Photo by by Shawn Arrajj
Photo by by Shawn Arrajj
Photo by by Shawn Arrajj
Photo by by Shawn Arrajj
Photo by by Shawn ArrajjWhen it comes to antique and gift shopping, Tomball and Old Town Spring might come to mind as hotspots for boutiques around north Houston. Now in its second year, the Little Eclectic House is giving Cypress residents the chance to shop locally for one-of-a-kind items.
Owner and founder Shellie McBeth said she wanted to create an environment that made shoppers feel encouraged to explore different ideas related to interior design and home dcor.
"I wanted to encourage women that they could decorate their home on a budget, and I thought the Cypress area needed a little shop that could offer that encouragement," she said.
The shop offers clothes, furniture, gifts and home dcor items among other wares. The friendly nature of the employees at the boutique—which celebrated its one-year anniversary in February—is evident when talking with those who work there and are eager to connect with other members of the community.
"I think there is a personal touch you get in the store," employee Nora Chun said. "It's a place for community. It's a way to keep support within Cypress."
One of the ways Little Eclectic House stands out from other boutiques is apparent in the name of the business, McBeth said. "Eclectic" was specifically chosen for the name to convey what the store seeks to provide to its patrons: variety and items of a distinctive nature.
"There's an excellent variety, but it's not going to be anything mass produced," McBeth said. "What we have is what you see. We have people leave and come back later to buy something they saw earlier because they know it's the only one."
Aside from the retail branch of Little Eclectic House, McBeth also offers her services and advice as a designer, including custom decorating and staging services that involve going to a customer's home and helping with designing. She also works with builders on modeling.
When looking for items to stock her store with, McBeth said she is personally drawn to pieces that mix old and new styles. She said she is also more interested in an item if she can learn the story behind it.
"Anytime I can find out where something came from, what it was used for, it becomes more special to me," she said. "Maybe it's something that someone's great grandparents once had—which was so important to them—but their children move on to smaller home and it gets left behind. I believe those pieces can move on to other families and be meaningful to them. We're always looking for unique things like that."
What you will find
- Antiques
- New furniture
- Clothing
- Jewelry
- Gifts
- Home dcor
The House
The business is in a homestead in Cypress that is more than 100 years old. It was formerly owned by a family that raised six children in it and was sold to Shellie McBeth and sat empty for many years. McBeth went about renovating the house to make it presentable while preserving the character in its hardwood floors and slat-wood walls. The red front doors opened for business in February 2013.
Little Eclectic House
15515 Mueschke Road
Cypress 281-256-6242
Hours: Wed.–Sat. 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
