Jan 21, 2012

Michelle Farmer Collaborate Boutique Aims to Help Launch Other Designers, ArtistsBy Robert JanjigianPalmBeachDailyNews.com

Palm Beach, FL – It’s been jewelry designer Michelle Farmer’s dream to have her own boutique, but not one focused solely on her own creations. “I have wanted to do a resort-wear store since 2008, when I first put together a business plan and conceived of how the space would look,” said Farmer, who late in December opened Michelle Farmer Collaborate, a 2,000-square-foot gallery-style emporium at 105 N. County Road.

“It’s amazing that this is exactly how I saw it,” she said of the bright and airy, high-ceilinged store that features not only Farmer’s jewelry designs, but apparel and accessories from a range of makers. There is even a room at the rear of the space where artists and photographers can show their work.

Farmer, who has been based in East Hampton, N.Y., the past several years, decided Palm Beach would be the site of her first retail venture after seeing the building her husband Peter, a private investor, had purchased shortly after the couple bought a house last year in the El Cid neighborhood in West Palm Beach. “I had to convince my husband to let me have the space for my store,” she said. “But he came around.”

Read complete article »