BY DANA LAVERTY • PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER FIELD up linoleum to turn the bakery into a vintage store— The Lady Next Door moved down the street to 277 Water, just in time to open for last year’ s holiday season.
An unexpected bright side to all of this? The two-story space is filled with light and triple the size of the old store, which original proprietor Sandy Nathanson owned for thirty-six years.
“ This place is so much brighter and open and spacious,” Stulik says.“ Now, you can approach the things versus the things kind of coming at you.”
She’ s whittled down the collection during the move as well. Some things that had been sitting around for four decades got the heave-ho. And she’ s making more space for fine and estate jewelry, sourcing midcentury pottery and stocking the entire second floor with vintage clothing, bags, shoes and accessories. The jewel box of a space is like an antique toy store for adults, with colorful beads and baubles everywhere you look. In one corner, a Tiffany lamp shares space with a black velvet frock shot through with gold embroidery; in another, Hardy Boys books and a vintage tome about folk songs rub shoulders.
Pastel McCoy vases line a sunny window, while a pastry case that once held Bakeshop’ s fresh boules and chocolate chip cookies overflows with fine baubles and gold rings Stulik’ s determined to save from the melt refinery.
Slowly, steadily, Stulik is molding the store into her vision. The pieces are more carefully curated, a little more colorful, a little more … her.
“ This is a chance to define the store for what I want it to be, which has been really
CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE TOP: Christine Stulik, owner of The Lady Next Door in Warren, inside her spacious new store; vintage lamps and house decor; the second floor is devoted to vintage clothing and Stulik’ s treasured hat collection; colorful serving ware and pottery; Stulik’ s pup, Poppy, explores outside the shop; Poppy takes a well-earned nap atop some tastefully curated throws.
great,” she says.“ Sandy will always be a part of it— that’ s how it all started. But I’ m actually making it my own.”
And one thing is certain: If she has her way, she’ ll never again have to think about leaving her beloved quirky, artsy East Bay town near the sea.
“ I tried to move,” she says with a laugh,“ and they pulled me right back. The people coming in and telling me how much the store meant to them here made me double down on Warren. I credit the community 100 percent for keeping the store here.” 🆁
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