Discovering Easton: Welcome Home

“Welcome Home.”

Arguably one of the best phrases the English language has to offer. It means you’re safe, you’re welcome, this place is for you. The outside world is outside and you are secure, warm, taken care of, and where you belong.

It’s a fitting name for one of Downtown Easton’s newest additions, Welcome Home, a store dedicated to the most crucial place in any household: the kitchen, table, and pantry.

I am a little biased towards Welcome Home. It’s the latest in a locally owned chain that began in Annapolis, opened a second location in Chestertown, and its place in Easton makes three. As an Annapolitan who moved to Chestertown and started his journey in Easton the same month as Welcome Home, we’ve been running side by side for years along a similar journey.

But that’s not the only reason Welcome Home is easy to root for. From the moment you open the door, the shop radiates homey charm. Well-crafted designer brands are impeccably placed and within reach. This store has well-curated products, but it *wants* you to touch, feel, and smell all it has to offer. It’s easy to pick up an item and imagine its place in your home.

The staff only adds to the experience. Owners Jennifer Baker and John Laucik are frequently in store ready to talk entertaining, interior design, and community, and they’ve brought on the equally fun and friendly Sam and Rebecca to help out.

My wife and I are still a few years off from hosting cocktail parties again (it’s hard to make that happen with a 1 and 3-year-old underfoot), but we are already making plans for our future, and we’ve enjoyed perusing the selection Welcome Home offers with those goals in mind.

If we can capture some of the hospitable feeling this store gives every visitor and bring it home to host our friends again, we’ll certainly be starting on the right foot. After all, it’s hard to beat that ‘Welcome Home’ feeling!