A burst of color greets visitors who have the good fortune to find their way into Stuart Vintage, a new boutique specializing in vintage home decor. The shop is the brainchild of Alison Manship, who worked at Matilda’s for 14 years before deciding to open her own boutique earlier this year.
Manship grew up in a historic home in Stamford, Connecticut surrounded by antique furnishings. “People’s houses told a story,” she says of the neighborhood where she spent her childhood. In 2005, she moved to Boca Raton with her then-boyfriend, and the couple eventually moved north, settled in Stuart, and got married. In 2010, Manship began working with Dana Small at Matilda’s in downtown Stuart. “I went into every boutique until I found Matilda’s,” she recalls. “Dana and I bonded over all the same things.”
She loved working at Matilda’s, but she also had big plans for the future percolating in the back of her mind. “I was piling things up in my garage, and I started getting good at refurbishing,” she says. “I thought, one day I’ll open my own store.”
That day finally came last February when she signed a lease for her new space on NE Dixie Highway (just north of the Roosevelt Bridge). “I wanted to be a destination store, but close to downtown,” she says. She worked hard to renovate the space, sometimes sleeping on an air mattress in the back of the shop. In two months, she was open for business.
As she welcomes her first season, Manship is excited about introducing her style to locals and visitors alike—she describes the vibe as “bougie vintage.” She drives all over the state to hand-select pieces for the shop, many of which she refurbishes before selling. “I’ve always had a really good eye, and I can picture where something goes,” she says of the ever-changing collection of one-of-a-kind vintage furniture, lighting, coffee table books, pillows, home accessories, and gift items. “What makes this store unique is that every time you come in, it is completely different. You can always expect to see something you didn’t see last time.”
While the pieces at Stuart Vintage may look pricey, Manship’s mission is to make vintage affordable. “I want Old Florida style to be attainable here,” she says. “I’m not Palm Beach.”
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