New Decor Shop Butter Home Proves That Good Things Come In Small Packages
Butter Home perches on the mezzanine level above Homegrown sandwiches in the rafters of the Melrose Market. Opened in early December 2010, this tiny, 366-square-foot home décor and gift store is a diminutive delight, filled with sweet, affordable treasures.
Owner Claire Corley focuses on filling Butter with “functional, pretty things for your home” that fall loosely into four categories: handmade, locally made, repurposed and vintage.
The store’s aesthetic is rustic in a hip and modern way, with touches of pure white ceramic, sparkling glass, wrought iron, warm wood and colorful pillows. I spied vintage tin ceiling tiles (from $7 to $10), simple and chic felted totes made from upcycled plastic bottles (from $42 to $78), cute gold and silver wishbone necklaces from Seattle-based jeweler Dottyspeck ($88 and $68) and gorgeous hanging glass terrariums ($72).
Corley has imbued a whimsical attitude into Butter, right down to the name itself. “Butter is the best food ever, and we have the best treasures ever,” she explains with a wink. (The name Butter is also an allusion to the San Francisco-based auction house once owned by her family.)
The shop is filled with eclectic and lighthearted merchandise, from Monty, a rather striking moss covered deer ready to grace your garden ($145), to tall glass replicas of the ubiquitous plastic water bottle ($32).