By Roger Bakeman and Alexis von Dickmann.
Let’s call the stores on the south side of McLendon at Clifton “the block.” In the early 20th century, this block was a thriving shopping area at the end of a trolley line. In 1970s, except for Doug Trice’s custom cabinet shop, these storefronts were derelict and deserted. Revived in the more recent past, the Flying Biscuit Bakery at one end and Dr. Bombay’s at the other anchored the block—but changes are afoot. Renovations are underway for a new Little Tart Bakeshop location at the Dr. Bombay end, with Lucille’s, which opened in early July, at the other end. Lucille’s has caused a bit of a buzz in the neighborhood, so we sought to find out who the owner is, what the shop is, and how it landed at this location.
Kristen Eber, Lucille’s proprietor, is no newcomer to Candler Park. She was born in Atlanta, grew up in Virginia Highlands, spent much of her youth hanging out in Little Five Points, and today has a child in a neighborhood school. After graduating high school in 1991, she briefly studied at Georgia State before ultimately deciding her passions lay elsewhere: wellness and esthetics. To make ends meet, she worked at the Flying Biscuit Bakery, located in the very spot where her “darling Lucille’s” now resides. In 2000 Kristen began training as an esthetician—that’s a skin care expert who, according to Google, “provides non-medical, cosmetic treatments to improve the skin’s health and appearance.” Kristen would say it involves “taking care of people, generally.”
In 2002, in line with her training, she began working at Salon Red, which at that point occupied the small, you-can-almost-miss-it building set back behind Lucille’s on Clifton. She stayed with Salon Red when it moved to its current location at 1642 DeKalb Avenue in 2006, working there until 2016 when she began her own business, the Rosefinch Spa, at 1604 DeKalb Avenue.
When we asked Kristen why she chose her current location to open her new business, she said the location chose her. As her business at the Spa grew, Kristen began imagining a shop with a broader focus on self-care. She mentioned her musings to her Rosefinch Spa landlords, who also owned the block on McLendon and who encouraged her to consider it. After productive work with the government’s SBDC (Small Business Development Center) on a business plan, she decided it was a go.
As their website states, Lucille’s is a “luxury gift store for the romantically inclined,” or as the storefront proclaims, “Lingerie, gifts, & more.” On one side of the curtain are cards, candles, and crystal—Champagne glasses for special occasions—among other thoughtfully selected gifts, as well as books and body and gender-inclusive lingerie. And behind the curtain—you must be over 18 to enter, please—is a carefully curated collection of pleasure products in what the website calls a “judgment-free space” concerned with happiness and wellness.
Lucille’s intends to be more than a store. They plan to offer workshops on relationships, self-care, and mental/physical/sexual health and wellness, etc., planned alongside fun events (e.g., a comedy night). Customers can also book a private shopping experience with friends, or as a bachelorette party celebration. And just inside the store, adults and children can enjoy the automatic photo booth. Using modern technology, it produces photos like the old-time 4-photos-for-25¢ arcade booths, but with hues of pink and red to tip a hat to Lucille’s.
All in all, Lucille’s is simply tasteful. Soon, one end of the McLendon block will be occupied by the tasteful Little Tart Bakeshop. Today, the other end is anchored by the tastefully presented products of Lucille’s.