What a whimsical find!…read more
I was kind of disappointed to see French Flamingo had closed its doors, but was pleasantly surprised to find such a cute little boutique had taken up residence in its former location. I was browsing downtown when I came upon this new shop, which apparently launched this past spring.
When I walked in, I was impressed by the super cute and eclectic selection of jewelry, clothing, accessories, tabletop items, and giftware. The shop, though located in a small space, was incredibly well-organized and attractively laid out. The giftware and tabletop items had a slightly unique flavor to them, not like stuff you see everyday in Target (not that there's anything wrong with Target, lol).
Most of the merchandise was in the mid-price range or a bit higher, which is not unusual for the Holly market at all. Most of the niche shops in that area tend to trend a bit higher in price than other larger stores, anyway. I noticed right away a lot of super adorable tabletop items in pineapple, owl, sea or tropic motifs, all of which I like, especially the pineapple designs (after all, pineapples are the international symbol of welcome). I picked up a silver pineapple wine bottle stopper (quite heavy, I might add) for $20. It was too cute to pass up.
Most of the shop seemed devoted to tabletop items and home decor, including cutting boards, glassware, dishes, serving platters, candles, and art, much of it on the "one of a kind" spectrum. Aside from the tabletop accessories and home decor, I spied some clothing, handbags, jewelry, and sunglasses. I liked that a good percentage of the merchandise seemed to come from Michigan artisans and Detroit area companies, including designs by Detroit Surf Co. and Made in Detroit. Like I said, the prices weren't the cheapest, but I wasn't hunting for a bargain, either. In my opinion, they had high quality items, pieces with a unique flair at prices that seemed pretty on par for the area. I'm no cheapskate, so I didn't even think about the price point for even a second. I appreciate fun, unique design choices, so this shop definitely had my attention. I'd rather purchase items that aren't super mass marketed any day of the week, especially when it comes to home decor.
In the backroom and by appointment only, they're also offering spray tanning services. I'm not interested in that at all- I like being naturally pale- but it's nice if that is something that you're into. I have no clue about the prices for such services, but they did have a brochure detailing it at the cash register.
The girl that waited on me was rather pleasant and friendly, too. She didn't get in the way, but she seemed quite knowledgeable and was well-versed in the type of companies they work with. While she rang up my purchase, she mentioned that they try to maintain a more eclectic style of merchandise and that new shipments come in at least once a week, so there's always something new in store.
Apparently, they have some kind of rewards program for returning customers. All I know is that I signed up it at the time I made my purchase and it was simple, probably only took a couple of seconds to sign up, so maybe I'll get a discount or an update on new products coming in.