It is hard to believe it was 11 years ago when my best friend Casey and I would ride up and down Magazine Street and we would dream together that one day I would have a shop on the street I loved so much. I am a little late in sharing this with you since the JAN/FEB issue of Veranda has come and gone however I couldn't resist sharing this moment with you all.
When I decided to open my shop a little over 3 years ago I was very strategic in how I would do so. Most importantly I wanted to be as close to the legend and my personal design hero Gerrie Bremerman as possible. It just so happened when I was ready to pull the trigger the place right next door popped up for rent. Obviously this was a dream come true and definitely a sign it was meant to be.
It took me and the worlds greatest mom about 5 months to get all of the inventory I needed for the space. The hardest purchase was the very first one because I knew that whatever it was it would set the tone for my shop and how everything would come together in the end. We found the most fabulous pair of stone horse heads that had come from an estate in Chicago. They were amazing and had my name written all over them. They were the perfect pieces to emulate what the Shaun Smith brand was about. When I opened my doors for the first time they in fact were the focal point and the pieces in the shop that everyone wanted to know more about. It actually was hard to think about selling them because they looked so good in the shop (yes i am crazy like that).
(horse heads in the shop)
They sold shortly after I opened to my next door neighbor Mrs. Gerrie Bremermann it was the ultimate compliment and I cannot begin to tell you how much it meant to me. She didn't purchase them for a client she purchased them for herself because she loved them so much. They live in her shop next door and are NOT for sale which makes me so happy.
The stone horse heads can be seen in the JAN/FEB issue of Veranda Magazine in a fabulous St. Charles Avenue home. They were loaned to them for the photo shoot by Gerrie Bremermann. When I found out they would be featured in Veranda it was such a full circle moment for me. I have been reading Veranda since about the 6th grade, and the fact that the 2 pieces that were the first purchases I made to build my brand in New Orleans were purchased by my design idol and were in the magazine I love so much…well all I can say is dreams do come true.
- Shaun
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