Why the Name Fairview Place?

I recently realized I never explained how I got the name Fairview Place.

The short story? It's the name of the street where my Grandmother lived.

A few pages from my inspiration sketchbook.
Which I still look at from time to time since all the
photos came from Thai architecture magazines.

Sketched layout for the
Thailand store.

The long story? I came up with my store idea when I was in Thailand. I had been tasked to remodel the Fair Trade store in Chiang Rai where Izara Arts sold many of their goods. It was so thrilling redesigning the layout, determining what items to sell, feature and put back into the stock room. I also got to come up with the front window display and did it all with a budget of about $10. I knew I had figured out my future: "Bijou." That was the name I had picked out for my shop (meaning small and elegant), which was going to be set up like a studio apartment - bedroom, living room and a kitchen - where you could purchase anything you see. Everything would be vintage, handmade or re-purposed by myself or local artists. I had written up a business plan, started a sketch book where I collected photos for inspiration and even called about prospective rentals in Norfolk (which started at about $2,000 a month, utilities not included).

A few from the actual Fairview Place.

I get back to the States and immediately dive into cleaning out my grandmother's house. I was gathering a lot of items for the store from local thrift stores, but a good portion from her house as well. One day it just hit me, the shop should be called Fairview Place. It's a home filled with treasures, new and old, handmade and re-purposed. (Plus, I felt it was a nice transition for all the things we loved of my Grandmother's but could fit into our own collections).

After I mentioned the name to my mom and Mike, we never said "Bijou" again, and Fairview Place was born. I still like to think one day, the inspiration sketch book will come to life. In the mean time, I'm content with seeing how the selling goes online and in the local consignment shops.