This holiday season, two area retailers—Collectors Gallery & Framery (and its sister shop, The Island Bookshop) in downtown Venice and Breakwater Home Fashions in Wellen Park—offer very different ways to deck the halls, yet both circle back to a shared theme: home as a place of memory, joy, and play.
At Collectors Gallery & Framery, co-owner Aimee Odette sees customers gravitating toward timeless pieces that evoke family traditions and stories meant to last. “People want something that reminds them of the season, that will become a memory,” she said. Pottery by Gary Skelly and glassworks by Esther Jensen embody that enduring quality—functional art that’s beautiful, meaningful, and crafted to last for generations. Even framing choices, Odette noted, are returning to the classic and simple, often preserving family heirlooms or moments like a grandchild’s first baseball.
Odette also finds that the love of tradition extends to the adjoining Island Bookshop, where the Chiltern line of special edition classic gift books—with gold-edged pages and decorative covers—has become a favorite. “Another trend really is decorating with books,” she said. “They’re not only beautiful to read but beautiful to display.” Whether it’s a cherished story or a carefully chosen art piece, changing things up is good. "Homes are not museums—they’re living, breathing spaces.”
Rene Perry of Breakwater Home Fashions embraces the other end of the spectrum: exuberant fun. Her coastal-themed boutique glitters with oversized glass ornaments—sailboats, turtles, martinis, even octopuses—each a wink of seaside cheer. “People want to bring on the fun,” she said, describing two prevailing trends: earthy nostalgia in deep forest greens and burgundies accented with warm brass, and the whimsical sparkle of mint, pink, and silver. “It’s either really glittery or very natural—there’s no in-between.”
Still, the two sensibilities—Aimee’s tradition and Rene’s whimsy—aren’t opposites so much as complementary moods of the same season. One celebrates quiet reflection, the other playful delight. Both remind us that decorating for the holidays isn’t about trends—it’s about creating memories that last year after year.