If good things come in threes, then Rye is on a lucky streak. Two new home and design shops opened downtown the last few months, one on Purdy, the other on Purchase, and Nest Inspired Home, owned and operated by three women, (all of whom have three children) opened the first week in November.
By Robin Jovanovich
If good things come in threes, then Rye is on a lucky streak. Two new home and design shops opened downtown the last few months, one on Purdy, the other on Purchase, and Nest Inspired Home, owned and operated by three women, (all of whom have three children) opened the first week in November.
“We’d been thinking about opening a store for a long time,” said Bets Miller, one of the “three chicks” at Nest. Her partners are Wendy Williams, her neighbor in Greenhaven, and Aly Drew, a fellow Westchester Children’s Museum board member who lives in Harrison. Before having children, Ms. Drew, who has an M.B.A. from NYU, worked at Maidenform, on the manufacturing side. She handles finances for the business. Ms. Williams was a stockbroker who got interested in design and studied it. When she lived in Arizona, she had a retail store. She does most of the buying. Ms. Miller, who worked at Pepsi, handles public relations and marketing.
The name of the business reflects their design philosophy: a warm home with classic contemporary furniture and accessories and a hint of fun. The threesome live in very different kinds of homes — a Tudor, a Contemporary, a more traditional Colonial — and their tastes and styles complement one another beautifully. The end palette is soft, with pops of color.
Some of the pieces are new from Los Angeles or North Carolina; others are vintage or from estate sales and have been reupholstered, restored, or given a fresh new look.
The three owners have given the old Sam Goody space on Purchase Street, which was vacant for five years, quite a new look. In fact, they’ve transformed it into a beautiful retail loft. For months, they sat around Ms. Williams’ kitchen table ordering furniture. That was fun. So was refashioning the interior, which they did with the same contractor/carpenter who did the build-out at Angela’s down the street.
“It’s great to repurpose an old space,” said Ms. Miller. When they opened up the dropped ceiling, they discovered a beautiful, old tin one.
“We may not be your traditional shop,” said Ms. Drew, “but customers like the instant gratification we offer.” If you like one of the sofas, rugs, cocktail tables, chairs, posters, lamps, or mirrors on display, you can pick it up (or use their white glove delivery service) and take it home.
Many of the rugs are from Carpet Trends, one of Rye’s oldest businesses. “They’ve been great to work with,” said Ms. Miller.
Their plan is to showcase the work of as many local artists as they can. Limited editions of large black and white portraits by Cathrine White of Rye are already on display.
With holiday shoppers in mind, they’re bringing in ornaments, Christmas trees made of feathers and shells, and lots of classically beautiful things at good price points that will make great gifts. And they’ll have many items pre-wrapped — think drive-by gifting!
All three women say the best part of the job is talking with customers, meeting new people. “Everyone who comes in says they’re happy to see another home-grown business open.”
With Nest, Rye is truly on the map as a home shopping destination.
Nest Inspired Home, 20 Purchase Street, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m-5:30 p.m., and Sunday by appointment. You can reach them at 921-NEST.