A shop as unique as its name BY BONNIE EISSLER
POPPi Vernon
Elizabeth Gray/POPPi chose the name for her home goods store, a showcase of unique vintage eclectic finds, as a tribute to her late father who was called POPPi by her kids, and to her childhood home located on Vernon Drive in Cortland, New York. “My dad was also the one who took me to flea markets and old barns when I was a young girl,” she says, recalling how they sought out hidden treasures together – seashells, feathers, a plethora of fascinating oddities of uncertain origin. This was her earliest experience being a “picker” long before “American Pickers” premiered featuring two pickers “scouring the countryside looking
for amazing vintage, antiques, and collectibles buried in people’s garages and barns.” Years later, perhaps inspired by those earlier jaunts with her father, she was a vendor at Elephant’s Trunk, a famous flea market in New Milford, Connecticut, where treasure hunters, antique collectors, and entrepreneurs of all kinds have flocked since 1976. She was even featured several times on Flea Market Flip, another popular reality television show where contestants buy and repurpose flea market finds to earn a profit. Four years ago this July, POPPi moved to the Texas Hill Country from Connecticut after her husband accepted a job offer in the area. This would be a big change, but any concerns about moving to the Lone Star State didn’t last long. “We really love Texas,” she says. She spent some time getting settled and decorating her new home, but it wasn’t long before she was ready to branch out in her new home state. “Once I got the house in Kyle organized, I felt the urge to get back to work,” she says, “it was a bumpy ride for a while being a vendor at other places.” Later, she thought she had found a place in New Braunfels, only to learn that her insurance was denied because of storm damage to the building. “I was at my wits’ end,” she says, but after I found this place, it seemed to me that this was what I’d been waiting for. I’m thrilled to be here because I know that I’m supposed to be here.” There are so many wonderful items, large and small, in the store and the collections are always changing. Arrangements composed of such diverse pieces can easily appear cluttered, but there is nothing cluttered or chaotic here. With her keen eye for detail and natural talent for interior design, she organizes plants, old books, mirrors, a small statue on a stripped down shabby chic dresser as a delightful composition that resembles a theatrical set piece. An oil painting of a turbulent sea, a huge piece of driftwood, stacked stones and a rusty fish sculpture comprise an intriguing See POPPi, page 17
POPPi Vernon owner, Elizabeth Gray. Photo courtesy POPPi Vernon. 16 Welcome to Wimberley Spring/Summer 2022
