Visitors may be drawn in by the smell of Magnolia cupcakes and shiplap dreams, but The Findery in Waco, Texas is a favorite place for locals and tourists to shop for home decor.  The Findery has one of a kind vintage finds, unique, handmade and painted furniture, and home decor accessories.  It is a family owned and operated business that Tiffany Fatheree started in a small booth inside Spice Village, another downtown shop.  What began as a hobby of painting furniture and repurposing decor has grown into two large buildings of home decor and boutique style items in just a few short years.

The Findery is located in a historic downtown building that the entire Fatheree family has beautifully restored.  The building was originally the Percy Medicine building, which manufactured Percy medicine from 1908 to early 2010 in this location.  Much love and hard work went into the restoration to transform this building that contained a small factory and distillery into a beautiful shop, complete with original wood flooring, brick walls, and a cargo escalator, which is still in use today.

It was important to the Fatheree family to keep as much of the original building in tact as possible.  The Findery building itself contains three floors; two stories are for shopping and the basement is used as the stockroom.  You can see the vintage ceiling tiles and some parts left from the distillery on the third floor.

The Marketplace, which is an extension of the store and is located next door, holds 10,000 square feet of additional shopping. It began as a warehouse for the larger furniture pieces, seasonal decor and online products.  It also houses an area for the owners to build one of a kind tables and paint furniture.  As the Findery has grown, so did the need for more room to stage and sell furniture and home decor, so it is currently open six days a week.

Tiffany’s husband Matt creates one of a kind tables made from reclaimed wood and architectural finds.  He has built tables from industrial fans, vintage crank mechanisms and cargo and freight flooring like the one below.

The Findery is located one block from the Silos.  The city is currently adding sidewalks between Magnolia, the Findery and other neighboring downtown businesses to make it safer to travel by foot. Parking for The Findery is always free and located between their two buildings. The Silo District trolly route passes in front of the store.

No matter what style you decorate your home, you will find something you love.  The Findery carries many lines of new home decor furniture, lighting and accessories.  It is my favorite place in Waco to shop for my home and for clients.   From farmhouse, industrial, French country cottage to traditional style, there is an eclectic mix of decor!  Here are a few spaces that I will let you swoon over while you pick out your favorite finds.

Tiffany and her husband, along with Matt’s parents, Matt P. and Melissa Fatheree, and sister, Marci, and her husband, Kyle Davis, are co-owners of the Findery.  The owners shop in Round Top, Texas several times a year to bring the best vintage, chippy, painted furniture and one of a kind antiques and architectural finds back to Waco.  Like the best corbels, y’all!  They have pickin’ down to a rocket science and know the best stops to find all the hidden gems.  You should see Melissa with her clipboard while pickin’.  Even thought they bring back truck and trailer loads full of good ole junk and antique furniture, Melissa already has it priced and ready to hit the showroom floor when they pull back into Waco.  It truly is a family affair.

 

If you want to learn more about the history of the Percy Medicine building or the origin of the antique finds, just ask Matt P.  As head of the family, he is always around the shop to share a story or help load your latest finds, except on Baylor game day.  The Fatheree family is truly one of the most hard working families that I know.  They have a deep passion for family, hard work, and finding unique pieces for your home and lifestyle.

The Findery is definitely a place to become inspired.  Even before I met Tiffany and began to collaborate with The Findery, I loved to stop by the shop and check out the creative displays, tablescapes and repurposed items that Tiffany created in her shop.  Tiffany is the most talented home decorators and stagers that I know.  When I walk into the Findery, I can always spot what areas Tiffany has staged.  She has a unique style and eye for design, layering pieces to truly create inspiring spaces for your home.  Here are some of my favorite spaces in the Findery that Tiffany has staged.  I love the detail, combination of textures and soothing color schemes.

Inside the Findery, there is a women’s boutique with clothing, jewelry, handbags, and gifts.  Marci and her family travel to markets all over the U.S. to find the best quality clothing in the latest trends for the boutique.  My daughter and I both love to shop here, which is rare to find a place that appeases to both teens and women alike. So if you are looking for a special event outfit or just casual wear, this place has it all.  And the accessories, too.

Marci has created beautiful displays inside the clothing boutique from vintage lockers that house accessories to a wall of pallets to hang the latest arrival of tops.   The details in the Findery make it a fun shopping experience.

You can also find the popular Findery t-shirts including the ‘City with a Soul’ tees.  The City with a Soul mural is a favorite Waco photo opportunity.  The mural was painted by K. Dunks Creative.

Last March, I began to stage and decorate for The Findery.  It is the best job ever! I will have to share another post about a home decorator staging at a home decor store!  I am like a kid in a candy store!

The Findery is open 10 am – 6 pm Monday through Saturday.  It is located at 501 S 8th St, Waco, TX 76706. You  can read more about The Findery or shop online, http://thefindery.net.

My spring styled tablescape is a beautiful mixture of old and new dishes in my favorite colors!  Something old, something new, something thrifted and something blue…  It features my classic white plates that I have had for years, new Pioneer Woman finds, thrifted Currier and Ives dishes and blue linens.  I had fun mixing patterns, colors and different collections together for this simple spring table setting.

I love to decorate the formal dining room during the weekdays and my husband loves to cook a big breakfast on the weekends.  This casual table setting accommodates both our loves so we can enjoy more time together as a family. The table is set and ready for my husband to get cooking!

Even though our table can seat six or eight, we just have four in our family. I decided to keep it real and only set the table for the four of us, while keeping a few extra dishes at the other end of the table for friends stopping by.

Setting the table for breakfast on Saturday or Sunday Supper creates moments that you can look forward to as a family…time to slowdown and relax together.

 

As summer approaches, I crave simplicity. Keeping a stack of dishes on the buffet table, gathered in a tray on the kitchen island or even on one end of the table like I did here, makes it easy to access dishes for your next family meal.  And unloading the dishwasher becomes a quick task when you can drop them off in one location.

This is definitely a no fuss tablescape.  Use what you have!  Dishes don’t have to be fancy or even match!

Mix in something new!  When you fall in love with the Pioneer Woman’s newest collection, get it all or pick the pieces that you love.  I tried to show restraint and not buy any of the PW collection, because I didn’t need any more dishes. I lasted a year until I saw the blue and green floral salad/dessert plates in April and got a set of 8.  I also found a few of the little ramekins, mini pie plates, pedastals and bowls in the blue and green that I had to have.  Again, I showed a little restraint and only bought a few pieces that I could use for Spring and Summer.  The smaller floral plates look great with my classic white dinner plates.  Balance, y’all!  The Pioneer Woman dishes are available at Walmart.  Not every piece is available online, and the selection varies at each store.

The blue and white Currier and Ives dishes are a thrifted find.  I found this set called ‘The Old Grist Mill‘ for $8 for all 36 pieces.  I remember my mother had the same set, so I was drawn to the pattern.  If you find sets of china or vintage dishes at the thrift store, flip them over to find the name of the collection and maker labeled on the back.  You can use you cell phone to search the value or history of the piece to determine if it is a good deal.  I normally see one of the Currier and Ives dinner plates at the local antique mall for $10 each, so I knew a set of 36 for $8 was a steal before looking online.  Between the price and memories of my mom, I snatched them up.  They make great breakfast dishes!  Remember, no matter the deal, only buy what you love!

So with a few sets of dishes in fun colors for Spring, my Spring styled tablescape came together! I just love blue and green for any season, but it is so fresh for Spring and Summer! I layered a light blue cloth napkin between the two largest plates. I found the napkins at Homegoods and knew that I would use them often.  They remind me of chambray fabric and have a classic feel which work well in this spring styled tablescape.

With Spring in full swing, I added more blue and green florals to the Spring styled chalkboard, but it is basically leftover from Easter minus the words that I had written on the board.  The key is to layer multiple shades of chalk to create some depth in the foliage.  Spring flowers lay in the dough bowl.

In the bay window, I hung simple wreaths with 3m hooks and displayed my collection of vintage glass insulators on the window sill. I just love the vibrant blue!  They add a fun pop of my favorite color.  My mother had collected these for years, finding them in junk shops and even in fields on my parents and grandparents farm.

On the other side of the dining room, I have my chicken wire cabinet flanked by two extra chairs with pillows.  I hung up two extra botanical prints from a set of six that I have.  The other four prints are hung across the way into the living room, which brings the two spaces together.  The cabinet holds vintage silver pieces that I have collected over the past few years.  I have recently began to collect vintage trophies, too.  They are hard to find for a reasonable price, so my collection is small.  The thrill is in the hunt, though!

I hope you enjoyed checking out my Spring styled tablescape that is perfect for casual meals with your family.  I encourage you to make family meal time special again!  Not fancy, just intentional!