Daisy Hill Blossoms In Southbury

By Nancy K. Crevier

Shoppers heading to Daisy Hill at 250 Main Street South in Southbury step through a pair of glass doors adorned with a blossoming daisy, and into a shop bursting with items to delight the eyes and senses. Homey, welcoming living areas, dining spaces, and foyer arrangements made up of furniture and accessories from around the world grace the 950-square-foot space opened last July under the shrewd expertise of Newtown resident Candace Clark.

If one’s senses are impressed by the polished elegance and sophistication within the home décor and gift store, thank the owner. A stylist by profession, Ms Clark has designed table settings, food arrangements, and entire room sets to be photographed for various national and local magazines as well as advertising campaigns. She is also accomplished at home and apartment staging, but turned her attention to interior design in recent years with the hope of opening her own storefront one day.

“I had played with the idea of my own store for years, and then this past January I decided to make it happen. I signed the lease in February and spent the next few months pulling it all together for the July opening,” said Ms Clark.

The name of the store came about in a rather round-about fashion, said Ms Clark. After weeks of agonizing over a name, none of which seemed quite right, she awoke one morning with the name “Daisy Hill” in her head.

“I researched the daisy and discovered that the 16th Century qualities associated with the flower meant integrity, honesty, and purity. It conveyed what I hoped my business would stand for. And I liked the ring of it,” said Ms Clark. The store is slowly becoming all that she dreamed of, said Ms Clark, with plenty of one-on-one customer contact and an exciting and eclectic array of home accessories. “I look for quality items from all over the world, anything to decorate your room.”

She is particular about the quality, though, she said. “If I’m going to sell it, I want people to keep it and appreciate it for a long time.”

To that end, she carries just one line of upholstered furniture, made by King Hickory out of South Carolina.

“It is done the right way,” said Ms Clark. “It is all eight-way hand-tied, and they use hardwood, not solid wood, that is kiln dried. The furniture is doweled and glued. It is great stuff and really lovely.”

An example of the sturdy dining room set she can order for customers sits just inside the front door, artfully laid with delicate leaf design white porcelain dishes accented by crisp linens and sparkling glassware. The dining room tables are crafted by a carpenter from Cornwall, Conn., and each is built to order, Ms Clark pointed out. The dishes are among only a few items from China that she carries, she said, preferring to go with more tried and true designs from manufacturers in Germany, France and the United States.

What she has discovered in the four short months she has been open is that as a “one-woman show” she must be very organized. She does the selecting, ordering, receiving, and placement of the hundreds of pieces of merchandise in her shop. She also offers interior design consulting on many levels, going into a home to help owners reorganize and build upon what they already have, or helping them put together a look from floor to ceiling.

“A job might just take a couple of pillows and a new paint job, and I’m willing to guide a client to what works best,” she said.

 “I love meeting my clients,” said Ms Clark. “You find out something about them and you in turn find out about yourself. It’s important to treat everybody the same, whether they are coming in for one small item or looking to redo an entire room.” She welcomes browsers to the store who may simply be looking for inspiration.

On every table and at every turn a surprise awaits, whether it is the whimsical pewter chicken salt and pepper shakers or the faux aged-copper paper towel dispenser adorned by a tiny bird.

Ms Clark said she tries to keep her price point in a range that appeals to a wide spectrum of customers, and even the casual shopper will be rewarded by a stroll past the many displays. Lacquered trays designed in New York and manufactured in Vietnam; porcelain tableware from Arzberg, Germany; multicolored table linens; handmade ceramic canisters from France; marble coasters; botanical wall hangings; birchbark stars made by Native Americans of the Northwest; American pewter ware tea scoops and salt cellars; letter openers from Kenya; note cards and holiday cards; handsome stemware; and the all-leather line of clutches, wallets, and passport covers by Baekgaarde are among the many accessories available at Daisy Hill.

Presently, Daisy Hill does not specifically outfit bathrooms or bedrooms, but there are items that suit either of those rooms. Fine, triple-milled French soaps and the Earthworks English line of soaps and body lotions fill an antique armoire, while all around inviting displays beckon browsers to pause for a whiff of perfumed candles from France, sweetly scented beeswax candles, or scented candles by Votivo.

Pillows of all shapes and sizes, in all fabrics and colors, are artfully strewn about the room, nestled in the cushions of a sofa or softening the edges of a hard chair. Luxurious shawls to drape from shoulders or to have at the ready swathed over the back of a daybed are tempting purchases available, and Ms Clark is ready to suggest the final touch to round out a mood.

She looks forward to welcoming the public to an open house on Saturday, December 1, from 10 am to 5:30 pm. A variety of refreshments and treats will be offered throughout the day.

“I really have been lucky,” Ms Clark said. “The economy could not have been worse when I decided to open, but I’m a very positive person and I think that as I get to know my clientele and they get to know me, I will be successful.”

Although not yet set up to do so, Ms Clark plans to have an in-store bridal registry service in place in the near future. Already catering to a good number of repeat clients, Ms Clark believes that offering quality service and distinctive merchandise will continue to add to her customer base.

“If you sell a product that is worthy of your clientele, they will come back,” she said.

Daisy Hill is at 250 Main Street South in Southbury. The shop is open 10 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday from noon to 5 pm. Consultations are available by appointment at 264-1970.