“Women love a little house with a picket fence around it, so that was always my idea of a dream, to have a store,” Thompson said.
The Picket Fences showroom has occupied its present Shenandoah showroom since 2006 with around 11,000 square feet stocked with artwork, furniture, jewelry, kitchenware, bedding, linens, seasonal accents, and premium plant and flower arrangements. While the store first opened with a focus on decorations and florals, Thompson said she later expanded to home decor and eventually gift items available based on her own interests in the products and her customer relationships.
“Crafting has always been something I’ve been interested in ... but really just running the store has always been my favorite part of it,” she said.
Each corner of the store offers a different selection of items to fill customers’ bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms and other areas of the home. Picket Fences also has an in-house floral designer to assist customers with custom plant and flower arrangements for a variety of decorating needs. Thompson said the other home goods within the store are cultivated from vendors both around the world and locally with a focus on offering visitors a select assortment of items not available at larger chains or online.
“One of my biggest things is I want to be unique; I want things that you don’t see everywhere,” Thompson said. “You cannot tell in a catalog the quality of goods. So that’s our customer; our customer wants to still come in and see it in person, and that’s what keeps us alive.”
Picket Fences is open to first-time and experienced decorators, and the store also offers staff consultations for those seeking assistance on how to arrange their home. Members of the shop’s design team are available for in-home decorating visits to go over customers’ needs and give recommendations for new furniture and accents to warm a home.One of Picket Fences’ specialties is seasonal and holiday offerings, including its signature holiday open house, which took place this year Nov. 6-7. As fall and winter roll around, the store is stocked with products ranging from cloth pumpkins to Christmas trees and ornaments for those looking to add to their holiday decor.
Thompson said she hopes to maintain the store’s selection of home products and gifts given the positive response she has received based on her ever-evolving inventory.
“As far as adding new categories or anything, I think we just keep rolling with what works. Different product, newness in product, but the same categories,” she said.
19193 I-45 N., Shenandoah
281-465-4144
www.picketfencesdecor.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sun.
