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— Cristina Drumm
owner, Hygge
COMFORT ZONE
Serenity and ease at Cristina Drumm’s Hygge
ON A SUNNY SPRING DAY,
Cristina Drumm is chatting with a new customer, sharing some tips on modest purchases that might suit his home. “You want to live in a place that smells nice,” she says, pointing out the tidy bundles of palo santo sticks and Mimi & August Copenhagen candles that adorn a handsome table in the center of her shop, Hygge.
When a woman bustles into the store, the tone of Drumm’s greeting suggests they are dear friends; she turns out to be a return shopper who has embraced the principles of this salubrious retail environment. A few minutes later, the woman leaves noticeably relaxed, having acquired a special “Hygge Blend” of loose-leaf tea by Savannah’s own Hale Tea Co. and a coff ee chai balm called Skin Tight by skincare company Laughing Tansy. It is a very Hygge moment.
Cue Hygge’s mission statement: “A cozy home and lifestyle shop for all your slow fashion, small-batch apothecary, sustainable wares, jewelry, local ceramics and gifting needs.” The shop’s origin story begins in 2010, when Drumm spent a summer in Copenhagen inspired by the balance between everyday life and sustainability that induces a sense of comfort. The Danish call it “hygge.” A few years later, she came to Savannah, where she earned her B.F.A. in advertising at SCAD. She opened her shop in 2018, just as the comfort concept — and its correct pronunciation (hugh-guh, for the record) — gained steam stateside.
Drumm’s idea that a retail shop can foster community hinges on Hygge’s extracurricular off erings, including popular watercolor painting workshops led by her mother, Venezuelan artist Ana Maria Leonardi. Conducted virtually during the tumultuous past 12 months, Hygge’s workshops are beginning to return as on-site events.
The shop, at 600 E. Broughton St., includes clever home goods, like these tea light holders with built-in matchboxes.
business owner, Cristina has shown unwavering resilience,” says SCAD advertising professor Arlene Distel, who taught Drumm as an undergraduate. “She’s collaborated with other local businesses and artists to draw people to her store, including off ering on-site yoga classes and art events. This is her education at work, a foundation she’s built on with passion and mindfulness. It’s a joy to see it fully realized at Hygge.”
Drumm is also something of a retail pioneer in Savannah, having opened Hygge on the eastern end of Broughton Street, before businesses including The Circle and Frayed Knot followed suit.
“One of the beauties about being tucked away is that I get people coming in who are really looking forward to being here,” Drumm says. “It’s more of a destination. People come with a purpose in mind, looking to buy something that they know is sustainably made. They know they’re going to fi nd something that’s not going to harm themselves or the environment. I get a lot of shoppers who are looking to buy more intentionally.”
Despite its Broughton Street address, the shop’s entrance is actually on Broad Street, via a garden area that includes a Little Free Library and an inviting bench, where comfort-seekers can sit and enjoy the sunshine at their leisure. But Drumm isn’t rushing anyone to drop by — that wouldn’t be very Hygge.
