area is along the Chesapeake Bay, so crabs and herons are always very popular, and everyone loves sea turtles!” she says.

Popular home decor finishes remain white and driftwood hues, and the addition of pops of color with fun embroidered pillows or paint on the walls. “Pillows, signs and artwork are the most popular home décor,” she says, adding “Fun new pillows are an easy way to change the look of a room without spending a lot of money.”
“For the coastal home, colors that remind us of the beach — neutral tones and pops of blues and aquas will never go out of style,” notes Hannon. She tries to arrange her coastal decor by theme and color, and typically that also coincides with showcasing merchandise from the same company. “We love to set up vignettes to showcase new arrivals” she says.

A bountiful selection

Also on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is Bountiful Home in Easton, Maryland. “We are a unique brand of coastal because we are on the Chesapeake Bay rather than being more ‘beachy,’” says Owner Jamie Merida “With that said, we also offer interior design services to clients with homes on the Delmarva peninsula, in addition to homes on the Chesapeake Bay.”

Artwork, pillows and serveware are the store’s bestselling nautical items. The business also features a range of nautical decor fitting for waterfront, shore and beachy homes including lighting, indoor/outdoor rugs, outdoor furniture, sofas, chairs, tables, beds, and more, along with furniture and home accessories.

“Coastal style is popular with a focus on the Eastern Shore aesthetic: light and bright, comfortable, with nautical motifs,” Merida says. “Many of our customers are decorating second or vacation homes with us so they like to lean in harder on nautical touches, whereas they stay more ‘classic home’ for their primary residences. When they’re here, they want to be surrounded by nautical motifs.”

Merida says classic pieces with contemporary finishes — like a wingback chair updated with fresh block print fabric and modern trims and accents — are also very popular. “Old with a little bit of new,” is how he describes it.

“Our signature ribbon on all our products is [a] white and navy stripe and carries throughout our product lines and packaging. It’s a clear identifier of our White Cottage brand.” — Alicia Garbarino and Cheryl Meyer, White Cottage

Most Bountiful Home’s business’ customers like approachable muted colors like creams, blues, greens, grays and whites. “However, we are seeing a return to colors like orange, bright blue and red. Landscapes, bold colors, and clean-looking wall art are popular at the moment, too,” he notes.

Customers also enjoy playing with textures, such as natural wood, oyster shells, rattan and grass cloth, and pairing those with the contrasting acrylics and metals that are popular in the store at the moment.

Merida says the coastal modern aesthetic is getting more and more popular. At the same time, “Around here, the adage rings true: ‘blue and white is always right!’ We sell not only lots of blue and white ceramic accessories, but also blue and white bedding, sofas, pillows, chairs, and more.”

Motifs that include oysters, crabs, herons, sailboats and lighthouses are popular with the store’s customers year after year, and to make the most of the merchandise, the store is set up in vignettes by room. “We have a few living room vignettes in different colorways, plus dining vignettes, outdoor furniture vignettes, and currently we have a cute twin bed vignette that our customers really like,” Merida says.

Lastly, local warehouses filled with furniture provide a wide variety of options for the clients and can mean little-to-no wait time. “We have been affected by shipping delays, but it’s only been tough when it’s a special custom piece for a client,” Merida says.

Whether your customers are looking for beach colors, coastal themes or goods with nautical vibes, you can help them feel like they are at the shoreline no matter where they call home.