Lydia Earhart
Laura Walton and her mother have the best idea for a business.
As owners of The Magnolia Place, located at 3540 youree Drive, the idea was to renovate a space and make it into a place that could host any event for a local maid of honor for a bride or best friend for a pregnant mother.
Walton came up with the idea after she was the hostess of a few baby and bridal showers. She loved playing hostess but didn’t want the parties at her home.
Walton’s mother provides the catering at the location, and the décor is almost everything picked from my “home” Pinterest board. Walton has a great sense of interior design and style for the décor she and her mother pieced together for the event space. Each area inside the business is inviting and has a lot of charm. The “wow” factor in the open space is the white artsy chandelier paired with an upscale metallic wallpaper. There’s also a perfectly placed magnolia wreath hung directly over the fireplace that I almost begged Walton to purchase from her.
Within almost a year in business, The Magnolia Place has hosted baby showers, wedding showers, bridal brunches and even bridal and toddler photo sessions. This month, the space played host to our StyleWatch photo shoot with CityLife’s Pinning for Perfection columnist Mandy Byrd. (See Page 52.) Her daughter, Gracie, was the star of the shoot with her strawberry blonde hair and playful grin when we all would sing, “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
Our first spot was in front of a peacock-colored furniture piece. When Gracie couldn’t sit still, Walton pulled out her hat and props trunks for entertainment. Gracie first reached for the Viking hat as Byrd chose the top hat. It was fun watching them play together while grandma sang her heart out to “Itsy Bitsy” for a smile.
Not even three minutes of sitting and Gracie was up and walking around. She was attracted to the décor at The Magnolia Place almost as much as I was – but for different reasons of course.
Gracie began to learn she was in charge when she put on the magenta princess dress from Luv 2 Shoppe, complete with a crown that kept falling off because it couldn’t keep up with her.
Like most mothers do, Byrd apologized on Gracie’s behalf for not sitting still. I found a deep appreciation for Byrd and all those grandmothers with hidden tricks and singing talents. We all need them.
Gracie most likely won’t remember this photo shoot, but I know she will remember playing dress up, perhaps as a Viking with her mother in a top hat as her grandmother tried to make her smile with a clothespin she pretended was like an alligator.
Being a mother is all about wearing different hats or sometimes bee antennas.
CORRECTION: In the April issue of CityLife, Milly Hawthrone Sale’s name was incorrectly printed without her married name.
