From: The Carmel Pinecone, July 12th 2002

Homescapes, Carmel:Brothers go out on their own to go back to their roots

When brothers Thompson and Beau Lange opened their first store in 1996, they wanted to create a retail shop that felt like a home, using plants, flowers, art and accessories to accent the furniture they were collecting from around the world. Their original store, The Grove Homescapes in Pacific Grove brought that concept into reality.

Homescapes, Carmel opened in 1999 with an emphasis on gifts and furniture, but the low natural light of it's 30' interior limited their inventory of plants and flowers at the time. Despite Homescapes, Carmel winning Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine's Merchandising Achievement Award in August of 2001, “we always felt the need for the orchids and plants to complete our concept,” says Beau Lange. Last November, they were able to revive that concept when they expanded Homescapes, Carmel into the light-filled adjacent building on Dolores. “We were really fortunate to get the annex,” says Lange, “it allowed us to give new life to our store.”

The brothers sold their ownership in The Grove Homescapes in 2001 to concentrate on the potential of their Carmel location. “Even though the property is being developed in the near future, all the indicators showed that this was the right move for us,” according to Lange. So far this year, the surge in business has allowed the brothers to bring in multiple containers from China, Indonesia and Europe. “Beau and I will be going to England and France in August to fill a container, and we're toying with India in January,” says Thompson Lange.

First up, though, is the arrival of the upholstered and American Leather furniture that will be in the store in July. “Sofas and couches are new to us,” says Beau, “but the timing seems right. Besides, what fun is it to play it safe?”

And with the expansion of the garden product planned for this summer, Homescapes, Carmel will have come full circle to the concept that started it all. “It's a really exciting time for us,” according to the brothers. “Coming home to Carmel was the best thing we ever did.”