Alexis Muilenburg, owner of Sower
Alexis Muilenburg, owner of Sower
Beauty is found in every corner of Sower
Beauty is found in every corner of Sower
Beauty is found in every corner of Sower
Beauty is found in every corner of Sower
Beauty is found in every corner of Sower
Ferris Robinson
How many times a week do I zip by the little shopping center at the foot of Lookout Mountain by the Incline? I guess I’m preoccupied with not mowing over pedestrians as they cross from Mr. T’s to 1885 Grill, which is probably good. Except that I never noticed Sower, which is tucked in on the far right side of the strip mall.
Last month, after grabbing a yummy lunch at the Hummus Bowl, I peeped in the window, liked what I saw, and popped in. Beautiful Alexis Muilenburg stood behind the counter, beaming at her newest customer.
The shop is gorgeous, with every single item displayed as if a photographer from House Beautiful or Martha Stewart Living was due any second. Really, every single thing was artfully and artistically arranged, a still life that called to be painted or photographed.
And that is Alexis’s exact intention. A potter by trade, she wanted to create a place where one could literally be surrounded by beauty. Every single item, from her enchanting blue and white hand thrown pottery mugs to chef aprons you can’t take your hands of off, is intentionally positioned with just the perfect things.
Alexis and her husband, Cameron, opened Sower as a storefront for Alexis’s pottery business, Esse Made. Creating ceramic dinnerware that is hand-formed with regional clay in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Alexis makes each piece in her small batch studio with the goal of making every single thing uniquely purposeful and made for day-to-day life.
The timing for Sower was not exactly ideal; the couple has a 2-year-old, Loma, and another on the way. But the opportunity presented itself, and they dove in headfirst.
Yes, she displays her own pottery, but that’s not all. Basically only truly beautiful, special treasures are allowed in this shop. That much was clear the moment she introduced herself at the sales counter. The heady aroma of pale pink peonies wafted through the room in the dead of winter, and she shrugged and smiled when I sunk my nose in them and inhaled. What a treat.
Art she has collected covers the walls, and she only sells special books, books that are important to her, and they range from restaurant gamechanger Alice Waters to “The Body Keeps Score,” another important and potentially lifechanging book.
Sower offers things you won’t find in other shops, and whether you are looking for hostess gifts or Christmas presents or something special for yourself because you deserve it, just wandering through this beautifully curated shop is a lovely experience, somewhat akin to a massage or similar treat.
“Intentional,” Alexis said when asked how she selected what she sells at Sower. “I want to bring light to the essence of beauty and whimsy found in the ordinary rituals of life.”
What a lovely treat. Even if you aren’t in search of anything, a stroll through her shop will let you know you found it.
* * *
Ferris Robinson is the author of three children’s books, “The Queen Who Banished Bugs,” “The Queen Who Accidentally Banished Birds,” and “Call Me Arthropod” in her pollinator series “If Bugs Are Banished.” “Making Arrangements” is her first novel. “Dogs and Love - Stories of Fidelity” is a collection of true tales about man’s best friend. She is the editor of The Lookout Mountain Mirror and The Signal Mountain Mirror.