ANDERSONVILLE — An independently-owned home goods shop and interior design studio is opening in the heart of Andersonville.
Norcross and Scott Home, 1476 W. Berwyn Ave., will officially open March 13, selling everything from candles and colored pencils to modern, clean furniture, including a leather desk lamp and a Michael Weiss sofa.
"Our goal is to find emerging makers and designers who are creating interesting things that you do not see every day," co-owner Amanda Norcross said. "I really want people to walk in here and pick up something and say, 'This is so unusual and beautiful.'"
The small shop, which has less than 600 square feet of space, is packed with home goods to choose from. Prices range from $30 and under for items like a candle, pack of notepads or a set of colored pencils to $3,450 for the Weiss-designed sofa.
"We spent a lot of time trying to find objects and accessories that are fresh to Chicago," Norcross said.
The store carries candles by Chicago-based Le Feu de Le’eau, which are inspired by "fantasy candles" used in the late 1960s. Shoppers will also find ceramics by Shino Takeda Ceramic and metal trophy heads made by Los Angeles-based Bend Goods, among many other items. For a list of brands, visit the shop's website.
Norcross, 42, handles the retail side of the business while co-owner Scott Paterek, who has 20 years of interior design experience, runs the interior design services, which include helping clients form ideas for a room and selecting color schemes, furniture and everything in between. He will work with clients in the back corner of the shop, she said.
Originally from Petoskey, Mich., Norcross studied art history as an undergrad and earned her master's degree in historic preservation from the School of the Art Institute. She went on to work in preservation consulting for eight years before deciding to open the shop. All along she's maintained an interest in how "things look visually."
When the pair started talking about opening a shop together, "the timing just felt right," Norcross said.
Even though Norcross lives in Lincoln Square with her husband and two children, she has always believed Andersonville was the natural location for her shop.
"I've always felt, from shopping here, that it's a real cohesive retail community," she said.
In fact, they looked at a couple other buildings that didn't end up working out, but they kept looking in Andersonville because they were "totally dedicated" to operating out of the neighborhood. The building they ended up in used to house an attorney and an accountant, Norcross said.
The North Side neighborhood is known for its small local businesses. Brokerage site Redfin named Andersonville the hottest neighborhood in the city and the seventh hottest in the country this year.
"We don't want to be next to a Club Monaco," said Norcross, who added that she's "honored" to be a part of a community that celebrates its small businesses.
The shop will be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays and by appointment only on Mondays. For more information, visit the shop's website.
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