Up Close and Personal Part 3 – The Final Installment

I am really excited to share this last shop with you. The name of it is Park Hill Home and it is right here in my neighborhood, by the same name.

The store is owned by Todd Smith and Charlie Groppetti, 2 local fellas who also happen to live on my street. They have a great old craftsman style bungalow and their yard is absolutely beautimous thanks to Charlie’s green thumb and addiction to over seeding it with Rye Grass.

I have been secretly keeping tabs on Todd and Charlie ever since I bought a few items at a garage sale of theirs about 3 years ago and then found out they had a booth in a local antique mall. Once you have encountered their goodies it is easy to pick their booth out in a crowd. They really stand apart from many other local designers and stores with their soothing color pallet and love of old and weathered things.

Last year I found them at our local Christmas bazaar shopping extravaganza put on by the Junior League called Holiday House and and went gaga over their Christmas selection.

So imagine my giddy delight when I saw the items that were filling up the display windows on the old house-turned-shop on the busy road that runs down the middle of Park Hill. I could not believe my luck – they were opening a real shop, and within walking distance of my house! Oh happy day!

In addition to the new store Todd and Charlie also have a Wholesale line that they show at markets called Park Hill Collection
They show all over the country, and last week Sandra Bullock even placed a big order for her shop in Austin. How fab is that?

In a recent interview Charlie said that before they started PHC they never saw “the story we imagined being told at market.” You know that anyone who refers to “telling a story” through design is speaking my language. After all I named my shoppe with the same idea in mind – Storia = Story in Italian. It’s no wonder I love these guys and their wares so much.

One of the neat things about their store is that because it is in an old house -turned-shop they have left some things very true to the original design. For instance in the kitchen is where they sell all sorts of important jams, jellies, Italian flat breads etc. There is also a working sink in there.

Last night At Home in Arkansas threw Todd and Charlie an open house (the new store is featured in the upcoming holiday issue of the magazine) and Nathan and I stopped in to wish the guys well and pick a few baubles for myself

These guys love birds nest as much as I do and I have bought several from them over the years, so last night I picked up one more small one and a beautiful glass ornament that I just could not resist. Isn’t it lovely?

I am so proud to have them and their store as part of our re-emerging neighborhood and if you live near by or visit here you must stop in and say hello! There is so much more than what I have shown here (for instance for Christmas the whole top floor was filled with amazing red holly garland!)

Thanks for going on these little jaunts with me – it has been a lot of fun to share them all with you!