Garrity's Encore

Garrity's Encore (down the block from Nell Hill's) proves it takes just a few simple decorative touches to spruce up the home. Located on the upper floor of a landmark Masonic Temple, Garrity's Encore is a seasonally focused home accessories and tabletop decor shop recently opened by hometown interior designer and tastemaker Mary Carol Garrity. Ladies laden with shopping bags wander wide-eyed about the beautiful space occupying the ornate dining room with coffered ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and Midwest prairie paintings. Shoppers delight in pointing out what they spot in creative, seasonal vignette settings -- rustic napkin rings of twisted bark for Thanksgiving, crystal icicle ornaments for Christmas, and a nest of blue robin eggs signaling spring. Prices for these tasteful treasures range from $5 to $300. The decorating ideas they inspire are free.