Kristen Bailey
BRUNSWICK, ME – Park Row Accents has moved online, bringing its entire catalog of tasteful, unique gifts to a much wider audience.
The Brunswick, Maine retail store has gained a loyal following of repeat customers from the area who are attracted to the store’s hard-to-find home accents and thoughtful gifts – colorful candles, place settings, glassware, pillows, etc.
“With the success of the store and enthusiastic response from our customers, we decided to expand our reach through the web,” said Kristen Bailey, owner of Park Row Accents.
Unique in its navigation, the website is organized by sentiments, rather than by product category. “Our customers shop with someone in mind, not something in mind,” Bailey said. “Shopping by product category leads to feeling overwhelmed by the classic, ‘I don’t know what to het her’ feeling. Our categories like ‘Get Cozy’ and ‘Tie the Knot’ instead reflect the sentiment of why you’re shopping and how you want to make someone feel.”
The site features colorful photography of numerous items by Harpswell photographer Cate Wnek of Full Circle Works.
Park Row Accents also operates as a social enterprise. A portion of the company’s profits will be dedicated to a higher education loan fund to improve employment and education opportunities for single moms and survivors of domestic violence. “We believe that through everyday gift-giving to our friends, sisters, daughters, caregivers, aunts, mothers, we can support and encourage an even-wider network of women to dream big and go for it,” Bailey says.
An offshoot of Park Row Interiors (a custom interior design studio operated by Kristen’s mother and business partner), Park Row Accents is located at 16 Station Avenue in Brunswick, next to the new Amtrack station.
“There’s really no substitute for actually coming in the store and seeing all the colors and touching the items,” said Bailey. “And we like the interaction with customers, helping them find the perfect gift. But since so many people shop online today, we felt it was time to branch out and offer the convenience of shopping at home.”
Bailey says she wants to take the stress out of gift-giving. “It’s hard for people to find toughtful, memorable gifts for anniversaries or weddings,” she says, “something beyond the usual. We strive to offer gifts that stand out, that when people see them on your shelf or dining room table they ask, ‘Where did you get that?’”
The retail store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The online store at www.parkrowaccents.com, which Bailey designed, never closes.
