Business Roundup: Rustic Interiors offers home décor, gift baskets and seasonal items

Rustic Interiors sells home décor items, and behind the scenes, makes gift baskets to help with charitable fundraising in the community.

Proprietors Carrie Bryant and Andrea Delgado have been selling a variety of items since opening Oct. 14. Their 450-square-foot store at 603 Main St, Suite 9, is filled with everything from kitchenware, candles and lotions to blankets and pillows.

Shelves of seasonal décor rotate throughout the year. St. Patrick’s Day signs and pillows are thinning out while Easter rabbits, tulips and eggs are brightening the shop. Later in the year the store will transition to sunflower- and lemons-themed decor, patriotic Fourth of July items, followed by fall flavored inventory and holiday decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Christmas began early last year, with Bryant setting up metal sleighs, holiday dishes, green-and-red candles, ornaments, pillows and wall art on Halloween.

“I started putting the Christmas merchandise out on Oct. 31 during the Merchants Safe Trick or Treat while a friend handed out candy,” said Bryant. “I’m anticipating next year will be better because people were still finding us since we were so new.”

Rustic Interiors co-owners Andrea Delgado, left, and Carrie Bryant sell a variety of home décor and gift items at their Ramona shop.

(Courtesy Carrie Bryant)

But Rustic Interiors is doing well enough to contribute to their community, Bryant said.

“Sometimes it’s a little and sometimes it’s a lot,” she said. “Sometimes we give services and sometimes cash. The community has supported our business so it’s important to give back.”

Some of the recipients have included Soroptimist International of Ramona’s Bunco fundraiser on March 25, the Ramona Chamber of Commerce’s French Hen Christmas Tree Sponsorship, and the Miss Teen/Miss Ramona Pageant.

The business owners also like to contribute to youth organizations, such as the Ramona Pop Warner Packwood Bowl Silent Auction and Ramona Girls Softball via the Ladies Who Lunch organization.

“I feel like it is a lot,” Bryant said. “It promotes us and gets our name out in the community.”

Seasonal Easter decorations line the shelves of a section of Rustic Interiors.

(Julie Gallant)

Sometimes the store owners choose to give gift baskets that organizations can use as fundraisers by selling raffle tickets. Bryant recently combined coffee, tea, mugs and a Ramona pillow in a basket for the Ramona Soccer League’s soccer fields opening day ceremonies on Saturday, March 11.

Bryant also assembles baskets for customers. They choose a theme and set a budget,and Bryant goes to work selecting items. Along the way she may text the customers pictures of the contents to make sure she’s on the right track.

One basket contained a cheese board with cheese knives and markers accented with a candle. Some contain items to match a person’s interests that can be given away on birthdays, holidays or special events such as graduations. Others she describes as “Welcome Home” baskets that real estate agents can give to new homeowners when they buy a property.

“It saves them time and saves them from getting creative,” said Bryant, who provides a container at no extra cost and dresses it up with ribbons. “I put everything together for them and it’s one less thing off their plate.”

Rustic Interiors’ merchandise is available in the brick-and-mortar store and online at ShopRusticInteriors.com.

(Julie Gallant)

Additional merchandise available in the brick-and-mortar store and online at ShopRusticInteriors.com includes pens and journals, bridal accessories, pet items and wine-related products. Online shoppers can pay for their purchases online and pick them up at the store, or the purchases can be shipped directly to the customer, Bryant said.

Some of the specialty items that might be hard to find elsewhere are Rusty Scraps greeting cards made by Ramona residents Lorri Rieve and Candy Christman; coffee and tea mugs by the La Crema company; and Bloody Mary mixes, vanilla extract and teriyaki sauces aged in bourbon barrels by the Bourbon Barrel Co. in Louisville, Ky.

Bryant, along with Delgado who also owns the Uptown Boutique clothing store in Ramona, purchase some of their items from local vendors, but most of their inventory is bought from wholesale accounts, Bryant said.

Bryant has a commitment to their customers. “If it doesn’t pass my test of what I use or consume you wouldn’t find it here,” she said. “I wouldn’t sell anything that I wouldn’t put my stamp of approval on.”

Store hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Customers who shop at the store on their birthday can receive 10 percent off their total purchase. If the birthday falls on a Monday or Tuesday, then shoppers can stop by the store on Wednesday.

Future plans include offering interior design consulting services and do-it-yourself classes for home projects.

For more information, call 760-820-5003.