Home Decor

Skipping seasons and turning to summer

Jessica Crawford
Cotton & Co.

(6/2020) It feels like the storm clouds are starting to part, and the sunshine is beginning to fall through. It’s been a long, challenging few months, and in many, many ways, there’s still a journey ahead. But I think one thing I have actively chosen to focus on since March, is to look towards the good, the silver linings, the things we can still do. There are so many parts of this experience that feel sad, or frustrating or limiting. But there is brightness and light too.

I wholeheartedly believe that there are many silver linings that will come out of this experience. Hopefully, when this is all a memory, we will continue to show care and compassion for others in our community; for those we know and those we’ve never met. Or that we come out of this continuing to be present parents. And having learned from all this time together as families, schooling from home, holed up together. Hopefully, we continue to be the intentional parents that our children need us to be. And that we’ve learned the value of slowing down, eating (lots) of dessert first, and taking time to learn or do the things we’ve been putting off for the tomorrows that keep flying by.

And from our business standpoint, the light at the end of the tunnel has been very much welcomed. We were able to reopen our doors to the public for the first time since March 15 on May 16. As we were scrambling to get the shop overhauled and ready to reopen in about three days, we realized we skipped an entire retail season while having been closed. As we pulled little pieces of leftover St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and Spring merchandise, we realized we ended up missing Spring and landed ourselves in the beginning of Summer. School is wrapping up, and even though the kids are already home, home studies and schooling will soon be coming to an end. And we’ll be looking forward to Summer, sunshine and warmer days.

It goes without saying, Summer will probably look a little different this year, from a social standpoint. Many festivals and large gatherings have already been postponed or canceled altogether. We’ll all likely be spending more time at home this Summer than usual. Perhaps not taking big trips or vacations. What better time to focus on your living space and making it just how you’d like it? Even with our inventory and supply chains all out of whack, my vendors were able to put on a great show when it came time to reopen. And now, that our means and avenues of acquiring inventory and merchandise are starting to open back up again, our store will continue to evolve and change consistently.

We have had an abundance of new furniture enter the shop already since reopening. Most of which are refinished pieces of quality and sturdy vintage furniture. All of the vendors have their own, unique style and flare. Which allows us to offer endless style options to our customers. Sometimes all a space needs is a fresh piece of furniture or statement piece as a focal point, to pull the room together.

Or how about an architectural salvage piece for the front garden or outdoor living space? We have many pieces of vintage ironworks in stock, excellent for growing trailing Summer flowers on. Or corbels and salvage pieces for pops of outdoor décor. And vintage crates or boxes and bins for display and functional storage on a screened porch or patio.

We also sell Fusion Mineral Paint, which is an amazing product, and excellent for the beginning DIYer all the way through the experienced. It applies itself like butter. And each jar of paint will allow you to finish two to three medium sized pieces of furniture. Its application is that similar to chalk paint. It requires no sanding or priming, just a clean surface. It’s also self- leveling as it dries. And while I always seal my furniture after refinishing, as a precaution, this product does not need to be sealed and after 21 days is considered completely cured. A perfect product for a Summer DIY project.

And let’s talk about the small items in your home. Those items that really create the space and pull together all the elements to create a style. Again, each of our vendors offers their own unique style and niche. They work very hard to curate these items that help pull together a room or home or space. Textiles are always an important component in defining a space. While fluffy, over sized throw blankets may have gone out of season, its still nice to have lighter weight ones available for evenings on the porch or sitting around an evening campfire. Don’t have a green thumb? How about some in-season faux florals and botanicals? We offer a large variety of seasonal home décor too.

With all of this newfound time at home, it’s the perfect opportunity to reclaim your home and make it how you’ve been dreaming it to be. Stop by the shop and see us at ‘The Mill’ in Keymar. We’re always excited to help you with your vision. We’re back open for our normal shopping hours, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday’s we open at 11 a.m.. And if you’re not quite ready to visit us in person yet, we are still offering online shopping with curbside pickups and shipping options.