When guests enter Cheryl Pesce The Lifestyle Store, which opens in Crosstown Concourse in November, they’ll feel like they’re walking into owner Cheryl Pesce’s home. And just as homes are filled with a little of everything you need to make life feel comfortable and complete, so will be Cheryl Pesce The Lifestyle Store.
The Lifestyle Store will specialize in everything from original art and jewelry to fresh flowers, dinnerware, and furniture. “When you walk into my store, the idea is that you’re walking into my home. We’ll have just one of each item, but we’ll have a catalog where you can choose colors and styles,” says Pesce, a former pharmaceutical sales rep and full-time mom. “The premise and the promise is that you pick it out, and in seven days, you pick it up on the curb out here or we can deliver.”
“The premise and the promise is that you pick it out, and in seven days, you pick it up on the curb out here or we can deliver.”
The store will be laid out in departments, with dedicated areas for living room decor, kitchenware, books, patio furnishings, jewelry, and more. She’ll also carry a large selection of Moleskine planners, sketchbooks, binders, and other products. The shop will also function as the Crosstown Concourse gift shop, complete with Concourse tees, caps, and other branded merchandise.
Pesce describes her personal style as “mid-century modern” and says most of the decorative items she’ll sell will fit that description. Many of the items will be locally made, but some will be imported from as far away as the Netherlands.
“The store is a microcosm of my life — the cookware, the benches, the chairs, the sheets, the dishes that I love and would want in my own home,” Pesce says.
Additionally, Pesce says she’ll be open to selling any artwork created by future artists living and working in Crosstown Arts residency or shared labs by next year.
Most of the jewelry sold in her store will be handcrafted by Pesce in a small studio in the back of the store, although she’ll feature pieces by other local makers as well. Before deciding to open a lifestyle shop, Pesce had dedicated the past seven years or so to building a business selling her handcrafted necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and other jewelry.
“My daughter Avery ended up going to college in Chicago. I’d dedicated so much of my life to her, but I’d always made jewelry and accessories for her. So I started making jewelry to give as gifts to her teachers as she was leaving high school,” Pesce says. “I took a few pieces to a local boutique and they sold out quickly, and that’s when I realized I was on to something.”
An avid user of social media, Pesce quickly built a brand for herself, creating demand for her handcrafted pieces from as far away as Los Angeles and Paris, France. Soon, she found that her social media followers were in the market for more than just jewelry.
“Additionally, Pesce says she’ll be open to selling any artwork created by future artists living and working in Crosstown Arts residency or shared labs by next year.”
“I noticed as I would take pictures of my home or what I was wearing, people were asking where I got that chair or that purse or that dress. And I’d say, it’s just my lifestyle. These are things I like and the things I do,” Pesce says. “I found myself building a lifestyle brand. Cheryl Pesce Jewelry became Cheryl Pesce Lifestyle brand, just through blogging and social media.”
And so the idea for the store was born. But Pesce wasn’t certain where she’d open the shop until she and her daughter Avery attended a regular weekly tour of Crosstown Concourse just a month or so before the Opening Day Celebration on August 19.
“On the tour, so many of the ladies were saying, ‘I love your jewelry and what you’re wearing.’ By the end of the tour, Avery looked at me and she said, ‘This place is so you,’ Pesce says.
Soon after, Pesce was signing a lease to open her shop in Crosstown Concourse. Since she already has a loyal customer base for her jewelry creations, Pesce believes her concept will introduce new people to Concourse who may not have otherwise had a reason to visit the building or surrounding neighborhood. Says Pesce: “It’s perfect for this main street idea. I’m drawing people to the Concourse who don’t live or work here.”
