Shoptique offers home decor, giftware on the Square

by Tia Began

“If it weren’t for Brecksville, this store wouldn’t exist.”

This was the response Amy Bhargava, owner and interior consultant at Brecksville’s newest home décor and gift shop, Shoptique, said when asked how she transformed her dream of opening her own gift shop into reality over the past year.

While she’s been dancing around the idea of becoming a shopowner for years, Bhargava said she put a lot of thought in about the items she wanted to showcase along with the actual brick and mortar space she wanted to rent to house her collection curated treasures.

Essentially, Bhargava was looking open a truly artisan-stye shop in a quaint community where shoppers not only come to buy but stay and explore the community. Brecksville, she said, checked all the boxes.

It took approximately a year to get to the ribbon cutting, but the shop, located on the west side of the Brecksville square, is now open for business and is the perfect place to find one-of-a-kind treasures.

Bhargava, who herself has a multi-faceted family heritage, said she strives to bring all the elements of design and style together in her store. She settled on an overall Scandinavian look, accented by crepe paper flowers and an array of curated items and giftware to suit all budgets.

Bhargava said the Scandinavian-style designs that have become the star of her shop are the perfect accompaniment to several current styles of décor.

“Scandinavian and other simple elegance decor can actually enhance figurines and heirlooms that a person already owns,” she said.  “Scandinavian pared-down style, is great for helping to blend mementos and items, especially if you have things from different time periods to display.”

At the very least, Bhargava said, Shoptique offers shoppers a fresh perspective, on interior designs. Additionally, if customers want help on how to select glassware, candles or sculptures, Bhargava is always available for advice or consultations, particularly for larger-scale purchases.

A handful of the gift lines Bhargava offers are exclusives to Shoptique. Those items require Bhargava to be an approved merchant and, accordingly, these items are not carried anywhere else in the state of Ohio, or this region of the country. There are pieces, she said, that come with interesting stories of their origin that buyers may want to pass along as words of wisdom to those on the receiving end of the gifts purchased from the shop. 

“Most artisans featured do things with intent, [and the items are] not mass produced,” she said, noting that pieces she carries from one art house, which crafts a product known as Stackables, utilizes all repurposed materials. Though the materials the pieces are crafted from may be recycled, all of the items sold by Shoptique are new and not previously owned, Bhargava said. 

Because gifts are usually accompanied by a card, Bhargava also offers a full line of hand-designed cards in-shop. 

“I know that people need to give gifts, and I want to provide options for people who want their gift to be an expression, not just an object,” she said.   

Shoptique is located at 8914 Brecksville Rd. That side of the Brecksville Square is seeing more walkable activity with the recent opening of three other new nearby businesses. The shop is open from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. For more information, call 440-630-9600 or visit shoptique.com. ∞

Scandinavian and other simple-elegance
decor line the shelves and tables of Shoptique.

Photo (main/above): Amy Bhargava’s new store on the square, Shoptique, features a variety of home decor, gifts and handmade cards. Photos by Tia Began.