Walnut Creek, meet Shabby Creek.
Shabby Creek on Main opened Thursday on 2670 N. Main St., Walnut Creek, with collectibles, antiques and more than a few gift ideas for home decor.
It came about, Nancy Robinson said, because "I said I think I'll turn my hobby into a business." When Robinson retired from working on hair — she owns Le Jardin At The Spa on Oak Park Boulevard in Pleasant Hill — she decided to start a business that tapped her passion for antiquing. Robinson grew up in Pleasant Hill, attending College Park High.
Robinson said she chatted up a number of antique shop owners in downtown Martinez before embarking upon this piece of entrepreneurship.
She designed Shabby Creek on Main as "something fresh and bright — let's not overdo it." She avoided the trap of filling the storefront to bursting with collectibles. There's room to maneuver, maybe even to wander aimlessly, in the aisles.
She liked the location too for the large parking lot in the rear. It's next door to the Subaru dealership on North Main.
"With the business in Pleasant Hill, everyone says, 'I couldn't find you,'" said Robinson. Location became the priority with the new business, a visible location in the busy North Main Street corridor. The storefront used to house a pizza takeout place and an Indian grocery.
And the name of the new store? "Everyone really likes things that are shabby chic," said Robinson. "We're in Walnut Creek, we're so chic, so we did Shabby Creek!"
