A True ‘Hidden Gem’ – Two Local Sisters Open Home Decor Store

(27East.com) It was November 2018 when sisters Temidra Willock, 29, and Tanya Willock, 25, walked into an empty retail space in Southampton Village, a space off Jobs Lane that was formerly occupied by Topiaire Candy Shop.

“I walked in and I was like, ‘This is it,’” Temidra said. “I could just envision everything.”

The ensuing months would transform a beaten down retail space into Hidden Gem, what customers have called an “authentic” home decor shop.

“She knew right away that this was the store,” Tanya said of her sister. “I saw the aesthetic, and I saw the possibilities, but it also wasn’t in the best condition when we got here.”

Tanya described this process of transformation, which began in January, as one that “took a village.” Temidra’s husband, Ken, his friend and the sisters’ father, Theo, all joined in the efforts to get the store open in March. The walls and floors needed to be repainted, a wall had to come down, merchandise had to be placed, a counter had to be made and shelves had to be built, among other to-dos. Not only did the sisters achieve their goal of opening the store by March, they achieved their long-held dreams.

Tanya and Temidra Willock, four years apart, grew up in East Hampton and attended the same nearby middle school, Hayground School. It was at Hayground School that Tanya discovered her love for design, as she interned with an interior designer. After middle school, Temidra attended Ross School and Tanya went to East Hampton High School. The two sisters noted that their East Hampton community has been very supportive in their newest endeavor, the opening of their very own brick and mortar store, an event Temidra has envisioned since she was 8 years old.

Read more at: 27East.com