Today I’m kicking off Locavore, a new post series highlighting the best local shops for design and home goods. Atlanta is home to many amazing stores (with thriving websites for non-local folks), run by incredibly cool people. I love visiting and reporting my findings to you!
Welcome to Pieces
Allow me to introduce you to Pieces, one of my favorite Atlanta shops. I truly love it to bits and pieces. This chic boutique has all kinds of buzz around it from the national design community, and with good reason. Owner Lee Kleinhelter has taken her sharp eye for design and organized an impeccably-curated feast for the eyes. Pieces is a clean white space bursting with products grouped by color, which makes for a unique shopping experience. The goods are modern and playful with a mix of vintage items, along with fabulous accessories and books.
Lee’s Favorites
I recently had the pleasure of visiting with Lee to learn about her background and how she started Pieces. Lee studied Studio Art and Art History from the College of Charleston. After moving to Atlanta, Lee wanted to use her art degrees in nontraditional ways, so she studied at the Art Institute, specializing in hospitality and the commercial industry. She then worked for renowned Atlanta designer Dan Carithers, gaining invaluable experience shadowing design projects and the business side of the industry. It was a fun and challenging sink-or-swim environment with a great group of coworkers. Eventually Lee decided that decorating for clients wasn’t the perfect fit for her, so she took a leap of faith and opened Pieces. Lee will tell you she was young and just jumped in without knowing what the future held, but I’d say this leap of faith was a very wise decision! Pieces opened in Buckhead six years ago, and is known for its on-point items and exceptional customer service. Pieces maintains thriving relationships with bloggers, publications and other design sources, and it’s this connectedness that really sets the store apart. Pieces also has an extensive website, and 50% of its business is out-of-state. Lee has fun putting her own spin on projects and challenging herself. She loves textures and fabric that soften the hard edges of lucite and metals, and these juxtapositions are found throughout the store. Pieces will customize items to fit the client’s needs, and there’s always amazing new things in-store.
Lee is a fabulous and stylish tastemaker yet very down-to-earth. She and her staff love meeting and helping visitors, so when I stop by I know I’ll enjoy friendliness and warmth along with design eye candy. If all this is not enough incentive for you to visit immediately, Pieces was a recently-featured Scoutmob deal, so if you’re a Scoutmob user, incredible savings await! Stop by today and you too will love this store to bits and pieces.
