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French Country decor,
designs, gifts and more

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a comfortable, cozy home filled
with beautiful things.
That's exactly how owner Liz Fallert
wants the shopping experience to be at
her store filled with home accessories, gift
items, furniture, rugs and much more.
"When you walk in the store, it's a
relaxing, comfortable place to be," Fallert
says. "We have people who come just
to visit. And, just like visiting a home,
sometimes our store is messy. We get
shipments every day so we are often
unpacking and rearranging. That's part of
our charm."
Another part of La Belle Provence's
charm comes from its French Provincial
merchandise, a mainstay that continues
as the store marks its 25th anniversary
this month. Accessories and gifts still have
a feel of the quaint French countryside,
though Fallert says her product lines have
evolved and changed a bit to suit today's
customers. A proud rooster — a French
Provincial standard — still graces the
store's logo.
Inside the roomy, yet cozy store,
shoppers can find areas devoted to
tableware and glassware, rugs that can be
custom-ordered to fit any color scheme,
wallpapers and home accessories galore.
It's easy to linger in La Belle Provence,
amid the lovely scent of French soaps,
because there's so much to look at.
The store's signature line is MacKenzie-
Childs, which offers original colorful,
handmade ceramics, enamelware,
glassware, furniture and home accessories.
La Belle Provence is an exclusive retailer
of the line and has quite a bit in stock,
yet any piece from the entire line can be
ordered there as well.
Although the MacKenzie-Childs items
are a definite draw, customers also are
attracted to the Gien line of French
tableware, rugs by Dash and Albert,
Jellybean and Capel as well as the store's
interior design services that include
everything from choosing paint colors to
lighting, wallpaper, window treatments
and furniture. The store has a full-time
designer on staff.
Fallert, who joined the store part-time
17 years ago while her children were
young, has been owner for nine years. I
have five employees, four who have been
here on and off.
"We have a great staff," Fallert
says. "They are knowledgeable, nice
and helpful. Customer service is very
important. I'd rather someone not buy
something and walk out happy, then buy
at all. We offer complimentary gift wrap
on any item. And, because parking can be
a problem, people can park in front or in
the alley to pick things up or we can walk

■

them out to their car."
Fallert, who moved from California
to Michigan 20 years ago for her
husband's job, loves working and living in
Birmingham.
"The nice thing about having a small
business in Birmingham is that we know
our customers, we see them all the time,"
Fallert says. "It's really a community. Most
of our patrons are repeat customers.
That's the charm of Birmingham. We are
a destination store — people come to
Birmingham to come here.
"We have a really nice customer base,
with regular customers coming from
Grand Blanc, Lansing, Grosse Pointe, West
Bloomfield and other locations."

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Fallert and her husband, Joe, are
members of Temple Emanu-El in Oak
Park. They joined shortly after moving to
Birmingham with their children, Rachel
and Ben, and have remained active. Liz
taught at Emanu-El's religious school for
13 years. Through Rachel, the family has
had strong ties with JARC as well.
With her children now 27 and 23, Fallert
says La Belle Provence has always been a
business that fits in well with her family
commitments.
And just as La Belle Provence is cozy and
comfortable, Fallert says her own home
reflects that same quality.
"People say different parts of my home,
especially my family room, look just like

the store," Fallert says. "That goes back to
wanting my home — and my store — to
feel comfortable." ❑
Watch for 25th anniversary discounts
throughout November. Each Thursday of
this month, treats will be offered as well.

La Belle Provence

185 W. Maple, Birmingham 48009

248-540-3876

www.labelleprovence.net

November 13 • 2014 11

