A few months ago I was featured in the local paper about my decision to close a brick & mortar store and focus on online only. Just before this I had written a pretty candid blog post in my Shopkeeper Journal about the realities of owning a retail store that NO ONE actually talks about. 

At this season of my life and business I have no interest in opening another brick & mortar. I get asked at least once a day if I have a brick & mortar or a physical place for Adored Vintage that gals can come and try things on and see the pretty clothing I offer in my shop in person.

Sadly, I do not. Well, technically, I have my warehouse, which is beautiful and it's set up to be quite pretty... at least the parts you see on social media :) and truthfully, this space is a bit of a sacred space for me right now and I don't want to invite the public in. I know, sounds all new agey woo-woo (I'm seriously not one of those people)... but hey, I am a stick to your instincts kind of gal, and right now my instincts say "please no visitors." 

Now, the BIG idea, the dream so to speak, that's currently brewing in my mind (actually it has been for about a year) is to do a brick & mortar for Adored Vintage but not in the form of a retail store...

Tell me more, Rodellee, I am on pins and needles!!!

Haha, ok... ok, no need to twist my arm! Just kidding. But I am so excited to tell you about this wondrous space, this wonderful place...

The AV Girl Apartment... or if you're fancy "L'apartment de la fille adorée"

I want to create the ideal apartment of the Adored Vintage girl. Imagine you're walking into a light filled space with soft gossamer curtains slightly blowing in the breeze. Potted geraniums and vases of fresh cut flowers on an antique dining table. There is an assortment of vintage cups and plates that have French and English markings. Linen napkins with delicate embroidery are half folded as if a table was about to be set for a light lunch. The scent of gardenias wafts in the air. Feminine and romantic dresses hang in an antique armoire with caches of lavender. A vintage bed is unmade with plump pillows and mix matched floral sheets. On the bedside table books are stacked with silk tassels being used as bookmarks. The kitchen is filled with an assortment of pottery and a large antique copper pan hangs on a wall, the story behind it, you're not quite sure. Herbs are drying on a rack by the window and blue and white Portuguese tiles are used as decorative accents to bring a sense of "other world" into the kitchen. The bathroom is small but perfectly suitable. An assortment of potions and creams rest on a small shelf below an antique mirror. A block of French soap from Provence is cradled in a stoneware bowl next to a basket of Turkish hand towels neatly rolled. Surprisingly this studio apartment has an ample closet and here you touch and feel all the beautiful dresses, tops, and skirts of the AV girl. Oh she hasn't a name...for now let's name her Colette. A large mirror is leaning in the hallway with a vintage slip hung on the corner of it, a pair of slippers lays beside it as if just kicked off...

Now imagine you've walked into this space, experienced it all, wandered and lingered and gathered inspiration...

Now imagine this... YOU CAN BUY IT ALL... all the beautiful, lovely, found, modern, new, old... they can be yours too. 

The AV Girl Apartment (I'll think of a better name eventually), is a place I want to create so you and yours truly (I want this to happen probably more than you, lol!) can have a place in the world to experience Adored Vintage in a tangible and real way.

Honestly, traditional retail is kinda dying if it isn't dead already. It's boring. We want experiences. I WANT EXPERIENCES. I think shopping in person is terribly lacking nowadays. 

I don't want to just go to a place to shop for things... I want to go to a place that inspires me to be a better person, to be a better version of myself. A place where I go "OH! I can't wait to go home and try that!" or "I need to take pictures of ALL THE THINGS because I need to recreate this whole place for meeeee!" 

So there you go my friends... this is my Adored Vintage brick & mortar dream... and I'm going to make it happen because this is a place I really, really want to be a part of and be in.

I don't know yet when I want this to happen. It kind of depends on when the perfect place finds me. That could be a few months, might be a year. But I am a true believer in putting your dreams and plans and ideas out there because there is a sense of accountability that happens, at least for me. 

Because now that I've told you my dream... I want to make it come true!

Will you come visit... avec moi?