She Magazine

Abbellimento (Lake Geneva)

Italian touches

Published:
Story by Deneen Smith;Photographs by Kevin Poirier

Kathy Francke sees her work at her store, Abbellimento, as being something like inviting guests to her home.

“It’s like you are on call to be the hostess of a party every single day,” Francke said, adding that she wants to make sure customers who walk into Abbellimento find both beauty and comfort in her shop.

Her store, in downtown Lake Geneva, features home décor and gifts with an Italian flair. It sparkles with handmade glass, hand-painted dinnerware and brightly colored linens. Italian music plays in the background, and the air is scented.

“When people come in, I want it to be an experience,” Francke said. She remembered a recent afternoon when a woman walked into the store and paused for a while. When Francke asked if she could help, the woman said she just wanted to stop for a minute and drink the place in. “I thought that was quite a compliment, that this was a respite for her,” she said.

Francke opened Abbellimento in November 2008, coming to the world of retail after a circuitous career path.

She began her work after college as a music therapist before moving into the corporate world managing corporate travel. After years in the corporate travel world, she was restless for new experiences and became a sales representative for a home décor wholesale company, with more than 400 accounts in Wisconsin.

As she traveled the state talking to her customers, Francke wasn’t consciously thinking of opening a store of her own. “But I did ask a lot of questions (of store owners),” she said, noting that her inquiries included whether they would do it again and what they liked about owning their own business.

When one of her customers, a store owner in Lake Geneva, announced she was retiring and closing her shop, Francke said it suddenly struck her that she would like to create a store featuring the European lines that are not commonly found in the area.

Within five months of having that initial idea, she opened her store.

Francke said she had been enchanted during several trips to Italy with the welcoming nature of the Italian people and the casual beauty of everyday life there. And in her career in sales, she had represented Vietri, an importer of Italian handmade, hand-painted dinnerware, handcrafted gifts and home decor.

With Abbellimento — which means embellishment or “something that beautifies” in Italian — she wanted to bring that sensibility to Lake Geneva. “The longer I’m open, the more I’m focusing on European products, particularly Mediterranean,” Francke said.

Along with the Vietri dinnerware, the store features lines including Arte Italica flatware, Simon Pearce glassware, Beatriz Ball metalware, and Bella Cucina artful foods, as well as candles, jewelry and other items that make perfect gifts. The shop focuses as much on catering to clients as it does on displaying merchandise, offering gift wrapping and in-home consultations.

Along with working to create a successful business, Francke said she hopes to help build a thriving retail community. Since opening her shop, she has gotten involved as a volunteer in Lake Geneva, working on marketing the business community and creating neighborhood events to draw more shoppers to the area.

“Collectively we have so much to offer, with so many great stores that make Lake Geneva such a wonderful shopping experience,” Francke said.

What: Abbellimento

Where: 728 W. Main St., Lake Geneva

Contact: 262-248-1900; www.abbellimentolg.com