Joanna Gaines, of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” has selected Southern Hospitality as one of eight companies in Florida to feature her line.
What would Joanna Gaines do?
It’s a question the Connell family asks often, sometimes jokingly and sometimes as they consider the next venture for their popular furniture store in Plant City, Southern Hospitality.
For the Connell family, Gaines, the co-host of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” is the embodiment of what the Connell
brood puts forth in their own shop: Christian values, refurbished furniture and unique, one-of-a-kind items that can’t be found anywhere else.
It’s those same values that made them one of eight companies in Florida selected to sell Gaines’ new line of furniture and home goods, Magnolia Home Furniture.
“We feel like we model what she believes in and what she represents,” Heather Connell Stabler said. Her grandmother, Linda Connell and mother, Shelly Connell, also work at Southern Hospitality. “The line is huge.”
GOTTA LOVE GAINES
Gaines’ line was announced to the public in October 2015. The Connell clan, which has run Southern Hospitality for 30 years, found out in November that it had been selected to carry the line. The family didn’t apply for Southern Hospitality to be a store that features the line, but were selected by a representative and later approved by Gaines’ team.
“He knew by talking to us that we were a perfect fit,” Heather Connell said. “It seemed like it was just meant to be.”
After the initial decision was made by Joanna Gaines and her representatives, Southern Hospitality began featuring DVDs of “Fixer Upper,” which Gaines co-hosts with husband, Chip Gaines.
Joanna Gaines’ new line features woods mixed with metals, creating an industrial look that is one of the more recent popular trends. Composed of mostly solid colors and clean lines, the new designs feature Southern charm with a twist. The line will be making its debut in stores beginning in March, and the Connell family expects that
they will have the majority of their collection in by early April.
“We’re super excited about that,” Shelly Connell said. “The shipping starts in March, but it’s sporadic.”
Current dining room and bedroom sets will be moved to make room for Gaines’ line, which will be featured on between 2,000 to 3,000 square feet in the Southern Hospitality storefront. The front of the store also will be painted.
“We’re doing the front of the store to match the color scheme,” Shelly Connell said. Gaines’ line features blacks, whites, grays and earthy blue tones.
Though not all of Gaines’ line will be featured at Southern Hospitality, customers can request to order items through Southern Hospitality.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
COLOR PALETTE
Gaines used a mix of blues, whites and neutrals as the basis for her furniture’s color palette:
Joanna’s White
Antique White
French Grey
French Blue
Dove Grey
Joanna’s Black
