e ssential shopping
Boho Farmhouse Lily’s Mercantile & Makery
by Krystle Engh Naab The idea for Lily’s Mercantile & Makery started when Teresa McMahan wanted a place to display Lily’s, her daughter’s, art. The two also thought it would be exciting to go into business together, and decided to make the leap when a commercial space became available in Paoli. “I’ve always wanted to open a boutique but never wanted to do it by myself,” says Teresa. “So when Lily 10 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
graduated from high school, she went to MATC, and we started talking about it. Lily enrolled in the small-business entrepreneurship course at MATC, and during that year she started to write a business plan. “Then this space came up for lease in Paoli, and we live very close. It would’ve been my first choice to have a business
in this town. I knew it was a sign and meant to be.” They signed the lease in January 2019 and opened in June. “Lily also graduated in May. It all happened fast and fell into place—perfect timing.” Lily mainly creates acrylic paintings of horses and farm animals, but also does hand-lettered signs and original pieces, as well as staging merchandise. Teresa
