We recently spent some time with Paula Rallis at her fabulous shop, Paula Rallis Home. It’s hard to miss the stylish addition to this up and coming part of our city, and a step inside confirms the fact that this is no ordinary place.
TALK Greenville:Tell us about your grandmother and how she influenced your shop.
Paula Rallis:My grandmother is the epitome of a French chic woman. Growing up, we would go to antique shops together and she taught me everything I know.I wouldn’t have the style I have or the store without her influence.
TG:Have you always had this style in your home? No hidden humiliating stages in your past?
PR:I think that everyone’s style evolves, I vaguely remember a green couch in college that would make me shudder now.
TG: What brought you to Wade Hampton for your shop?
PR:Ron and I have owned the building for years, and when we got an LOI from Dunkin Donuts, we just wanted to see something a little different in an area that is growing so well with local businesses.The building itself is also very unique, so if we were going to do it, it had to be this building.
TG: Where does your quote on the outside of the building come from?
PR:The mural is actually a recreation of the same mural in Amsterdam.I got to visit it last year and we snapped a pic in front of it.We have quite a bit of furniture and decor pieces from the Netherlands so I like that we have a physical tie to the area.
TG:Walk us through the process of how you decide what to buy for the store.
PR:We do most of our buying in Europe, and I take a lot of time walking through markets and making sure the brand fits with our store. I think it helps that the store is really just an extension of my style, so I know quickly if its a good fit.Where the products are made and who is making them also matters greatly to us.
TG:What would you say to someone who wants a new look at home but is overwhelmed?
PR: I would say the best investment where you will see the greatest return is kitchens and bathrooms.We also love going in and starting over with color.Painting a flip all white on the inside immediately makes it look larger and clean, so you have a blank palette and a clearer vision of where to go next.
TG: What is your most prized possession at home?
PR:My set of copper pots.They were my great-grandfather’s in his restaurant in Manhattan.He moved to New York from France as a chef and purchased the pots.He took them back to France and when the war broke out, they buried them in the backyard so the Nazis that had invaded their home wouldn’t turn them into bullets.After the war ended they dug them up and my grandmother brought them to America.She gave them to me a few years ago along with a photo of my great-grandfather standing beside them in his restaurant.
TG: What are the first 5 things you recommend for a home?
PR:Your bed is first.I’ve moved thirty times and my mom always said, make your bed first so when you get tired of unpacking boxes it’s ready for you to climb in.Light fixtures second, because they can truly change the look of an entire room.Rugs would be third, mainly because it’s a huge pain in the butt to put them down after you have all of your furniture.A sofa next, you need a nice place to sit and if you have anyone over without a couch, things could get awkward.Then a dining room table, because eating dinner together as a family is very important to us.
TG: What do you consider to be a timeless purchase?
PR:A piece of artwork.Even when we have sold our homes completely furnished, I have saved my artwork.I think if something speaks to you like artwork, it always will.
TG: What is the first thing you do when you get home?
Open the porch doors, turn on my Spotify playlist, and light a We Took to the Coast candle.
TG: The last thing you do before you go to bed?
PR: Put in my Bose sleep pods that play white noise.I’m addicted to them and they’ve stopped making them so if I lose one, I’m screwed.
TG:What is one thing you’ve done in your business that you will never do again?
PR: Every choice is a learning opportunity, but if I had to pick one thing I would say be a franchisee.I don’t work well when my creativity and decisions are limited by a set of rules and regulations.
