Your French Connection

The Blissful, located in Canton, Ohio is a French-style boutique. The proprietor, Abby Kerr, caters to the francophile and romantic. Click on the pic to visit her site and also get directions. She will be featured with her shop in the upcoming August issue of Romantic Homes. One of my favorite things to do is wander the cobblestone streets of Paris, popping in and out of the cute shops. So, whenever I need a French fix, I am heading to The Blissful.

The Hip and Tranquil Chick!

Kimberly Wilson, yoga guru extradonnaire, has her studio in D.C. You must visit her site as it offers daily inspiration on all levels. Her merchandising skills earn her a spot on Cute Shops. Look at how she displayed her tea! Very creative. I saw this and I knew everyone would appreciate how simply sweet her tea area is. Now, I am inspired to change the labels in my shop!

A.M. Sweet

photo credit Albert Moreels copyright

This is truly a scrumptious shop, complete with a resident dog and locals chatting with the owner. It is hard to describe what category to put this cute shop in. It is part confiserie, part patisserie, part tea shop, part tea room...very charming! Fell in love with the lemon tart. The sencha tea was prefectly prepared. Brussels is such a lovely European city with a tapestry of styles. It is latent design hive, so look for future posts of its cute shops and ateliers.

Rue des Chartreux, 41000 Brussel

A.M Sweet Salon de thé-confiserie

Rue des Chartreux 41000 Bruxelles

Tél-fax ; 025135131.

What's in a Name?

Choosing a name for a child or a pet can turn into a major task. So much thought goes into selecting the right name, even for things or entities, like a band, a business or a blog. A fictional writer will agonize over what to name their protagonist. The name needs to make sense and be real for the situation in order for the reader to connect with the character. Shakespeare's Juliet asked, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."

I picked Cute Shops for the name of this blog for three reasons. When I shop with my sister-in-law, Barb, we seem to forget all adjectives in the English vocabulary. The only word that comes out is "cute". My brother-in-law, Dave, pointed that out to us and likes to chime in for the fun of it. The second reason is because many of our customers who shop at the tea shop ask if there are "any more cute shops in the area". I guess other people use that word, too.

The third reason is because we wanted this blog to be available for those searching online for "cute shops" when they are planning an itinerary. So, Juliet, a name is important, especially when it come to search engine positioning.

Let me know if you have any cute shops that you would like posted. The pic on this post was taken by Caroline Jones- a cute shop in Liverpool, England.

Urban Farmhouse Emerges

It is a happy day for my girlfriend, Lisa Maughmer. She just launched her new shop, Urban Farmhouse, today! Visit her site and when in the Central Ohio area, a must stop on your itinerary. It is fabulous! The site is scrumptious! Love the names of her product sections, i.e.- hen house. I live in a farmhouse, so I can totally relate to this shop and know I will be doing some serious shopping there. This is one talented chick!