Nestled in the heart of downtown Lexington is an eclectic shop, Curated Interiors. Full of colorful home decor, vintage pieces, and incredible artwork, Curated’s mission is to establish “vintage as a lifestyle,” the pieces available for sale in the shop are a direct representation of their Curated Getaways AirBnBs, which are styled by Curated Interiors. “We want to make people feel at peace in our spaces, and then realize they can create the same feeling in their own home,” said co-owners Helen Bisset and Lauren Haskell, “Curated Getaways and Curated Interiors are evolving to be a more ‘curated’ experience, trying to promote living in a way that is mindful, sustainable and supports small businesses.”
The shop sells online nationally, currently sending pieces to states as far as Florida and Montana. As for brick-and-mortar locations, the Curated power duo has chosen to remain in Rockbridge County, “We believe that you ‘bloom where you’re planted.’ Lexington is a small town with beautiful views and easy access to many other cool places nearby. That kind of draw is what our business is built on, it’s what our customers want.” Helen and Lauren also note that the cost of living in the Shenandoah Valley can’t be beaten when it comes to operating a business, as well as the support of other organizations in the area, “Main Street Lexington and the Chamber have been an incredible asset. We were able to secure a spot at the Rockbridge Wine Festival with the help of the Chamber.”
From the outside, Helen and Lauren look like two entrepreneurs that hold the magic sauce and have it all figured out. But, like all other entrepreneurs, they have their fears and struggles that come with running a business, “It’s a small town, so if we want something, we have to cultivate it ourselves. For example, we’re currently in the process of developing our own workshop so contractors can come in and work on projects for us.” They’re also trying to navigate operations, “Understanding and creating workflows is a constant process for us. We’ve found that applying tech solutions to these kinds of problems has been instrumental in our success.” Inspired by their can-do attitude and drive to succeed, we wondered, what keeps you going when times get tough? “We always have a get-out plan, which helps us be brave. We know that if everything hits the fan, we are still going to be okay,” Helen and Lauren said, “And having each other to lean on is the beauty of having a business partner. It’s amazing that I can step away from the business and go on vacation, and nothing will fall apart,” Helen elaborated on the Curated partnership.
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“Try, fail, grow” are the three words they used to describe their entrepreneurial journey with Curated. A testament to their mindset is their plan for their own warehouse, “We don’t know how other people typically run a warehouse, but we know how we want to run our warehouse,” they said, “We just manifest things and make it happen.” They say they’re able to be big thinkers and future planners because they always keep scaling at the forefront of their ideas. Speaking of planning for the future, we asked them what their hopes are for Lexington, “We hope to see more diversity in the area. We want there to be businesses for the people that are already in Lexington, not just for the people who visit.”
Next time you’re looking for unique vintage pieces, or strolling around Downtown Lexington on a sunny Saturday afternoon, stop in Curated Interiors and see Helen and Lauren! The store is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sundays from 10 am to 3 pm. You can also see some of their pieces online at Curated Interiors, or check out their rental homes at Curated Getaways.