If one dynamic young woman can change the face of retailing in the 600 block of Ship Street in downtown St. Joseph, imagine what two dynamic young women can do by not only doubling their available showcase space, but truly making a difference in people’s lives in that relatively quiet block over the years.
It all actually started two years ago, when a change at the helm of Waterfront Framing & Fine Art quietly transpired, allowing new owner Valerie Byrnes to fulfill a dream of owning her own business in Southwest Michigan. Shortly after taking ownership, she began crafting her own vision of what the business would look like, including a subtle, yet definitive, name change to Waterfront Framing & Design while expanding her product offerings, and now doubling down on her physical space as well.
The original Waterfront Framing opened 20 years ago on April 30, 2001 under long-time owners Diane & Ned Wollenslegel, who spent 18 years investing in downtown St. Joe and crafting the framing and fine-art shop into what many locals and visitors have come to know as one of the best in Michigan’s Great Southwest.
As Valerie says, “These two local legends are my heroes! They made a commitment to downtown St. Joe when they first opened, and worked tirelessly to build it to what it is today. Two years ago, they allowed me the honor of purchasing their amazing business knowing it would morph into a different version of itself, but always with the intention of keeping the same amazing craftsmanship and customer service our customers have come to know and expect.”
Reality is, most of us likely wouldn’t have even known the transition of ownership had taken place with the Wollenslegel’s continuing to work with and support Byrnes during the renovation of the existing storefront, the addition of new artisan décor and furnishings, and now the expansion to the space next door.
Inside that expansion, which more than doubles the physical footprint of Waterfront Framing & Design, you’ll find an artistically styled boutique, while will be skillfully curated and operated by Byrnes daughter, Emily who is relocating this month from Battle Creek to establish her new b. grace boutique.
Byrnes notes, “The custom framing business has continued to see an increase in volume over the past year and my goal is to add additional artwork to create a gallery feel at Waterfront Framing & Design. It will allow us to stay laser focused on framing and get creative with our lines of artwork. That being said, I immediately saw the new space as an opportunity to be playful with artistically curated pieces to include furniture, home décor, paper goods, clothing and accessories that complement what is already offered by downtown retailers.”
Anchored to the ultimate goal of being a part of a community-wide shopping experience for local residents and visitors, the new space housing b.grace boutique will be managed by Emily Byrnes crafting the mother/daughter dynamo management team.
The Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber hosted a formal Ribbon Cutting ceremony at the joint venture tonight and the stores will officially launch together beginning tomorrow, Thursday, May 20th through Saturday the 22nd.
You can shop Waterfront Framing & Design Monday through Thursday 10:00 am until 5:30 pm, or Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm with extended summer hours between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Valerie Byrnes is excited for the new venture, telling us, “I am very thrilled. Emily has a real creative spirit. So, while I like to think I’m creative and artistic on this side of the house, I think she’ll really lend a youthful spirit to b. grace boutique.” She admits, “The expansion itself is something that was kind of unplanned, but timing is everything and in small business, sometimes you pivot on a dime and we were able to do that with Jim and Sue Riemland (the building owners) giving us the opportunity to kind of go right through to the next phase. It doubled our footprint.”
Regarding what you’ll find in the house, Valerie says, “We actually have a line of what we like to call sort of upcycled clothing that will be artistically done and painted, that could also sort of fit with the whole line of art, but our real goal is to really be solid and stable with the framing and continue to grow that, as we’re seeing that just blossom, but also bring people downtown and give them one more shopping experience.”
While the framing shop was a destination attraction, Valerie says, “If people weren’t having something framed, they didn’t always know they could come in and explore, so my goal is to get art into people’s hands whether that’s wearable art or for their wall or as we are finding post-COVID that people are really staying true to memories, and things that are really touching their emotions and they’re bringing those things in to be framed. Now this gives them another reason to explore downtown.”
The pandemic has actually helped spark business for Waterfront, as Valerie tells us, “A lot of people are, you know upgrading their own surroundings, after looking at the same four walls over the past year, and my philosophy is to surround yourself with things that you love, the people you love and create an environment that just makes you feel joyful,” while adding, “We’ve all been through so much this past year. It’s just been a tumultuous time and the connectivity with people was really missing, along with that personal experience, so I think people do want to see things on their walls that help them feel those emotions.”
On her side of the house, Emily says, “This is b. grace boutique and it is my line of clothing, and I’m learning to sew, but in the meantime I’m curating this look, that’s a new beach theme.” She adds, “Being in a beach town I’m just excited to see how things play out.”
Emily says she actually originally started her boutique in a shipping container in Battle Creek, and says, “It was only like maybe 150 square feet, and I completely started from the ground up, learning as quickly as possible both what works and what not to do, and I think I’m definitely going to find a sweet spot here.”
Emily says her plan is to invite the new age and a new wave of customers because, “Ned and Diane had such a nice established customer base when it comes to fancy art, and I kind of want to cater to the younger side of things and have a price point that works for the younger generation decorating their home and finding their style.”
Regarding the new adventure of working side-by-side with her mother’s shop, Emily says, “I think our tastes meld really well and it’s kind of a beautiful dance of ours between her look and my style and I think they are just very cohesive. She has a wide range from the antique look of things in the retro-style which is coming back but then also with a modern take on it. On the b. Grace Boutique side of the house, we have a little bit of everything.”
By way of example, Emily points to a line of clothing that’s ethically-sourced, made by women in Africa, and while they’re a bit more expensive, the money is going to a good cause and she feels people really feel good about supporting those women through fair-trade channels. “Meanwhile,” she adds, “we’re just really finding the right source, and finding people who are locally-based. We’re using a lot of local art and we’re actually working on taking people’s artwork and putting those works on our clothing, so I think there will be a lot of fun flavors mixed in.”
Describing the styles you can expect from b. grace boutique, Emily says, “We are doing a lot of clean-cut to very simple things for everyday wear, like jeans and pants that you match up with a flair of style with perhaps a patterned jacket style. We do have basics for everybody, whether it’s a basic top or basic pants, but then you’ll find some really unique pieces as well but they are things you won’t find at your local shopping mall.”
Like Waterfront, you can shop Monday through Thursday, 10 to 5:30 and then Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 5:00. But, as Valeries noted, “Once Memorial Day hits through Labor Day, we’re going to do seven days a week for the first time in many, many years here and, and extend the hours a little bit later in the evening to accommodate tourists.”
For more information on Waterfront Framing &Design, click: http://facebook.com/waterfrontframing or call 269-982-3470.
For more information on b. grace boutique, click: https://www.facebook.com/bgraceboutiquestjoe
