SIMPLE DELIGHTS FOR HOME & HEART
Exciting news for us! The latest issue of Traverse Magazine was just released and Little Luxuries is in it! We were selected #3 store in northern Michigan for ‘Place to find a handbag’! We proudly showcase the Jenna Kator Collection so a big hats off to Jenna and her team and all those who have purchased a Jenna Kator handbag from us!
Thank you! Take a look at the magazine and see all of the top businesses across northern Michigan!
My entire team this season has almost arrived and we are just about to enter the month of June which means summer really IS almost here!
This year, I have two returning employees, Aprille and Lauren and three new employees, Kate (top left) and Mal (top right) and Brittany will be arriving next weekend. Kate is from Canton, MI. This is her first summer on the island. She is enjoying the island life, meeting new friends, and learning all about our wide variety of products!
Mal is from Macomb Township. This is also her first summer on the island and she is actually staying the whole season (yay!). Mal just graduated from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit and is now taking some hard earned time off before she enters into the real world for a job she went to school for.
To refresh your memory, Aprille lives here year-round like me, (we get to keep each other company during the winter months!) and she works full-time at Doud’s Market and part-time at Little Luxuries. She is a huge asset to the store and is in charge of our beautiful window displays.
Lauren is from Richmond, MI and she graduated from the College of Creative Studies as well. This is her second season working with us and she is very excited to be back on the island again (as I am!).
When you stop in this summer or fall, be sure to say hello to Lauren, Aprille, Mal or Kate. They will help you find the perfect gift!
I hope you still are reading my blog! I do apologize for being MIA the last couple of weeks! The store has been my second home and I have been absent from my computer.
On the bright side, we are OPEN again and the store is looking great! Still lots of little things to do, but getting there.
Yesterday we opened with cupcakes and lemonade for our special customers and it was a beautiful, sunny day! Thank goodness!
Enjoy the photos below. The first photo below I snapped Tuesday night right after we took the sheets down from inside the store to reveal the window display and the rest of the store! My husband and I stood across the street just staring at how big the store looks from the outside! We definitely gained a good amount of frontage on Main Street!
Enjoy the rest of the photos of the inside of the shop! This is one of my favorites, a gorgeous Great Lakes quilt and Mackinac Island is handstitched on it. It is 52×75 in size – fits a twin bed and perfect for a throw, price: $229 
I am excited about some of our new displays! Our lavender section is back, we have an extended paper section {I love pretty paper and greeting cards!} and we have the cutest Michigan tshirt line, The Mitten State, from Grand Rapids, MI.
Our bags have a fresh new look this season! No more stickers that we have to stick on each day and night, they are pre-printed and I love the look! Our Lollia display is looking pretty as ever, my favorite made in Michigan votives are back, Lakeshore Candle Co., and our Michigan kitchen section is starting to take shape {you can see the new brick wall behind the shelves}. The kitchen section will still be added too…waiting on our Mackinac Collection line, Brownwood Farms, MI cookbooks, more MI chocolates, and our Michigan wines! 
Cupcakes and lemonade from Doud’s Market were served, my neice, Charlie visited with us and got to sit on the new counter for the first time! It was a beautiful day and a delight to see familiar faces again. I hope some of you can make a trip up this season! If not, I will keep sharing photos and new products with you to keep you in the loop!
I am sorry for not sharing updates as often, the last two weeks I have been away from my computer during most of the day. But to fill you in on what’s happening with the store keep reading!
Goodies are arriving daily! It’s been tough to keep up, but we are almost there! (‘We’ means my new employee, Marcy. She has been wonderful the last couple of weeks and has put up with washing up saw dust that seemed like it would never go away, pricing products continuously and breaking down cardboard. Marcy has been a trooper and a ton of help! I can’t wait for you to meet her this summer!)
Treats above: Fireside coffee, a made in MI flavored coffee company, Michigan shaped oven mitts {super cute!}, and I love MI magnets.
Treats above: Beautiful soy candles that burn 80-100 hours in a variety of pretty colors, the Riveria bag is back! {each bag is made by women in Southern India and they get a portion of the sales}, Michigan artist Gwent Frostic paper goods, and ‘You are my Sunshine’ mug!
Lastly, these fun horse prints arrived yesterday! I think they are beautiful and I love the patterns and pop of color!
The counter is in, lighting is ALMOST finished, the displays are ALMOST in place and there are a few more paint touch ups to do {once it warms up, soon I hope!}
Mother’s Day is less than a month away! I will be sharing gift ideas for Mom the next few weeks.
Happy Weekend!
Nicole xo.
Happy Sunday!
The first week of April was spent wiping the store down and trying to get rid of all the saw dust! It felt impossible at times, but I think it’s going away. My new full-time employee for the season, Marcy, started work on Monday. The two of us wiped down displays, painted and started setting up the shop. Boxes kept arriving throughout the week as you can see the big load we got on Thursday afternoon in the photo below. (+ the snowflakes!)
The ceiling is almost finished – the ceiling project has been more of a headache than we thought, but hopefully by Tuesday it will be completed. The electricians were working on new lights in two new display units and they should finish up their projects this week as well. The ‘construction’ part should all be finished up by the end of this week – yay!! Then Marcy and I can really get busy pricing and displaying and the countdown begins!
Here is a sneak peak at a few new items that arrived this week – pretty cards by artist Hilda Glasgow, handmade Mackinac Island tea towels, handmade denim koozies and my favorite cleaning line – Caldrea. Lots more will be arriving the next few weeks! It’s hard to believe it’s April 7th with the snow we received last week and chilly temps. I think this week calls for rain and high 30s/40s. Hopefully the month of May will be nicer to us!
Enjoy your Sunday!
