The idea for Frivolities first came about on February 21, 2002, at about 4am, when soon-to-be-shop-owner Amber Sears was a 23 year old nightowl, thumbing through stacks of Victoria magazines. An enchanting shop chalkboard caught her eye, and she could picture herself having one of those...outside of her very own shop. A lifelong afficionado of small shops, gift shops, boutiques, home decor stores, antique stores, and anything involving shopping for lovely things, she had the passion to bring that new dream to reality.

Although not terribly romantic on the exterior, she liked the new Dexter Crossing shopping center that had popped up in 2000, and after 10 long months of construction and lots of hard work, Frivolities opened its doors to the public on December 26, 2002. The irony of opening a gift shop the DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS never fails to amuse her.

The shop is entirely hand-crafted, from the burgundy walls Amber and her mother Yvonne painted, to the handsome wood floor Yvonne spent three weeks installing herself! The glass on the door is hand-painted with Amber's roses, the 10 chandeliers down the center were all carefully selected, and the 'lady in the window', aka the shop mascot, Lady Frivolity, was handmade by Yvonne. Her adventures are dreamed up monthly by Amber and Yvonne, and are getting sillier and more fantastical with every passing year. There are numerous individual touches throughout that tell the shopper they are not in an average retail establishment.

With each year, the shop has evolved to become more of what it was meant to be. It never waivers in its bounteous displays of beautiful, heartfelt things. Customers have described it as a "fairyland", a "feast for the eye", and their "happy place". It's a little vintage, a little Victorian, a little of everything lovely, and always compatible with the varied home-styles of its customers.

After many requests to open other Frivolities in other areas, Amber decided to give her baby a sibling in 2008, known as Frivolities (Downtown), located in downtown Dexter. Perhaps it was because she is an only child herself, but when it came to having two shops, "I just didn't dig it," she says. Delicious new inventory brought about fights between the siblings: who should get the new toy? Who gets more of Mama's time and attention? The older child always won out. And so in 2009, she resumed with the one, the only...Frivolities.

Frivolities is celebrating its 8th anniversary in 2010, and we thank our wonderful customers and friends, who have made that decision Amber the Nightowl made that snowy February night the best one she has ever made!

What you will find at Frivolities...
Vintage china, holiday treasures, framed prints, original art, unique lamps, photo frames by the dozens, furniture, delectables for the bath and boudoir, paper goods, handbags and scarves, decadent sparkly things, the best candles anywhere, roses and more roses, gifts for birthdays and weddings, and much, much more. A small sampling is featured in this online shop.

PHOTO ARCHIVE COMING SOON!!!!