Main Street location continues to draw new businesses

By Kiri Lanice Walton, Staff Writer

An economic slowdown is not stopping new businesses from opening their doors in the highly desirable shopping district of downtown Franklin.
Two of the businesses making their homes on Main Street are Lulu, a youthful home décor store, and Avec Moi, a vintage and home décor store.

Lulu
Lulu is full of vibrant colors. You can find everything from high-gloss hot pink dresser and matching headboards to dining tables or pillows or candles with intricate designs on the lids.

It is difficult to not want to take home the entire store, regardless of age.

Teresa Ofman, owner of Lulu, was intentional in making the store one where a woman of any age could walk in and fall in love.
“I decided in January that I wanted to pursue my own shop,” Ofman said.

“Location was everything,” said Ofman, who just happened to pass by what was once Magic Memories and see a small sign in the window.

After securing the location, there were not many other challenges for Ofman who had quite a bit of inventory stocked up and knowledge of certain brands and lines that she loved already, including many favorites from France. She once had a boutique within a boutique in the Franklin Marketplace on Third Avenue North.

She said Lulu is “a definite lifestyle store” created for those living “a casually elegant lifestyle.”

“I love elegance,” Ofman said, adding that the store is full of things can be enjoyed and used every day.

Lulu is a nickname for her grandmother as well as what her mother-in-law would hum softly to Ofman’s children as she rocked them to sleep.

She said the name of the store is a dedication to the ladies in her life.
“I love dishes. I love to cook, and I love dishes,” Ofman said.

Ofman also has other names she uses, like “gifty little happies.” She’s hip enough to create her own vernacular which is incredibly fitting once you have a chance to look at the brightly colored store filled with furniture as well as “gifty little happies” that you know your best friend would love, your boss could put this in their office, etc.

In an economic climate of today, Lulu allows women and the men in their lives to have a chance to escape and buy a little something for themselves or others without breaking the bank.

“All price points are covered,” Ofman said. It’s “bright and happy fun” in a “little niche.”
“With the economy the way it is, it presented opportunities. It was a time I could really pursue what I wanted to do,” Ofman said.

“Pursue something you love,” Ofman said. “There are opportunities.”
Ofman is aware that opening her own store could have posed many more challenges, however, she was receptive to walking through the doors that opened before her regardless of the economic climate.
There was a bit of an obstacle doing it on her own, but she said she was prepared and because she is an empty nester, she had more time to devote to her dream.

“Life, I feel like, takes you where you’re supposed to go. I definitely took a leap of faith.”
Ofman is aware of her strengths and of the current trends. She understands that while people may not be buying a new home, they will purchase new décor to give their home a makeover. People are still getting married and having children, and they still want chic pieces that they love around them in their homes.

Though Ofman keeps a finger on the fashion industry, she said she is able to put her own spin on things as well.
“Franklin is such a unique place,” Ofman said.
“I love to help people decorate. I’m always open to what they want and need. I love Franklin. I love the people.”

Avec Moi
At Avec Moi, individuals can find a little bit of everything.
There are travel accessories, linens, vintage furniture and décor. The product assortment, which changes regularly, makes a stroll into Avec Moi a new experience each time.

Avec Moi owner Bob Roethemeyer admitted that the heavenly scent that fills the store is from Bathos next door, though the store’s unique candles emit a scent that is just as pleasant.

Everything in the store is for sale, including the antique cases in which items are stored.
The store opened with a champagne preview party on April 3.

For Roethemeyer, the timing of opening his own store “was just more personal,” he said.
He turned 50 in December. He joked that he realized, “I need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.”
After spending about 33 years learning the ins and outs of retail business, he decided that he had all the skills and talent needed for his own store.

“It’s about relationships in business,” Roethemeyer said. “That connection is really with the individual who works in the store.”
He said he’s ready for that connection to be with Avec Moi. “On Main Street, it’s kind of like being on stage.”
From his more than three decades of work experience in retail, he has learned that people enjoy shopping in places that are affordable, offer service and value,” where they are  “being treated well in a clean environment.”

On the topic of pricing, Roethemeyer said,  “it’s not simply just the price tag,” adding that an individual could come out of Avec Moi under $30.

Like Ofman, it had a lot to do with location.
“I doubt I would have done it, had it not been on Main Street,” he said. “I never want to do business anywhere but (Franklin),” said Roethemeyer.

It was “arduous” going from cold calling the number on the for rent sign to moving into the location next to Bathos.
“It was very competitive for that space,” Roethemeyer said. He said he is excited for the opening of the Franklin Theatre and the great mix of merchants in downtown Franklin.

He had begun working hard on his new store, and after six weeks, still could not determine a fitting name for it.
“I wanted it to be French. A friend of mine said all the French she knew she learned from Miss Piggy.” He was aware that French can be intimidating for some people.
Avec Moi means “with me.”

“I think it’s appropriate that if you’re in the shop, you’re with me,” Roethemeyer said.
He said he is amazed at the repeat business he has already seen and is anticipating it just getting better with time as well as with the mix of new shops opening on Main Street and the rejuvenation of the Franklin Theater.

“If you open in the worst of times, you can only go up,” Roethemeyer said. “I want to be just a great specialty gift shop…I just want it better every year.”




 

Posted on: 7/2/2009