By Shelly Aucoin

There’s an exciting new place to shop opening later this month.  The love child of owner Linnea Sheldon, My Trouvaille will be a magical mix of antiques, vintage clothing, rehabbed furniture, handmade items and designer goods. Trouvaille is French for “lucky find,” and that’s how Linnea wants people to feel when they come to the shop ~ that they’re going to walk out with that special, one of a kind item, their “lucky find.”

The twist? In the style of trunk shows, My Trouvaille will only be open a few times each month and will be based in the owner’s garage. “I want it to have an almost party feel,” she explains. “I’ll be serving lemonade in the summer and apple cider in the winter. I’m hoping people will come just to hang out, try on clothes with their friends and just have fun.”

Linnea is a life long treasure hunter who’s always in pursuit of a major find. She presently sells designer items on EBay (www.stores.ebay.com/My-trouvaille) and vintage clothing through her Etsy store, (www.etsy.com/shop/mytrouvaille) but she also loves furniture and is excited to include it now that she’ll have a physical shop. Right now she’s high on her latest acquisition of metal lockers which have received a slew of compliments.

“My favorite finds have been a couple of vintage MCM bags I really love the look and structure of; they’re made so well and they’re both in near perfect condition. I also found a vintage Marimekko dress with the original tags still attached. The woman who ended up buying it from me is the current Design Director for Marimekko, which was exciting.”

Linnea’s always working on something, whether it be her 1950s home or a piece of furniture she’s bringing back to life. Most of the time this leaves her in paint splattered garments  ~ but when she does dress up, it has to be high quality with the perfect vintage accessories. “It’s fun to be able to find things that I would never be able to afford to go purchase in a store,” she says. And like any of us who are addicted to consignment and thrift shops and to vintage items, Linnea knows the thrill of finding unique pieces goes well beyond the lower price tag ~ it’s about finding something no-one else has, something that has character and maybe even a story behind it, something that will never be mistaken as a “mall purchase.”

Linnea writes a Pinterest-worthy blog, www.mytrouvaille.com where she catalogues her latest finds and projects. This is where she plans to post the store schedule and new arrivals, so be sure to check there for updates.

The opening of My Trouvaille is scheduled for early this month ~ so make some room during your spring cleaning because you’re going to find something fantastic in Linnea’s collection!