For Janie Bolton, the sad day is coming up fast.
In one week, Bolton’s Around The Block interior design store at 3308 West McGraw Street will close after serving the Magnolia community for 22 years.
Bolton said she doesn’t have anything special planned for the last day quite yet. But she hopes old friends drop by to say goodbye.
“I’d love to see people drop by on Aug. 31 for a hug here at the bitter end,” Bolton said. “My husband said that my shopping days are over. That makes me the most nervous.”
Bolton says she’s grateful she got to live out one of her dreams of owning a store.
“I have been able to do what I wanted to do for 22 years,” Bolton said. “I feel fortunate.”
Originally housed in a small shop on Lynn Street, Around The Block originally opened in 1989 in 200 square-foot space that didn’t have running water or a bathroom. She stayed for more than eight years, building up a clientele that enjoyed Bolton’s taste in everything from interior decorating, to linens to Christmas ornaments.
In 1997, she moved to her current location on McGraw Street, a 2,700-square-foot shop that is more than 10 times the size of her original store.
“Everyone asked me how would I possibly fill it up?,” Bolton said. “I just said not to worry.”
She did fill it up. Often inspired by things she would see on trips with her husband, Lee, Bolton was always looking for something new to bring to the store. Along the way the variety of her products increased, offering everything from furniture to jewelry to accessories for around the house.
“We always tried to create a warm environment for people to come in and visit,” Bolton said. “We wanted it to be a place you could come and enjoy the holidays.”
Bolton used to scatter sparkle material outside her door on the sidewalk during the holidays to make the area more festive.
“Other shop owners would sometimes complain that they were getting sparkle material all over their floors and I would just say, ‘Oh, well.’ ”
Another famous aspect of her store was her late “shop dog” Gilly, a bearded collie, who passed away a few years ago that Bolton described as her guardian angel. Gilly loved people and had just the perfect disposition to be a shop dog, but there was one thing that Gilly couldn’t stand: the UPS truck. Whenever the truck would come near the shop or deliver a package, Gilly would go wild.
A number of factors played into her decision to close, but certainly the economic downturn was a major reason. While she will miss making friends, setting up her store and shopping for new products, Bolton won’t miss cleaning up and dealing with the financial stress she has faced in recent years.
Bolton’s lease was up in September and so she decided it was a good time to make a change. Bolton said she still has furniture, linen and even Christmas ornaments available. She also plans to continue her interior design business and work with customers who want to remodel. She also must plan her daughter Sarah’s upcoming marriage. When asked what she’ll miss most, Bolton said it will be the people who come into her store.
“They aren’t just customers, they are my friends,” I’ll miss them very much”
When asked if this really is the end of her shopping days, she said, “I’ll figure out something, don’t you worry.”
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