Hello! I’ve been wanting to talk about this since Thursday… Did you see the article in last week’s Washington Post Home section about family-friendly interiors? It was really well done and very comprehensive. The tips were spot on!

I especially agree with the thought that good-quality furnishings that can be refinished or recovered over time are better than flimsy new pieces.

It is better for your pocketbook and the environment if you buy something that can be used again once it has outgrown it’s intended purpose.

They give an example of a pine kitchen island as a changing table in a baby’s room - can I just tell you… that is exactly what I did four and a half years ago when my son was born. Now my daughter is using it. Great minds think alike! When she is out of diapers - hopefully VERY soon! - I’ll clean it up and use it somewhere else in my house. Maybe in the kitchen… or maybe not. : )

I could go on and on about the article, but you should read it for yourself. I think it sums up a new style of thinking for the whole home, whether you have kids or not. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Speaking of tips… Please take a look at Vintage Indie’s blog. She very kindly asked us to write some design tips on how to mix old and new. We were very honored to contribute. You can view the three-part series here, here and here. It’s a great blog with really neat handcrafted features. I hope you find my tips helpful as well!

Finally, I wanted to give you a proverbial heads up about an upcoming sale. Beginning February 1, all upholstered pieces on the sales floor will be discounted 25%. And, if that weren’t enough, we are giving 15% off all upholstery special orders. Oh, and there will be several accessories on sale too. More details to follow. Sign up for our email list for more information and reminders.

That’s it for tonight! Take care, Amy

Now that the holidays are over it’s time to start thinking about furniture! My mom and I are itching to get back on the antiques trail. In fact starting this week we will be hitting all our favorite haunts. So, I wanted to put this out to you all… If you have anything in particular that you are looking for, please feel free to email us or post to the blog your desires. At the store we keep a “Wish List” for our clients and every time we set out on one of our treasure hunts we take it along. We are happy to hunt for you too just let us know what it is that you need. Although not as life altering as pairing an orphan child with a new family, it is tremendously gratifying to pair someone with just the right piece for their home. : )

Speaking of wishes, if you are in need of a dining table we just brought in a wonderful old Heart-of-Pine farm table. We also brought in an antique shipping crate that is really unique. It would make great storage and a neat console table. Finally, we brought in a beautiful farm-table-come-coffe-table. Mom and Dad were able to save this little table that we bought at a recent flea market. I love the look of an old table used as a coffee table. However, I’m the last person to cut the legs off of anything in order to accomodate my antique needs. But this little table was a prime candidate for such a thing. The legs were damaged irreparably so we felt no remorse in cutting off the legs to make an extremely handsome piece of furniture. I think you will love it once you see it! Those two are miracle workers!

On another note, if you have a favorite haunt that you would like to share with us, we’d be ever so grateful! Mom and I are always interested in finding new places to shop - no matter the distance from NoVA. We love a good road trip!

Thanks everyone and wish us luck out there on the trail! Amy

Hello all! Today we made the papers!

In today’s edition of the Washington Post Express there was a great article about Home Decor in 2008. It was very cheeky and full of great advice! I especially loved the reference to desperate Tennessee Williams characters and the correlation made between the chair-and-a-half phenomenon and the obesity crisis. Brilliant! Here is a link to the article in case you didn’t get your copy on the way to work today.

Oh yeah, that’s me on the paprika sofa. Yikes! Family and friends agree, the furniture looks good! So, it’s not the photographer’s fault that I look like that. : ) Preston had to reassure me that I’m just not that photogenic. I don’t think she would lie to me…. My mug staring blandly back at me aside, it’s a great article and I’m terribly grateful to Jennifer Barger for, one, including us and, two, making me sound articulate. When we spoke I rattled on about the demise of Shabby Chic and poorly painted white furniture. Kind of glad she didn’t use that.

I would like to point out that we carry a couple of things mentioned in the article. We have the Thomas Paul pillows mentioned in #7 and the Wooden Stag Head mentioned in #5. Both are fantastic and really add a chic touch to any home.

I hope you will stop by the store and check out those things and the items in the photo - there is another row of four presidential pics that didn’t make the shot. This little vignette looks great! I think you will like it.

Take care and Happy New Year!

In the spirit of the giving season we have extended the 20% discount on any one item in the store to Xmas Eve!

Everyone has been so supportive of the store that we wanted to say thank you! It’s not much, but we hope you know how much we appreciate your business, your referrals to friends and your kind words of encouragement.

Thanks and we hope to see you soon! Amy

We have two kids and my favorite part of the day is when all four of us climb in my son’s bed to read bedtime stories.

It’s a nightly ritual. Each child picks a book and then I read it. And, only me, because my kids like it best when I read to them. (I have to say that I take great pleasure in this fact!)

Our library consists of the classics like Where the Wild Things Are (my personal favorite) and the soon-to-be classics like Knuffle Bunny. It is ever expanding. I take a lot of pride in my children’s love of books. My two-year-old daughter loves them so much that she even takes a book to bed with her!

At least I’m doing one thing right…

Because books are such a big part of our family, it was really important to include them in the store. Just in the last two weeks we have received oodles of great children’s books! Here are just a few of our titles…

• Where the Wild Things Are (of course!)
• Madeline, Madeline’s Rescue, Madeline in London
• The Giving Tree (my other favorite!)
• Cowboy Small
• This is New York, This is Paris, This is Rome, This is London
• Corduroy (Preston’s favorite!)
• Kitten’s First Full Moon
• Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
• Blueberries for Sal (Sara’s favorite!)
• Yummy Yucky (Will’s favorite!)
• and Goodnight Gorilla (Kate’s favorite!)

Children’s books are so personal. They teach so many important lessons and are filled with so many memories.

As we opened the boxes to find these treasures, we found ourselves sharing our fondest recollections. Preston spoke of reading Corduroy at her grandparents house each time she visited. Sara told tales of visits to Maine and reading Blueberries for Sal on her mother’s lap. And, I spoke of making memories with my kids every night.

If you have a special memory or a favorite book, we would LOVE to hear about it! This weekend is the big Scottish Walk in Old Town. If you are in town come by and share. If I can find the book I would be happy to add it to our shelves… and to my library at home!

Warm regards, Amy

Looking for a new couch but don’t want to feel guilty about clearcutting old-growth forests, polluting waterways with toxic chemicals or stuffing landfills with cushions that will take eons to biodegrade?

Then stop by and check out our line of Cisco Brothers furniture.

In 2006, this Los Angeles-based furniture company made a conscious decision to use only Forest Stewardship Council certified wood in its upholstered furniture. Earlier this year, the company announced that all of its styles would be available in its “Inside Green” method of sustainable construction. Inside Green uses non-toxic materials such as water-based glues, natural latex foam, and hemp. All of its materials come prewashed in phosphates-free detergents. And, premium natural wool batting makes the collection completely hypo-allergenic.

“By offering all three-hundred-plus Cisco Brothers styles in Inside Green construction, we make sustainability available on a scale you can’t get anywhere else,” says Francisco Pinedo, CEO and founder of Cisco Brothers. “Best of all, when you choose Cisco Brothers, you don’t have to compromise on beauty and quality.”

Come into Red Barn Mercantile and see our Cisco Brothers sofas and chairs. Special orders are available.

Treat yourself this holiday season, and don’t Scrooge the environment.

Stop by the store within the next two weeks to give your holidays a fresh old look and save money too.

We just decked the Red Barn with our new holiday decorations and trimmed the trees with some of our vintage-inspired ornaments. Take a peak at what we’ve got, or come on in to see the entire selection today.

If you shop before December 2, you can take advantage of our 20%-off coupon.

We were barely able to get stuff out of boxes this weekend. The store was packed on Saturday and we were busier than average on Sunday. I hope a trend is forming.

There was only one customer service glitch — my first experience behind the cash register. My apologies again to the very sympathetic woman who had to wait while Amy showed me the ropes. But don’t worry, I’m sure to get plenty of practice during the next few weeks.

Stay tuned for more adventures in retailing …

I just noticed that we’ve been added to WashingtonPost.com’s City Guide. And, we’re also listed in Yahoo Local.

We plan to add ourselves to more online search tools. Any suggestions?

As a new business, we welcome your reviews and hope you could take the time to share your experiences with other potential shoppers. Thanks.

Today is a red letter day for Red Barn. We just got our first mention in the mainstream media and I’m sure it won’t be our last.

The Washington Post got the scoop. You can look for our story on page 2 of the Home section or read it here. The story also included photos of the store and of Amy. Thanks to Meaghan Wolff and the editors of the Post for doing such a great job.

We’re working on placements in other publications. If you’re interested in writing about Red Barn Mercantile, please contact Amy or me.