Emmy Bodnar looks like an artist and that is how she approaches home decor: through beauty — and family.
Bodnar, surrounded by kin of all ages, cut the ribbon at the grand opening Wednesday for the new Key Biscayne shop Fine-Line Furniture and Accessories. It is a satellite of the 3,400-square-foot store she founded with her late husband in Coral Gables.
Brianna Brown, her daughter and president of Fine-Line, said the family wanted a presence on Key Biscayne for some time – but finding retail space proved very difficult. They finally found a 650-square-foot spot in Harbor Plaza.
“We’ve been looking for a while. We have a lot of clients out here on the Key,” Brown said. “We could have gone bigger, but we like this location.”
With the Golden Hog as a neighbor, Brown agreed that much of Key Biscayne and its visitors moves through the plaza.
On hand for the ribbon cutting was Mayor Joe Rasco, Council Member Oscar Sardiñas and Tatyana Chiochetti, the executive director for the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce, among others.
“It’s very exciting for us to have a new storefront that will deliver excellence,” Rasco said.
Brown said that Fine-Line aims to design for the client to incorporate their taste and their characteristics. “You want your house to reflect you and your family and your personality,” she said.
Fine-Line will work with customers to help design decor from scratch or work with trade designers or architects. Of the two designers on staff, naturally one of them is a family member.
Brown said she just returned from Belgium and will be traveling to Indonesia next to purchase new items. She said even in the age of internet shopping, she finds that clients want a brick-and-mortar store.
“People want to touch and smell and have all of those senses motivated,” she said.
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JOHN PACENTI is the executive editor of the Key Biscayne Independent. John has worked for The Associated Press, the Palm Beach Post, Daily Business Review, and WPTV-TV.