In the throes of a divorce, Jeri Schultz decided to visit her mother in Pensacola, Florida. The beach’s white sand and blue ocean provided her with a sense of peace and inspired her to name the store she was planning to open, Blu Ivory Home Decor.

When the store opened in Vintage Park on Oct. 22, 2012, it was full of Christmas items for the upcoming holiday season, Schultz said. Although the store continues to sell seasonal decorations, it is also stocked with custom floral arrangements, candles, vases, lamps and bookshelves during the rest of the year.

The store is arranged by color and set up as if each section is a room of a house. None of the items are sold in display cases, but rather placed on tables and bookshelves that are also available for purchase. Schultz calls the aesthetic of the items she sells Tuscan or French farmhouse, meaning the items have a rustic or weathered look.

Schultz also offers interior design help for her customers’ homes. However, she said it is important for customers to add their own personalities to their home decor.

“I do the bonework and say, ‘Add your personality into these nooks,’ and they will fill in the space,” Schultz said.

After five years of operating the store in Vintage Park, Schultz opened a second location in July on Memorial Drive in Houston. The second location sustained flood damage during Hurricane Harvey in late August, which forced Schultz to close the store permanently.

“That whole area was so devastated,” Schultz said. “We were standing around for three weeks watching emergency crews because they still had the street blocked off in front of my store.”

Schultz said she is still recovering from the loss of the Memorial Drive location and does not have plans on opening a second store in the future.

Despite the setback, Schultz has made a career out of owning retail businesses—starting with the used bookstore she owned on Gessner Road and I-10 when she was 22 years old. She said her favorite aspect of being her own boss is the freedom it gives her.

“I have the liberty to be myself,” Schultz said. “I love being with people, [and] I love the conversations we have.”

Blu Ivory Home Decor

138 Vintage Park Blvd., Ste. H, Houston
832-559-7029
www.bluivorydecor.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. noon-4 p.m.