Michelle Bowman grew up as a river rat on Middle River and thus began her love of water and the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay. She graduated from Towson State University with a degree in art. Pair that with a natural ability to lead, an entrepreneurial spirit, a passion and an idea… and born is Coastal Cottage Consignment, Home Decor, Furniture and Gifts.
Michelle’s artistic spirit, a keen eye for design and her love for bargain hunting at consignment shops inspired her creative spirit to open Coastal Cottage. It is not just a gift and home decor shop but part of the booming consignment industry. Coastal Cottage believes you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have good taste and a nice home.
The perfect client or patron for Coastal Cottage is someone who is looking for that perfect piece to complete a room, a first time homeowner or even an empty nester wanting to downsize and sell items no longer needed. Coastal Cottage also offers unique gifts for a birthdays, house warmings, anniversaries or weddings.
Coastal Cottage offers a variety of home decor products including painted furniture, lamps, pillows and home accessories, both new and gently used. They also carry an inventory of new furnishings by Mud Pie, Natural Life and Midwest as part of the gift line. The shop even features a pet boutique, influenced by a love for furry friends. Michelle’s furry friends Chloe and Lucy often can be found strolling amongst the decor. Michelle is proud to offer many items made in the USA.
Michelle’s love of the water and the coastal decor found in the Florida Keys is a big inspiration for the style and theme of the store. Coastal Cottage generally accepts only coastal inspired, slightly used items and displays them in a way reminiscent of high end designer showrooms. In order to better assist clients having difficulty visualizing a setting, they set up visually depictive vignettes to provide inspiration and perspective on how the items will look in their homes. In addition, Michelle offers interior design services to those who need that little extra inspiration and support. The shop also carries works by local artists that accentuate their coastal decor and give it a local flavor.
Stop by and ask Michelle about her favorite new Coastal Cottage decor items… custom metal pails, vases and mail pockets from The Macbeth collection and the mermaid wall art from Twelve Tiber’s, all made in the USA.
Michelle’s partner is Missi Bowman, who currently resides in Timonium. Missi has local ties to the area having grown up and spent much time in Oxford and in the Bennett Point Community. Second in command is Michelle’s mom Rose Ortel. Rose offers complimentary tea on Tuesdays and will be offering Dessert Teas in 2014. Look for those upcoming dates and times in the Shore Update. Stop in and say “hello” to the Coastal Cottage associates, fun loving and always smiling Elisabeth Cavanaugh and Paige Roschi.
Locally Michelle supports ARF, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Wounded Warriors Project. She resides in Stevensville with her husband, 11 year old daughter, two stepdaughters and five furry friends. Missi lives in Timonium and resides with four furry friends. Michelle wishes to thank her mom and dad who believed in her and her passion and supported her in realizing her dream of bringing this amazing store, Coastal Cottage, to the residents of Grasonville and Queen Anne’s County. She hopes the residents enjoy her dream.
A holiday open house “Christmas at the Cottage” is scheduled for Friday, November 29th. Visit them at the Kent Narrows and Wells Cove at 110 Channel Marker Way in front of the Hilton. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand to help Michelle and Missi greet their guests. For more details on the event go to www.coastalcottagemd.com or call 443-904-2124 or 410-340-2040.