A Legacy Shared
04 Jun 2019
Customer service and the right brands help transform a frame shop into a mecca of home accessories and jewelry
By Mary Ann Manning Photos by Mollie Tobias
Jayne Rhodes’ vision of a store filled with art, antiques and custom framing has become a legacy for future generations. Jayne opened Framer’s Cottage in Southern Pines in 2001. The store caught on, and soon grew to include new furniture, lamps and home décor. In 2003, with the addition of Pandora Jewelry, Framer’s Cottage morphed into a jewelry destination, and last year, was voted among the top three local jewelry stores in the annual Best of The Pines survey.
Eventually, the busy store ran out of room for custom framing, so bid farewell to that portion of the business in 2016. However, the Framer’s Cottage name remains as a reminder of the store’s original vision.
As the customer base and inventory grew, Jayne’s daughter, Lindsay Rhodes, came on board in 2005. Lindsay fulfilled a stronger role in the business for the eight years leading up to her mother’s retirement in 2016. Three years later, the store thrives under Lindsay’s care, aided by several longtime, dedicated staff members including store manager Carolyn Wilkins. Lindsay credits her employees’ commitment to their customers as the key to the store’s success.
“We have dedicated employees who we consider friends first. Carolyn and I both are strongly focused on customer service. We have always prided ourselves on strong relationships with our customers, and that’s a big part of what makes our shop special,” Lindsay noted.
The store’s two spacious showrooms sit in the heart of Southern Pines’ vibrant shopping district. Customers stepping in the front door will find every nook and cranny teeming with interesting merchandise. A selection of fashionable handbags, scarves and travel bags anchors a back corner of the room. Interspersed throughout are trendy displays of jewelry, including the full line of Pandora, which the store has carried since the company first debuted its jewelry in the United States market.
Customers will also find MMD Jewelry created by a Pinehurst artist and dentist, and Alex and Ani, a Rhode Island-based company that produces a line of bracelets and other meaningful jewelry. The Ronaldo jewelry line is another good seller.
“The Ronaldo bracelets all have their own meaning,” Lindsay explains. “It’s a beautiful line.”
Additional jewelry brands include Susan Shaw, Canvas, and a store favorite, Uno de 50 from Madrid, Spain. Interspersed throughout are soaps, candles, figurines, lamps, whimsical towels and signs, and furniture.
A collection of tables, sofas, chairs, lamps and decorative items beckons customers to browse the back showroom. Lindsay and Carolyn travel to furniture markets in High Point and Atlanta four times a year to find new and different items to fill this bright, airy space.
“We pick what we find appealing at the markets,” Lindsay noted. Using this philosophy, they have gathered an eclectic and always changing group of furnishings representing many styles and decors.
Finally, there are the lamps. Lights in all shapes, sizes, styles and colors sit prominently among the furniture displays. Many are set off by stylish, original shades in interesting shapes.
“People tell us it’s hard to find good lamps,” Lindsay said. “In response to that demand, we carry beautiful, one-of-a-kind lamps that are like art. You won’t find these lamps anywhere else.”
Framer’s Cottage is committed to giving their customers a pleasant and friendly shopping experience, and they strive to provide the distinctive gift items their customers seek.
“People are always looking for unique gifts. We try to offer a wide selection of different items in all of our lines, from jewelry to lamps to gifts to furniture,” Lindsay said. “We guarantee your happiness and satisfaction and even wrap your gift – so you won’t have to!”
Lindsay describes herself as “one of the rarest of the rare,” ― a Southern Pines native. “I grew up wandering downtown Southern Pines with my school friends before its renaissance into what it is today,” she says. “It was a far cry from the bustling shopping oasis we now enjoy.”
Honored to take over her mother’s dream child, Lindsay hopes that she too can someday pass the store onto her own children. A legacy shared. 162 NW Broad St, Southern Pines, 910-246-2002.
