The day is finally here – We’re opening our doors to all of you! Today marks the official day of the MGD showroom opening. After many, many months in the making, we’re beyond thrilled to announce that our showroom will now be open for you to shop locally for all of your favorite homewares, curated and hand-selected for both the holidays and everything in between. Starting today, we’ll be open Monday through Saturday. You can learn more about our hours and location on our new showroom page. We hope you’ll stop by soon to say hi! In the meantime, keep scrolling to hear more from Mindy on her dream for this new space.
What made you want to create this showroom space?
Brick and mortar stores have always been some of my very favorite places, both to shop and explore. They’re also a place I often go to to source for our clients and projects. I love shopping locally and feel lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible stores in our area. As a team here at MGD, we also spend countless hours sourcing online for our projects. I have always dreamed of bringing a little bit of our own MGD aesthetic to a brick and mortar style showroom here in Orange County.
I love the brands we’ve discovered over the years as we’ve sourced for clients and as I’ve shopped for our own home. I’ve missed being able to play and dream in a storefront of my very own, while being pushed outside my comfort zone to further grow our business. As our design studio has evolved over the last 7 years, my dream of an interiors-focused brick and mortar space of our very own started to become something I knew I had to pursue. In my eyes, there is always room for more stores in each and every community, and I love how it brings people together and builds relationships on a daily basis.
Has opening a retail showroom been one of your goals for a while?
My love for curated shops runs deep, and I always find myself in these places on all of our travels. It’s so inspiring to me to see how other creatives dream up beautifully curated spaces and places for their communities.
Nearly 15 years ago, I had a big dream to open my own store, specializing in letterpress stationery and paper goods. I was freshly out of college, and wanted to pursue this dream no matter what I had to seek out and sacrifice. Those years when I had my paper store were some of the best, and also most challenging, of my 20s. I learned more than I possibly could have imagined. Ultimately, I made the incredibly difficult decision to close my store when the recession hit. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would ever have the chance to open up a retail concept space again. However, a few years ago, almost a decade after closing my last store, I felt it pulling at my heart again.
Truth be told, we had hoped for the MGD showroom opening to happen a while ago, but the world had other plans for all of us this past year. As we all resume life and relish the joy of getting to be in community together again, I’m over the moon that we get to open our showroom to each and every one of you! If you’re local to Southern California, or passing through on vacation, we would love to have you come see our happy little space!
Wall Sconce from Mullan Lighting // Shop
What was your vision for the space?
The original showroom space in our Design Studio has evolved quite a bit over the last three years since we first moved in. It’s allowed us to try different things, source countless goodies and furniture pieces, and experiment with what we feel best represents our company as we continue to grow.
When we started thinking about converting this space into a brick and mortar showroom, we had to get creative with the footprint of the space. We also had to really hone in on what types of products we wanted to bring to the mix – both for our clients, and for our local customers. My hope and vision has always been to bring together all of the brands and makers and products we love most, and curate them in a way that inspires people to bring something new into their homes that brings them joy. And, of course, to have fun shopping while doing so!
While we all love the convenience and endless options that come with online shopping, nothing quite compares to the experience of going to your favorite store/s. I love bringing home a piece of what they’ve made to look and feel so special. Each of the goodies that we buy from stores are meant to be experienced, and merchandising does wonders to spark the imagination and introduce us all to new products and makers.
I love that our new showroom space gets to be a small extension of what we love doing for our clients every day. I’m also grateful that the MGD showroom opening allows us to be a small part of more meaningful home spaces for more people.
Pendant Light from Mullan Lighting // Shop
How would you describe the overall aesthetic of the showroom?
I love a little bit of everything in design. Neutrals are foundational for me. However, they also beg to be accompanied by things with texture, color, bits of pattern, and a pop of personality. This may mean something different to each one of us. For me, this showroom is truly an extension of the things I love most, all of which are a blend of the things above. The aesthetic just feels perfectly MGD.
What types of products will be available to shop in the new showroom?
Our quaint, 500 square foot showroom is home to a mix of tailored homewares, including many of our favorite custom pillows, throws, kitchen and table wares, linens, soaps, vintage finds, artwork and accessories.
We’re so excited to share the MGD showroom opening with you all. This is truly a dream come true! We’re so grateful to our team for making this happen and to all of you for being a part of our growth as a company. Whether you live in Southern California or you’re just passing through, we’d love to see you in the showroom soon. Until then!