Greenhouse Mercantile - Newnan

PLEASE NOTE COWETA LIFE IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THE PLACES, PEOPLE, OR THINGS WE COVER. PLEASE CONTACT EACH BUSINESS OR PERSON DIRECTLY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. SENDING AN EMAIL THROUGH OUR CONTACT PAGE WILL NOT GET YOU IN CONTACT WITH THE BUSINESS BUT WITH COWETA LIFE. WE ARE NOT ABLE TO REPLY OR FORWARD EMAILS MEANT FOR THE BUSINESSES WE COVER. THANK YOU!

We have made no secret of the fact that we love to buy local!

We prefer to buy our gifts, groceries and clothing from makers right here in Coweta.

Kenya Brantley, owner of Greenhouse Mercantile, is passionate about running a boutique that supplies a range of locally and sustainably produced merchandise.

She wants to be sure that what she sells strengthens and gives back to the community.

It is important to her that her offerings are made in the United States, are fair trade or in some way contribute to society.

We loved the giving keys, simple engraved key necklaces that provide employment for the homeless and give a percentage of sales back to those without a place to live. 

Stepping into Greenhouse Mercantile, Kenya’s stripped down chic style was instantly evident.

Kenya has curated a range of products that line up with her values, but come together in an effortlessly simplistic way that is distinctly Greenhouse.

The minimalist style makes a soothing shopping experience where you do not feel overwhelmed by the merchandise.

Greenhouse offers unique jewelry, local art, beautiful home decor, bath products, coffee, food and clothing.

It’s the perfect place to find a one of a kind gift or treat yourself to something lovely or delicious.

Greenhouse Mercantile was conceived several years ago when Kenya and her family were moving.

She had a lot of beautiful pieces that she didn’t need anymore.

She decided to sell them at a booth in Stairway to Heaven Antiques.

She immediately knew that she had found something she loved and could do for the rest of her life.

From Stairway, she moved to different locations around Coweta County where she developed her unique style, which she describes as East coast meets West coast.

Greenhouse isn’t your typical boutique. Kenya wants people to feel free to come and stay awhile. She offers pour over coffee by the cup, free wifi and a comfy couch. 

People will often stop in with their computers just to get some work done in a relaxing environment.

When you visit Greenhouse Mercantile, be sure to take a look in the back room where you will often find a pop up shop.

Kenya wants to help talented local artists and makers get exposure and grow, so she offers her back room as a temporary shop at a reasonable price.

Kristin Schriks and Gail Ross are the upcoming artists occupying the pop up space.

Visit Greenhouse Mercantile online to shop. You can keep up with the latest events and sales on their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

Kenya also has a Pinterest where she posts inspiration and ideas.

You can also catch Kenya on the entertaining web show Real Talk on the Square.

Blue Fern Merchant - Newnan

PLEASE NOTE COWETA LIFE IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THE PLACES, PEOPLE, OR THINGS WE COVER. PLEASE CONTACT EACH BUSINESS OR PERSON DIRECTLY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. SENDING AN EMAIL THROUGH OUR CONTACT PAGE WILL NOT GET YOU IN CONTACT WITH THE BUSINESS BUT WITH COWETA LIFE. WE ARE NOT ABLE TO REPLY OR FORWARD EMAILS MEANT FOR THE BUSINESSES WE COVER. THANK YOU!

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Update: Blue Fern has moved to 167 Greenville St. Newnan.

Happy 2016, Coweta County! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season full of friends, family, amazing food and local shopping!

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

A few weeks ago, before the holiday madness began, we headed over to the newest store in town to talk to one of the owners, Lori Gillson Duncan.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Blue Fern Merchant was conceived about five years ago by Lori and her sister Staci Gillson Mandrell.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

The Fayetteville natives are both talented designers. Lori is an interior designer, mainly working with Atlanta builders. Staci is a graphic designer with a successful Atlanta based firm.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

The sisters wanted to combine their design aesthetics to create a local shop that expressed their eclectic tastes.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

As soon as we walked into Blue Fern, we felt as if we needed more eyes.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

The shop is filled with so many wonderful treasures, each one more unique than the last.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Coming from a very close family, Susan and I loved the little details in the store that make Blue Fern a truly family business.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

The name of the shop is taken from the first name of their maternal grandmother and the maiden name of their paternal grandmother.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Additionally, each of the price tags on the merchandise features an old family photo, which gives you a glimpse into the sister’s family life and makes you feel right at home.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

The store is 90% vintage, repurposed and found items.

      Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Blue Fern is the kind of store you can step into and find something for yourself and everyone in your life in one place.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

In addition to home décor, jewelry, footwear, bath products and garden decorations, Blue Fern also has furniture, floor coverings, wallpaper and window treatments.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

We love the repurposed furniture, but those who want something more personalized can also order custom sofas, chairs and ottomans.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

You can also bring in your own special piece of furniture and have it reupholstered to your taste.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

We love the fact that you can step into Blue Fern and purchase entirely customized items including linens, window treatments and rugs.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

This ability to customize furnishings and décor goes hand in hand with the Blue Fern design services.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Lori and Staci use their carefully honed talents and unique eye to work with clients who want to re-imagine their spaces.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

The design services they offer range from designing a single room to a complete home restyling.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

They can merge their experience and eye for design with the specific style of the client.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Lori emphasized that they sincerely want to make the entire design process fun.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

As you probably know by now, we love to shop local and buy from local artists.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Blue Fern also tries to stock a wide selection of items by local artisans and craftsmen.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Because of the unique nature of the merchandise, there is always something new to see at Blue Fern as more pieces are acquired and sold.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Blue Fern is located right in downtown Newnan in the old Dubose jewelry building.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Gift cards are now available if you want to share the gift of design with friends or family.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

You can find out about special discounts, promotions and upcoming events on the Blue Fern Facebook page.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Blue Fern is also on Instagram.

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

We would love to see any of your Blue Fern pieces “in action”. Post your pictures to our Facebook page!

Blue Fern Merchant Newnan GA Photo © 2016 Susan Crutchfield Photography

Shop Local

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Regular readers of Coweta Life may have noticed that the shops and restaurants we write about are independent, locally owned businesses.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

This is no accident. Every place we cover in this blog is somewhere where we love the food, products or service they offer. There are a variety of reasons that the independent shops of Coweta fit these criteria.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Simply put, we like the local view better.   As a photographer, Susan particularly values a beautiful view. We don’t think anyone will argue that the shopping centers clustered around I-85 and the football field sized parking lots that surround them are just not as visually appealing as the shops in the downtown areas of Senoia, Newnan, Moreland and Grantville.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Maybe it’s shallow, but the immense generic facades of the huge chain stores just don’t have the same aesthetic appeal of a small storefront with a creative display behind the glass window.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

We like to think that we are a friendly pair and we enjoy interacting with people. When you walk into a big box store to make a purchase, you may receive a mechanical greeting from an employee who does not really care if you are there or not.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Walking into an independent shop is a completely different experience. Yesterday, we went into Downtown Olive & Kitchen Supply Co. for the first time. We were warmly greeted by every person working in the store. We were invited to try samples and we chatted about the store and a few of the products. The level of service was incomparable with anything we have ever experienced at a multinational retail store.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

When you walk into an independent shop and speak with the owner, you are very likely encountering a person who is pursuing a dream. Someone who has spent countless hours hand picking product, working on displays, bookkeeping, marketing and perfecting a business plan.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

In other words, someone who is intimately invested in every aspect of their store, passionate about their product and interested in ensuring that you have the best experience possible. We find this kind of enthusiasm to be energizing.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

When you step into a multinational chain clothing store, you are browsing through racks of the same clothes that your neighbors in Douglasville, Fayetteville, Atlanta and Boise, Idaho are. It’s just a little bit boring.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

There is only one C.S. Toggery, and the clothing they carry isn’t available in every town from here to Boise.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

We like finding unique pieces. We really like that we can surprise friends with amazing one of a kind gifts. Try finding a gift to match handcrafted artisan truffles or French macarons at a big box store.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

One of the huge reasons we shop locally is the difference in quality. Independent shop owners are passionate about their wares and carefully select products for quality. They are also quick to make recommendations based on your needs and are sympathetic when you need to make a return. Products that customers don’t like quickly get removed from the store.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

This is not the case with big box stores. Having the decision makers in the store getting first hand experience with the products and how they relate to customer need allows independent stores to more quickly hone the product selection to best fit the requirements of the community.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

For some reason, independent stores have gotten an unfair reputation for having higher prices than their multinational corporate competitors. We have not found this to be the case.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

We just each bought new outfits for Thanksgiving from The Pink Chair Boutique in Senoia and paid less for a whole look than what we would have for a single pair of jeans at The Gap.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

We have found local prices to be the best available in most cases. To enjoy one of the best burgers you have ever tasted at Meat and Greet in downtown Newnan, costs significantly less than a passable burger at one of the chain restaurants in Ashley Park.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

While we may shop at local stores for mostly selfish reasons, a vast body of research shows that our spending habits are really good for Coweta County.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Independent shops return over half their revenue to the local economy and the numbers are even higher for local restaurants. Independent eateries return nearly 80 percent of their profit back into the local economy.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Compare this to big box stores returning a low 14 percent of revenue to the local economy and chain restaurants returning 30 percent. This means that if you spend $100 at Stairway to Heaven Antique Mall, 58 of those dollars will recirculate into the local economy.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Taking your business to independent retailers directly translates into a healthier community.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Research has found that the encroachment of big box stores into an area cuts jobs and pay. For every employee hired at a big box store, an average of 1.4 jobs are lost due to small business closures. As if the lower employment rate weren’t bad enough, these companies pay their employees as little as possible often purposefully trimming their hours to just under 30 to avoid providing mandatory benefits. As a result, retail worker’s wages have been reduced by an astounding 4.5 billion dollars annually. When these employees fail to make enough to feed their families and do not qualify for insurance benefits because they are not allowed to work over 30 hours a week, taxpayers are forced to pick up the financial slack to the tune of 4.2 billion dollars every year. This covers food stamps, housing assistance and Medicaid. Combine this tax drain with the massive tax breaks and subsidies given to giant corporations and it turns out that big box stores create a net drain on local economies.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

This low wage trend is not true for most small businesses. In fact, small businesses employ more people and pay them higher wages. Additionally, studies show that independent businesses encourage creativity in their employees, generating new ideas that have an unmeasured but positive impact on the economy.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

Because of the sense of community that comes with working for a small, local business, employees report being more satisfied with their jobs and are more engaged in the community. They are more likely to be aware of local concerns, they vote more and they participate in local committees and activities at a greater rate than employees of chain stores. Research also shows that small business owners donate twice as much to charitable organizations as multinational corporations!

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

I hope that we have made a compelling case for why spending your money at local businesses is beneficial to you and the health of the local economy as a whole.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

We realize that not everything you may wish to purchase is available from a local shop. The good news is that economists estimate that if people took just ten percent of the cash they were spending at chains and instead made purchases at local stores, it would put an additional 235 million dollars into the local economy every year. In real terms, if you browse our blog and try each of the local restaurants we feature, you will be putting contributing to the strength of the Coweta economy and get (in our opinion) better food into the bargain.

© Susan Crutchfield Photography

The benefits we highlighted so far are mainly the economic and social welfare ones. There are also others, such as the preservation of historic buildings and positive environmental impact that are equally important. We hope that this information will inspire you to avoid big box stores this black Friday and take advantage of some of the amazing sales that our local businesses are offering. Please tell us what your favorite local business is and tell us your reasons for shopping locally!

© Susan Crutchfield Photography