Merchants of Easton: No. 13 Home

Behind the counter at the newly opened No. 13 Home on South Second Street is a sign that says "If you don't build your dream, someone will hire you to build theirs." The sign holds special meaning for owners Sandra Caldwell (left) and Susanne Bodai (right):

Sandra: "We're basically two friends and we have very similar interests. The funny thing is, when I saw that sign I had to put it behind the register because I thought, 'Really, if we don't (open the store) now!' And we're late forties, early fifties; that was perfect for us. We thought 'This is the time for us to actually do something,' and we fell in love with this place and we love Easton."
Susanne: "Everything sort of fell into place. We started talking and she said, 'I just thought I'd like to do this if I owned a shop…' and I said, 'I was thinking the same thing!' And we both had very similar ideas about what we wanted to do."
"We're hoping there's going to be a little bit of something for everyone. This is only day eight, so everything is fluid at the moment. We're thinking of a country boutique. So, if people wanted to paint their furniture, we've go the paint. We can offer the knowledge of how to paint the furniture if they need it. We've got the home goods as well, so it's very much like a country boutique."
Susanne: "Like French country. Or English country."
Sandra: "Yeah. so we've got the tea towels and the the throws. Nice little gift ideas. Jewelry, which is all handmade. We've got soaps. So anything from a piece of furniture to a small gift."
Susanne: "And we've got some things with a little bit of a sense of humor to make people laugh."
Sandra: "A quirky sense of humor, yes." (Both laugh)

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