Welcome to ..bring Mae’s flowers, Friends!

I am so happy that you stopped by ..bring Mae’s flowers! If you are here, you must share our interest in vintage, art, or nature and maybe all three.  My husband and I started our business, ..bring Mae’s flowers this year as a retirement project. He is able to retire, I am not. ..bring Mae’s flowers is in honor of my grandmother, Mae, whose life was inspirational to so many. She left such a legacy behind that we wanted our business to reflect that. The business itself is an incorporation of antiques, art, and natural items promoted to decorate living spaces. We hope the pieces we sell add a sense of peace and joy because those are the things we seek!  

Why vintage?

Today, I am going to focus on why vintage is part of our aesthetic. I grew up around vintage and antique furniture. I don’t think I ever had a piece of new furniture of my own until I was married. My family passed down furniture from one generation to the next. I didn’t appreciate that then. I longed for new things. When my husband and I purchased our own home, we still used hand me downs.

Over time we gradually bought a lot of new furnishings. It didn’t take long to realize that these new things didn’t last like the older furnishings that we had inherited. My dining table, handmade by my great grandfather and given to me by my dad, became our favorite piece. It was the subject of conversation for everyone who saw it.

Plans for the Future

When our kids grew up, we started hitting antique stores on the weekends. We accumulated a lot of vintage and antique pieces that we proudly displayed in our home. As our collection grew, we knew we either had to stop shopping or come up with a new plan. Thus, owning an antique store became our dream.

This planning stage lasted several years. We hashed over names and could never decide on the perfect one. When my grandmother passed away, my husband came up with ..bring Mae’s flowers. Although I loved the sentiment, I just didn’t think it was relevant; however, he persisted. Therefore, our discussions became about ..bring Mae’s flowers. Now, I can’t imagine it being anything else. 

A Grandmother’s Legacy

 For one thing, Gran fostered a love of all the things we wanted for this business. She saw the value in keeping old things, reusing, and re-purposing them long before I did. She loved nature and the plants and animals that make it their home and made sure her family did, too. She always had flowers in her yard and on her table when in season. She believed in protecting bees before it was a “thing.” She also loved a pretty rock and enjoyed collecting them along with anything that held beauty in nature. The framed prints of flowers and landscapes scattered throughout her house are the pieces I think bring character today.