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Date: 11/9/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – Inside an unassuming old, white building on Shaker Road, a trove of treasures awaits. Sturdy furniture, some fabrics and kitschy bric-a-brac make The Living Room a one-of-a-kind shopping experience in East Longmeadow.
Owner Chrissy Fazio opened The Living Room Oct. 1 and the encouragement from the community has been “incredible,” Fazio said. While the experience has been “a slow build,” word of mouth has been buzzing, she said. While she used to sell antiques at the Brimfield Flea Market, this is Fazio’s first experience as a small business owner.
Fazio said she developed a love of antiques and collectibles from her mother, an interior designer.
“If I see a tag sale or flea market, I have to stop,” Fazio said. Furniture made during her parents’ generation was “so much more durable. A good, solid piece of furniture can have a million lives,” she added.
Before opening the shop, Fazio had furniture and other antiques filling every spare spot in her home, as well as at her mother’s house. “There’s always folks going through different stages of life,” getting rid of some items and looking for others, she said.
The people who love antiques and collectibles are a “small group,” Fazio said, and she will keep an eye out for pieces that customers are seeking. If an item in the shop does not sell within a few weeks, Fazio rotates the stock and brings in different objects and pieces of furniture.
The shop, which was once a house, has a series of interconnected rooms.
“I’m a big believer in letting the space dictate what goes there,” Fazio told Reminder Publishing.
The main room has two large, plush couches surrounded by everything from hatboxes and birdcages and to an old-fashioned globe. The couches are the only thing not for sale because Fazio wanted the shop to be inviting and cozy feeling. Moving from room to room, each space is filled with different objects. While the rooms are not themed, Fazio said they are curated to make the most of the space. Even a small former bathroom has been repurposed to hold socks with kitschy sayings, among other products.
Fazio’s shop does not exclusively sell antiques. The Living Room has modern magnets, mugs and knickknacks.
“I’m not drawn to something because it’s a King Louis,” Fazio said, referring to the large, ornate furniture of the late 1600s as an example. “I like what I like.” She added, “I didn’t want to have all antiques. Some people don’t like antiques.”
The Living Room has partnered with “some great local ladies,” that craft in town. One person crochets pumpkins, another quilts and yet another makes candles. “It’s been really amazing to see all these different women and have their stuff come into the store,” Fazio said.
Fazio likes to carry items that are useful, as well as beautiful. “Anything with a good set of bones,” she said. In keeping with that idea, she incorporated plants into her store by selecting antique containers in which to place them. She said they make wonderful housewarming gifts.
Gifts are the essence of The Living Room. Fazio decided to open The Living Room when she realized, “Something that’s sorely missed in East Longmeadow is a good gift shop.” She described her shop as somewhere a person can stop on the way to a gathering, find just the right item, have it wrapped and be on their way.
The Living Room is located at 95 Shaker Rd. and is open Thursday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, from 12 to 4 p.m.