Owning her own business was nothing more than a dream to Anne Vagasky, until a friend pushed her in the right direction.
“It’s not anything I ever thought I would be able to do, but sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith in yourself,” Vagasky said.
Peachtree Street, a home decor and gift shop located in Powell, Ohio, first opened in April 2019 at 94 W. Olentangy St. Within the first several months of being open, Vagasky said the shop started to outgrow its space. In April 2022, the business expanded into the house across the street at 87 W. Olentangy St.
All home decor was moved to the new house at 87 West, alongside handbags and jewelry. The original house at 94 West, now labeled the Lifestyle Boutique, includes a variety of items such as kitchenware, pantry items, baby gifts and spirit wear for the local schools.
Having three children of her own, Vagasky is a big supporter of the local schools and always knew she wanted to carry spirit wear. She said she believes in giving back and supporting local.
“At the end of the day, your small businesses are the ones that give to the T-ball team and support the music programs,” she said. “It’s where people can come in and see a smiling face and recognize and have a nice conversation and hopefully go away feeling a little bit better.”
The idea to open her own store was presented to Vagasky while talking to her friend Kim Pheiffer, the owner of KP Designs Group. Vagasky said Pheiffer took her to High Point, North Carolina, which has a big furniture market.
“She showed me the ins and outs and she got me hooked,” Vagasky said. “From there, I just took it and ran with it. I said, ‘Yeah, I actually do want to do this. I think I can make this work.”
Vagasky grew up in Gwinnett County, which is just north of Atlanta, Georgia. When deciding what to name her business, she said she wanted something that meant a lot to her but was still generic.
Peachtree Street runs through Atlanta, and Vagasky said it’s a place where you can get anything you need.
“That kind of encompassed the whole thought process of we want to be your one-stop-shop for everything, and that just fit,” she said.
Vagasky said community is important and relationships are the basis of everything. Meeting people is her favorite thing about the job.
“It’s definitely been one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things outside of raising my kids that I’ve ever done,” Vagasky said. “I couldn’t be more thankful for the team that I have that also works the stores and supports everything that we do.”
Peachtree Street is located at 87 W. and 94 W. Olentangy St. in Powell, and is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 – 4 p.m. More information about the shop can be found at peachtreestreethome.com.
All photos by Ashley Kimmel