Beth Peterson and Griffin Gullickson are the mother-daughter team behind Nave, Charlotte’s emergent decor and furniture store. The grand opening of Nave, near Freedom Drive, was the culmination of a lifelong dream from Gullickson and Peterson. “My mom and I have talked about having a store together for as long as we can remember,” says Griffin. “And the great thing about working together as a mother-daughter duo is that we speak telepathically at this point. The challenge is that it’s all we talk about.”
Both women have an eye for design. Peterson is particularly adept at technique painting and, through trial and error, has learned to recreate any finish with any medium. On the other hand, Gullickson is a creator in her own right. She found her way into the Charlotte art scene via block prints and natural dye textiles.
“Both of our design backgrounds allow us to help customers make their purchases based on design and whatʼs best for their space,” Beth explains. Discovering what’s best for each customer’s space is integral to Nave’s mission. Peterson and Gullickson sense the way spaces evoke feelings, and they have a keen eye for how subtle changes to a place can influence its vibe.
Reframing Consumer Culture
Gullickson and Peterson also want to challenge customers to rethink the kinds of purchases they make. In our current age of mass production, it’s easy for many Americans to devalue the objects around them. The Nave team hopes to inspire shoppers instead to intentionally curate pieces in their homes that have a rich history and that homeowners will be motivated to keep and to pass on to their descendants.
“We want to inspire people to create a home that they love going to,” says Griffin. “The day-to-day can begin to be mundane. Why not make your home a place that tells a story?” To help customers tell that story, Gullickson and Peterson scour trade shows, auctions, and antique barns for pieces to add to their store’s carefully curated selection. They also source from lifelong-friends-turned-vendors, trade shows, local artisans, and international distributors. They offer a wide selection of sourced goods, in addition to pieces that the mother-daughter pair makes themselves. Plus, the Nave team is always ready to order or create new pieces specifically tailored to a customer’s space.
As seamless as the customer experience at Nave is, running a business is far from a walk in the park. “We’re both artists and we both have ADD, so we tend to only want to focus on the creative side,” explains Griffin.
The two split the business decisions equally. They know when and how to put their heads down and grind for the sake of their shared business.
The result of their constant hard work is a beautiful business that’s sure to make a splash in Charlotte, a place where artistry, craftsmanship, and design combine in a well-curated, soon-to-be destination.
