When Melanie Marshall returned to Midland, she brought along a re-ignited passion for style and design. And as her business has grown over the past couple years, downtown Midland has become that much more fashionable alongside her.
Marshall opened her happy. pretty. storefront in Downtown Midland in 2016. The Sanford native had moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she began to develop her happy. pretty. lifestyle brand in earnest. For Marshall isn't just selling home décor and offering interior design services, but a whole way of life.
"I just firmly believe that everybody should live a happy, pretty life," Marshall says. "I want to help you find the things that make you feel joy and that move you."
When Marshall returned to Midland from Nashville, she says she found a downtown that was lacking a home décor and design store. All she could find, she says, were big box stores. A couple years later, and happy. pretty. has been on the ground floor as efforts to reinvigorate Downtown Midland take root.
"When I first opened, a bunch of people would come in and say, It's about time we had something like this here," she says. "I'd hear from people that they hadn't been coming downtown for a long time. But now they are."
Marshall offers everything from interior design to event design, including photography, styling, and consulting services. She carries artwork, and houseware and décor products at the shop. And every first and third weekend of the month is the Bloom Bar, where Midlanders can come in for bouquets of fresh flowers.
This Mother's Day, Marshall is hosting a pop-up flower shop, carrying flowers from local and California growers. She's also excited to become a dealer of the Visual Comfort lighting brand later this spring.
happy. pretty. is located at 132 E. Main St. in downtown Midland.
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