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Shop Has All The Charms Of Home

Markowitz story. STAFF photo by ROBERT BURKE / Tampa Tribune.

Frances Hereford helped start Southern Grace, selling seasonal gifts and home accessories in an old home on U.S. 41 which opened in 2004.

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By ELAINE MARKOWITZ Tribune correspondent

Published: November 24, 2007

Updated: 11/22/2007 02:33 am

RUSKIN - The neat gray structure on U.S. 41 no longer houses a family, but it does have all the charms of home.

Once the home of longtime Ruskin residents Lyle and Margie Dickman, the frame house now holds an array of magical wonders. The roaming eye will spot whimsical fairies, glittering nautical tree ornaments, hundreds of candles and silk floral arrangements for the holidays. The scent of pumpkin spice wafts from room to room.

Welcome to Southern Grace.

In 2004 Frances Hereford of Ruskin and her neighbor Pam Justice opened Southern Grace, a shop selling gifts and home accessories. They felt a need for this shop.

"Every time I wanted something decorative I had to drive to Brandon, Tampa or Sarasota," Hereford said one recent morning in her store, adding that fanciful and unusual articles for the home were limited in the South Shore area.

Justice subsequently moved to Texas, but Hereford, through trial and error, continues to learn the tricks of the trade, from buying to decorating to marketing. Mainly, she wants to offer South Shore residents a place to find a bit of whimsy, beauty or holiday spirit they might not find elsewhere.

She said she knew little about running a business when the two women started.

"We just put some money into it and took off," she said. "If you think through it too much you might not do it."

The women did take some steps important to running that type of store. Hereford said they spoke to others in the retail business and learned about essentials and where to buy merchandise. Hereford shops twice a year in Atlanta.

"That's the biggest market," she said. "They have everything there."

Occasionally, if something catches her fancy, she purchases objects on consignment from local artists or their representatives.

The store offers a feast for the eyes of potential clients, who might notice that Christmas has come to Southern Grace a little early. The former breezeway holds trees with glittering ornaments and tables with scented candles.

Room after room lures visitors with a bit of magic. The kitchen features shelves of tasty sauces, festive dips, cheese spreads and other food-related items for the holiday season.

The living and dining rooms teem with Christmas trees, each one having a theme. Ornamental balls on one tree offer patriotism with swirls of painted red, white and blue flags.

Other trees include a presidential theme, a Gator tree with University of Florida memorabilia, and a Gasparilla tree from which hangs pirate fare. Several trees feature collectibles. From one hang the whimsical fairy ornaments of artist Mark Roberts, who created a tomato fairy for Ruskin.

Nonseasonal items are scattered throughout the shop. Three collections of candles are on display, including the Archipelago candles made from soy, which leaves no soot.

"You can actually put the melted wax right on your hands," Hereford said.

Tea accessories, jewelry and fiberglass starfish offer interesting options to holiday items.

In the back of the store, Hereford's workshop is awash in twigs, silk and glass vases. Here she decorates wreaths and swags with silk flowers. She has help, including that of Kim Bauer of Sun City Center.

"She is wonderful with displays," Hereford said in praise of her helper.

Bauer finds joy in other tasks as well. "I particularly love making floral arrangements out of silk," she said.

Both women have learned the art of arranging by hands-on experience.

Because Hereford's business is just 3 years old, she said she faces challenges in getting the word out. She has taken some steps, though, including advertising in local papers, offering coupons as part of packets sent to new residents, and holding open houses. This year she held three in early November.

"I also hold private shopping gatherings for small numbers of people," she said, "sometimes in response to a request from an organization."

Sales have perked up.

"This year, I've had a steady customer base," she said. "It's enough to keep me excited."

Hereford, the former president of both the Ruskin Chamber of Commerce and the Ruskin Woman's Club, has her eye on the future. Several ideas are brewing.

Her son, Bill, is helping plan the next steps. One is offering UPS to customers, even if the items to be shipped were purchased elsewhere. He oversees that service from the workshop.

His mother also hopes to develop a Web site and to use eBay, a vehicle for auctioning products through the Internet. Bill Hereford will implement both of those plans.

Southern Grace Gifts and Home Accessories is at 301 U.S. 41 S. in Ruskin. For information, call (813) 641-0004.

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