By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— After raising children, sending them to college and reaching retirement age, Mitch and Cynthia Elmore were looking for their next big adventure. It wasn’t too long after, and the couple decided to open a furniture and home décor shop in Pelham.

The Cottage of Serendipity, located at 199 Canyon Park Drive, specializes in home décor, gift items, antiques and repurposed items. Cynthia Elmore said opening this store is something she’s always wanted to do.

“It’s just something that we wanted to do,” she said. “Mitch and I just decided that we are getting to the retirement age, but we don’t want to just sit around. So we were looking for the next adventure.”

Currently, The Cottage of Serendipity has three components: Consignment, vendor booths and new merchandise. Elmore said vendors consign items either individually or by purchasing booth space in the shop.

They currently have several consigned pieces throughout the shop, and they have one local artisan renting space as well. The artisan paints on canvas, glasses and china as well as creating custom pieces.

Elmore said the part of the store she enjoys most is the repurposing aspect.

“The repurposing is what I really like,” she said. “I love history, so I love the antiques. I like the history part of it; I like saving furniture.”

When looking for new merchandise to include at The Cottage, Elmore said she tries to find unique and different items than those you would find in other shops in Pelham.

“As far as what I am looking for, is something that just strikes me,” she said. “Or vendors will come by and say, ‘This is really hot right now.’”

The Cottage of Serendipity offers more than merchandise to residents in the area as well. Next month, Elmore said she is going to start hosting classes in the shop, such as organization, quilting and reupholstering.

She said she’s also going to host an “As seen on Pinterest” class, where she will choose a craft from Pinterest to create with attendees.

As the shop grows, Elmore said she is looking to increase her collections of jewelry, frames and gift items. Guests can even complete a gift registry on-site, she said, and she’s looking for items brides would be interested in.

Elmore said the location off Canyon Drive is only temporary, and they are currently negotiating land off U.S. 31. Once they settle into the new location, she said she plans on providing event rentals for the budget-minded event planner as well.

With so much ahead for The Cottage of Serendipity, Elmore said her favorite thing is interacting with people and being creative at the shop.

“I just really enjoy the people, and I like the creative part of it,” Elmore said. “So much of opening a business is the mechanics of it…As soon as I can get that done, I can start doing the fun things that I like to do.”

The Cottage of Serendipity is hosting an open house Saturday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, April 17 from 1-5 p.m. For more information, visit Facebook.com/thecottageofserendipity.