The Laurie Holladay Shop - Gordonsville, VA

123 S. Main Street, Gordonsville, VA 22942

http://www.laurieholladayinteriors.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Laurie-Holladay-Shop-155280871179413/timeline/

In the rolling hills of central Virginia, Gordonsville is located between two historic points: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello  and James Madison’s Montpelier. Today, the town of 1,496 is described in guidebooks as a charming southern town with quaint shops, acclaimed restaurants and galleries.

Laurie Holladay’s parents, Laurel and Leonard LaPlaca, started Nassau Interiors in Princeton, New Jersey in the late 1940s. Holladay says it had everything from beds and sofas to custom-made slipcovers and drapery. The LaPlacas would often travel to Florida and stop in Virginia along the way. Holladay grew to love the area, especially the horse farms. When she relocated to Virginia and opened her shop, she made sure that it retained “the spirit and core values my dad’s business had.”

Since 1994, Holladay’s shop has offered classic furniture, original art works, prints, antiques, gifts and other accessories. About a quarter of her business is dedicated to lamp repair and creation. In fact, they can custom build a lamp from just about any item: riding hats, antique seltzer bottles, musical instruments, duck decoys, trophies, bronzed baby shoes or cookie jars. Much of the work is done by Laurie’s husband, Jim. He started working on lamps and shades on the side. Now he and Laurie work at the shop together. “We do what nobody else does,” Holladay points out, “Lamp repair, custom work, rewiring…to any fixture and all on the premises.”

While Gordonsville is small, it is well situated near many destinations such as Richmond, Charlottesville and Washington, DC. In addition to horse farms, the area is also well known for its vineyards. Holladay says that while her shop is always busy, she definitely gets a bump in business from the tourist traffic during the summer and autumn; customers come in from all over.

This popularity has lead to resurgence in the area. Over the last 15 years, Holladay says there has been more of a focus on preservation and restoration. New business owners have come in and cleaned up historic buildings. The town is also working on major improvements with the Main Street Streetscape Project.  In March 2015, they began replacing deteriorating sidewalks, making crosswalks safer and installing new lighting and trees. Holladay says Main Street has always been walkable, with an artisan jeweler, clock repair, pastry shop, deli and French restaurant all nearby. Now, improvements include wider brick sidewalks, helping with pedestrian traffic.

Holladay says that there aren’t many shops like hers that offer the customization and care -- modeled on standards of the shop her parents had – around any more.  That’s one of the reasons The Laurie Holladay Shop is open seven days a week. Except for major holidays, “We try never to be closed,” she says, “even in the winter, and we’ve had some hard winters, I feel compelled to be open even if we’re the only place that’s open.”