Having grown up about 30 minutes away from here & constantly yearning for an opportunity to move away & experience a new city, it's been a journey to embrace Norfolk. It helps that our fair city is getting cuter by the day, & has really great things coming up on its horizon (hey there, arts district!), but it's also been a lot of soul searching & seeking contentment. Further than contentment was fulfillment - accepting where we are right now & making the most of it. This (mildly cheesy) pin really hit home a few months back, & sort of sums it up for me.
At any rate, we adore Norfolk & want to share some of our favorite of its gems. It is with great pleasure & pride that we begin a new series on this little blog, highlighting the local, the little (& not so little) & the lovely places in Norfolk, Virginia. We are a wonderful community, filled with good souls & great food. We also have cute stores, combined with an appropriate amount of respect for cats, vinyls, succulents & knitted things. Without further ado:
It is only fitting that we begin with the cutest vintage shop maybe ever? With Lavender & Lace, which happens to be owned by my dear friend, Kelsie McNair. She's a bombshell, an artist, a blogger friend, an entrepreneurial prodigy & a delightful songbird.
Having started With Lavender & Lace in 2011 as an online vintage shop in Boston, we are so grateful that her business boomed & outgrew its online presence. She moved her store into the heart of Ghent, & created a unique oasis filled with handmade goods, authentic vintage clothing & shoes (for men & women), & antique pieces.
I can't tell you how many times I've looked for a dress for 6 hours in Forever 21 only to be greeted with vintage perfection the minute I walk into With Lavender & Lace. It's a cozy place that makes you feel more like your looking through your best friend's closet, which is so much more my speed than speed shopping in a overly bright two-level store with some Pitbull remix blaring.
Kelsie sees her storefront as "an opportunity to cultivate a creative atmosphere. It is a place to create meaningful dialogue - a place to sell the aesthetic of a creative, interactive, & inspired lifestyle. It's a place that provides an alternative to all-too-artificial fashion." & it's true. True & needed. Home to local artisans' goods (like June Jars & Studio Posy) & repping a serious collection of local music & classic vinyls, there is truly something for everyone inside these walls.
Do yourself a solid & pop by!
With Lavender & Lace
617 Colonial Ave in Norfolk
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