Anne-Marie Lindsey, Shopkeeper & Treasure Seeker at Lillian Welch

Anne-Marie Lindsey, shopkeeper, treasure seeker at Lillian Welch

November signifies the dawn of Bungalow U™, an online community of trail-blazing entrepreneurs full of grace, grit and gumption. At the heart of each month is a theme that guides members through trainings, mentoring, coaching and inspiring stories from experts in various fields of study centered around small business building.  The goal of Bungalow U™ is to help as many amazing, talented souls as possible create, nurture and grow a lifestyle business that allows them to live the life of their dreams. “Building a Community” is the befitting theme of November. Not only am I building the community within Bungalow U™, but it’s also where you begin when first starting a business. You identify your vibe and then find your tribe.  Anne-Marie Lindsey was chosen as the lead-off co-host for many reasons, but foremost because she is a connector within our community.

Her shop, smack dab in the heart of historic downtown Frisco, Texas, is as much her’s as it is ours. We claim it. We talk about it. We go in just to visit. And we adore and are connected to Anne-Marie. If we could all glean just a bit of her ability to build up those around her this world would be a vastly different place.

Tomorrow, November 1, 2017 at 10 am, I’ll be interviewing her live within the Bungalow U™ private Facebook group, but first, here is her bio as only she could tell it.  I’m humbled to call her my friend and it is my honor to introduce my our first Bungalow U™ co-host. I give you, Ms. Anne-Marie Lindsey, owner of the most gorgeous store in Frisco, Texas, Lillian Welch.

What are you most passionate about professionally? Personally?

It sounds quite simple, but my favorite part of what I do is sharing things I love with everyone that walks into the shop…a lifelong obsession with all things lovely!

Personally…Creating a home—it is something that I know I will be working at for a lifetime and that thought is thrilling!

What would you do even if you didn’t get paid to do it?

Exactly what I am doing now! It is all I have ever wanted to do…I suppose I could stay quite busy going around offering to run shops and decorate homes at no charge! Ha!

What are you surprisingly good at?

Singing. Kidding! Finding treasure—beautiful things, products that delight, furniture, linens, lighting, mirrors, all things lovely…things just speak to me…sometimes things even find me! I also invented a little something, but I can’t share it just yet…I’m still figuring how to patent it 😉

What’s the biggest proof that you’re good at what you do?

Client feedback and the number of tissues I buy each month for the shop.  The thoughtful words that clients have taken the time to post, send in cards, and share with me in (and out of!) the shop are of immeasurable valuable.  I cannot begin to put into words what I feel when someone takes the time to share how the shop makes them feel or how much they love what they have purchased.  And then there are the tissues: I don’t know how or why I earned the privilege of clients and perfect strangers sharing their lives in such a personal way (their heartaches and struggles, their secrets, their testimonies, their joys, their dreams…I could go on), but it has been the greatest privilege of my life.  Many of these clients have become dear friends, while, some of them, I have never seen again.  I think both ways are completely perfect. This is the reason I could never completely remove myself from daily shop life—imagine what blessings I would miss!

How long have you been working in your field?

In my dreams it feels like forever.  Lillian Welch was founded in 2013 (the year I turned 30) and I opened the storefront in 2015…2 years of buying, mothering, homemaking and completing a Master’s that I don’t exactly use happened in the in-between.  Before all of that, I spent years in and out of retail and merchandising. 

What’s your biggest accomplishment?

Being a mother, for sure! And learning to (truly) love and be loved in return.  Who knew that would be such a challenge for me?! Aside from the mothering and the romance, building friendships that I feel could last a lifetime are what I am bursting with delight over…the shop has been the foundation for many of these, and that was something I never expected.  It has been my greatest delight! 

How does your education connect to your professional career?

Not one bit! Well, maybe one tiny bit…I did spend three years of college pursuing Interior Design and Home Furnishings Merchandising majors, but it was all rather half-heartedly.  I found myself in Education after having my son and now have a handful of Education-related diplomas.  Now I teach clients about beautiful linens…I suppose that translates! What about personal experiences? My most significant personal experience (aside from the countless hours and dollars invested in decorating books and magazines—and later, blogs and online courses) was working at The Chartreuse Pear for my dearest friend and mentor, Brenda Lee.  She taught me all her ways.  I could go further into that; but, I might never stop typing. If you need to kill 8 hours, call me, and I will tell you all about Brenda Lee and the glorious Chartreuse Pear.

What problems do you consistently solve for your clients?

I hope that I solve the confusion of the “shoulds”: what they should buy, how they should decorate, what their style should be…those shoulds lead to so much frustration, anxiety, money spent, and time well wasted.  The only should that I believe matters is that their home should reflect THEM and all that they love!  

What are you complimented on most in your work?

Creating a space (in the shop or in a home) that conveys feeling, rather than style, status, or any similar descriptor.  I am such an emotional creature, and I want to create an experience that is at once delightful and enveloping, and, above all, inspiring.

Who is your ideal client and why should they connect with you?

That is so hard…you know I want to tell you that anyone could be my ideal client; but, if I must narrow it down, my ideal client knows themselves well enough to know what they do and do not like, how they want their space to feel, and has an appreciation for beauty.  If they can give me just that much, I can serve them well.

Social platforms and how Anne-Marie can be found:

Facebook & Instagram @shoplillianwelch

Pinterest @shoplillianw

Contact Information:

Anne-Marie Lindsey, shopkeeper, treasure seeker at Lillian Welch

e. annemarie@shoplillianwelch.com

p. 972-694-3223

Store location / hours of operation:

6990 Main Street, Suite 3, Frisco, TX 75033

Monday – Friday 1030-530 | Saturday 10-5 | (extended hours posted during holidays)

Looking forward to seeing you all online tomorrow at 10 am (CST)for the live interview.  We will be asking all the in’s and out’s of owning a storefront, learning the community around you and the importance of community as the foundation of a small business. 

Please join Bungalow U™ for free today.