Creating a Better Online Shopping Experience!

I know it is sometimes very difficult to see the quality of products online. Before you click the "add to my shopping cart" button you may wonder if the item you are thinking about is actually going to look better or worse than the website picture. Sometimes the color looks great on your computer, but when it arrives it may not be the exact shade you were hoping for. We always welcome inquiries from customers trying to gain better information about what they are purchasing. We would much rather answer a few questions, and perhaps even try to have better pictures available, then to have a customer need to return something because it just was not what they thought it was going to be. Accurate descriptions are so important on a website, but even with that information, you may still have a more specific question about how that product might fit into your space. I often wish we had an actual store front as there are just some items that are difficult to appreciate from an online picture.

We have been thinking of adding a page to our website for customers to share photos of how they used products from By the Sea in their space. Sometimes just seeing an item in a room setting can give you a feel for how it may look in your space. Of course, I can probably start this project by taking pictures of our beach house . . .

Finally, My Shell Table!

Years ago while vacationing in Key West, the condo/apartment we rented had this really interesting dining table. It was round with a glass top, but the unusual part was you were able to remove the top, fill it with sand and decorate it with shells, or whatever collection moved you. When we purchased our beach house, I searched and searched for this table, but was not able to find it. I ended up purchasing a simple white dining table, but always remembered that table and never gave up on the idea of wanting something similar.

I happened to be shopping in Pottery Barn one day, and although not a dining table, I found a table collection that would allow me to showcase my always multiplying shell collection. The tables are available in end table, coffee table and sofa table sizes. I decided to purchase the sofa/console table size and found a spot for it right behind a loveseat in our living room. I purchased play sand and then had fun setting up my shells inside. My favorite part is, though, all of the shells were collected on our beach during the crazy storms of the winter last year. The shells may not be perfect, but they came from my beach!