A Peak Inside Christmas Open House 2014

Last week, some of you may have seen me mention on Facebook about going to the Annual Christmas Open House at The Shoppes at Fourth and Cherry. It was such a fun event and I thought you might like to see some of the pictures! 

The Shoppes on Fourth and Cherry is a store in the our small neighboring town of Ocilla, GA. When you see these pictures, you would never guess that this lovely store (I always describe it as Pottery Barn + Anthropolgie + Southernliving) is in a town that only has one traffic light. It's a beautiful, fresh, on-trend store that has as all the charm of a small town and the style of a big city. 

At this point, you're probably like, uhhhh "Do you work for them?" I do not. I'm just an enthusiastic supporter. The Shoppes, as the locals call it, also holds a bit of a special place in our hearts. The shop owners are friends of our family and became OUR friends starting back when David and I got married. Roxie and her Dad are amazing florists and designers and we were lucky enough to have them do our wedding, way back in 2006. We actually had our wedding reception in the ballroom above The Shoppes. The whole place is a beautiful historic building with charm galore. It was dreamy. 

Now that we've moved back to Fitzgerald, we're happy to call Roxie and her husband Matt our friends and I'm THRILLED to have some of my Greener Grass items (teepees, baby blankets, bow ties, etc) carried in my favorite local store. 

Each year, The Shoppes hosts a phenomenal Christmas Open House. They close down days before the event in preparation and then surprise everyone with their over the top window displays and inspiring Christmas decorations. 

(All photos courtesy of Tara Rigdon via Shoppes at Fourth and Cherry)

Each year, the open house decor is based on a central theme. This year's theme was "The Night Before Christmas" and featured giant vintage storybooks (with real pages!) in each section of the store.

One of the highlights of the event is the amazing food. Heavy hors d'oeuvres served out of the Shoppes Cafe (that's open for lunch each day…yummy food + shopping? Yes, please!) on hobnail crystal party plates feel special and encourage people to linger and visit with their neighbors. 

The hot chocolate bar was my favorite. I felt like a kid piling high my cup with all the fixings! 

Not a creature was stirring, not even…these adorable chocolate mice.

Topping off the delicious spread was the beautiful candy bar. The best part? The homemade Carmel popcorn. Yum. 

There are gorgeous displays around every corner. 

 The stockings were hung on the chimney with care… and St. Nick is making an entrance!

This is the children's section of The Shoppes, where you can find Greener Grass handmade items. How adorable is this bed?

Oh, hello there! I was adding my bow ties to the display and getting ready to help people place their custom teepee orders. Yay!

Isn't it all amazing? Now, I know what you're thinking. "How can I get to this store? I need to go!" That's true. You need to come and see it for yourself. (And you can come visit me! Added bonus!) But I do have some good news until we can pick a date for our sleepover.

The Shoppes is growing and starting an online store called The Southern Mercantile. Thank you, Internet! 

You can read their BLOG. Find them on FACEBOOK. And go SHOP. 

I highly suggest all doing all three. Right now, Southern Mercantile is having a virtual open house and offering 20% off on seasonal merchandise by using the code CHRISTMASSPIRIT at check out. 

Happy shopping!

mel