Jul 7, 2008

Kelley’s still a Richmond traditionBy Joan TupponceInRich.com

Cynthia Coldwell and Sara Jane Leggett had shopped at Kelley’s Gift Shop for years.

“Everyone we knew shopped there,” Coldwell said.

So in the fall of 2002 when they heard the store at 5601 Patterson Ave. was up for sale, the business partners jumped at the chance to buy it.

“We were interested in the store because Kelley’s is a well-respected name,” Coldwell said. “It wasn’t just the business that attracted us. It was the nature of the business and the reputation that it had.”

Besides, Coldwell and Leggett thought buying Kelley’s would be a good extension for their business — Brush Strokes of Virginia, a decorative-arts business they co-founded in 1998.

They bought Kelley’s in January 2003 and continued to offer Brush Stroke services through the shop, including hand-painted furniture and decorative services such as faux finishes.

Coldwell and Leggett knew from the start that they had to expand the store’s reach and attract new customers.

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