When Stephanie Culligan was a little girl, she told her mother that she wanted to someday own her own store. She envisioned a greenhouse or a floral boutique. After gaining a lot of career experience in buying, merchandising and event planning while working for a large local corporation, Stephanie decided it was the right time to fulfill that childhood dream.
On Aug. 5, Stephanie and her husband Bruce opened A Little Something Home Decor & Gifts at 3176 Niagara Falls Blvd. in North Tonawanda. Technically, the store is located in Wheatfield but it carries a North Tonawanda zip code.
“If I didn’t do this now, I probably would never have done it,” said Stephanie of the beautifully decorated, 3,525-square-foot establishment featuring a wide variety of items for home or office, including many that are exclusive to her store.
In the front section of the store, customers will find items that reflect the season.
In the front section of the store, customers will find items that reflect the season, with decor that will change every few months. The back half of the store is more timeless, featuring items that you can put out year-round or design a room around.
“I buy in small quantities so you’re never going to see the same things over and over again,” said Stephanie, a resident of nearby Pendleton. “While there are some popular items that I will reorder as they sell down, there are other items that will simply be replaced by something else. There’s always going to be something new to see.”
In addition to living her dream, Stephanie is also helping some local artisans do the same by carrying locally made products such as Bred In Buffalo Candles and Pillows for Keeps. She also held a pop-up parking lot event on Sept. 11 highlighting several local artisans and their products. A Little Something is also an exclusive local dealer of Wrendale Greeting Cards and a soy candle line from Milk Reclamation Barn.
The Food Pantry
Design highlights within the store include a framed, shed-like structure that was designed and built by Bruce, and a pantry/farmers’ market featuring their very own product line, in addition to some other delicious food products.
“Our wall decor products have really taken off, as has our floral business. We invite people to bring in their vases and we’ll put floral arrangements together with them to create something beautiful,” Stephanie added. “We also create custom basket and will have plenty of gift baskets to go for the Christmas season.”
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays (closed Wednesday), and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, please call 260-2799, email
al*****************@gm***.com
, or follow A Little Something 716 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ALittleSomething716 for frequent updates.
