A brand new home decor store has opened its doors in downtown Chilliwack, and it's the perfect place to find that one thing to make your home a calming place, says owner Cina Marieiro.
Bella Cina's Gift Shoppe and Home Decor is a warm little store on Mill Street with an eclectic mix of new and used items.
Marieiro sells "little touches to add to your home to make it a peaceful place."
Her used goods are in excellent condition and mainly consist of vintage dishes, furniture and women's clothing.
Marieiro opened her store in June after five years of preparation including "two solid years" of collecting merchandise.
Though owning her own store is brand new to her, being in the retail industry is not. After 22 years working at a major grocery store, Marieiro was ready to move on.
"I really had an itch to do my own thing," she says. "I always had a creative edge, and I felt like I had to break out and do this."
Browsing around her store, you can tell she has a passion and natural talent for home decor.
Stacks of vintage plates sit alongside pillar candles. Various journals stand beside hand-made cards. Cozy knit scarves are tossed gently over pieces of old furniture. At the back is a room full of baby and children's stuff, including hand-crocheted booties and hand-sewn bandana bibs.
One of her favourite things to collect and sell are the vintage dishes.
"I think it's because they have a story," she says, adding that most people these days are looking for microwave- and dishwasher-safe tableware.
"They don't appreciate that their elders have taken so much care to store them, to keep them, to display them and to save them for this next generation."
But Marieiro does appreciate them. She has individual and matching tea cup sets, dessert plates and dinner plates, and handfuls of small, silver teaspoons.
"I wanted a little bit of everything to add to your home," she says, after collecting items and redecorating her home countless times over the past several years.
Her store also has a bit of a Christian touch, and she has Christian music playing in the background as customer peruse her store.
"It gives me a calming environment," she says.
"I want a peaceful life. If I'm going to surround myself in materialistic things, I want them to be inspiring."
Bella Cina's Gift Shoppe and Home Decor is located at 9355 Mill St. Hours of operation are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more, go to bellacinas.ca or call 604-391-1151.