FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #41 Inside Whitby’s: A Downtown Gem
What happens when an art teacher with a decade of classroom experience follows her hidden dream? Meet Lindsey Marine, the creative force behind Whitby's, a charming home decor and lifestyle goods shop nestled in downtown Fredericksburg.
Lindsey's journey from educator to entrepreneur unfolds as she shares how leaving a beloved teaching career shortly after COVID led her to fulfill a long-held aspiration. Named after her grandmother, Whitby's occupies an intimate 800-square-foot space that feels more like a welcoming home than a retail store. This "hidden gem" has become a destination for those seeking thoughtfully curated home goods with staying power and story.
The conversation explores Lindsey's philosophy on product selection, emphasizing her commitment to sourcing unique items that won't end up at Goodwill after the trend fades. She takes special pride in supporting independent makers from Richmond to Portland, Maine, fostering connections with artists whose work resonates with her aesthetic vision. One particularly meaningful relationship began when Lindsey, as a customer, discovered a handbag maker at a Nashville flea market in 2018, only to later feature their creations in her own store.
Beyond business insights, Lindsey opens up about her personal life, including recent travels to Scandinavia and an exciting new project—purchasing and renovating her grandparents' home. Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs emphasizes community support, flexibility, and the courage to begin without having all the answers. As former students visit the shop (still calling her by her previous last name), Lindsey's story serves as inspiration that career pivots can lead to fulfilling new chapters.
Discover Whitby's at 703 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg—look for the charming white house with black awnings across from the old visitor center. Stop by to experience Lindsey's curated collection and see firsthand how staying curious can transform a dream into reality.
Lindsey Marine
Whitby’s
+1 540-993-7932
hello@whitbyshome.com
703 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA, United States, Virginia
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm really excited to introduce you to my guest today. Lindsey Marine of Whitby's is joining us. Lindsey, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Hi, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm excited to get to know you and learn more about your business. So let's start there. Share with us a little bit about Whitby's.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so Whitby's is a home decor houseware. Yeah, so Whitby's is a home decor houseware, lifestyle goods store. We're a cute little shop downtown Fredericksburg, 800 square feet, it feels just like a little home and we just sell, I feel like, a very eclectic, wide range of goods for your home. People can find good little gifts here, that kind of thing. Um, but yeah, and it was named after my grandmother, so oh, I love that.
Speaker 2:I love that and what a great addition to the downtown fredericksburg scene. So I love that, thank you thank you so much.
Speaker 3:It's been fun being down here. We're about a year and a half into business, so I like to think we're like a little hidden gem yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, congratulations. A year and a half, that's a big deal, thank you so much. So tell us about your background.
Speaker 3:How did you get into this? I had always had a dream of opening a store and I luckily fell into it. However, I was an art teacher for about a decade before this. I was all over Chesterfield, richmond City, and then back here, which is where I'm from, and, yeah, I left teaching after, you know, shortly after COVID, and you know had a few career changes and then this fell into my lap and it had always been a dream.
Speaker 2:So we've been figuring out as we go and unfolding, so I love that, and so your, your art brain, your creativity is fulfilled daily, I imagine.
Speaker 3:Yes, I always have so many creative projects. The to-do list for creativity keeps building so many ideas. So, yeah, that's one of the good things that I really, really love about owning Whitby's is endless creativity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So much fun, so much fun, okay, so I know that it's not always so much fun. So share with us a hardship or a challenge that you have overcome and now you feel like you're better for it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I feel like when I left teaching, you know when I feel like when I went into that career, I always imagined that that's what I would be doing. You know, my whole life and I think having the courage to leave something that you loved so much love my students, still in contact with a lot of them and to dive into other things, and I feel like each step along the way has led me to the next thing. So, yeah, I just I think that just taking that leap, that one time has made me feel like, okay, I can do that now all the time and, yeah, it's just kind of given me that push, that nudge.
Speaker 2:Well, what a great role model you are for your students to see that you took a big leap of faith and you followed your dreams. And look at you now, so I think that's really cool. I imagine that they are having fun following your journey.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's been really fun. So when I had taught middle school, those students gosh a lot of them are graduated college, now everything and some of them have come in and seen me still call me by my old last name, and so just to see that you know you can change career paths. You don't have to stay where you are, Even if you are happy and it's not the right fit, you know. Just stay curious, I guess.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Very cool, very cool. I love that. I love that. Okay, so clearly, when you are starting a new business, and especially retail business, you are working very hard and, I imagine, long hours. So tell us, when you do get a break, what are you doing for fun?
Speaker 3:I mean, I love art. That is my background, so not on it as much as I used to be, not creating as much as I used to be personally, but I do love that. My husband and I love to travel when we can. We just got back from a trip to Copenhagen and Norway, so that was so much fun. And our next venture is we are buying my grandma grandparents house, so that's like renovations are going to be happening coming and so now I get to design a home how I really want to, so that's going to be a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:That's. That's exciting. I love that You'll have to document your journey so I can follow you. I would like to do that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, add it to the creative checklist that we have going.
Speaker 2:Right. So starting a new business is scary and it's hard and some people are so intimidated. And what advice would you give someone who is thinking about taking that leap and starting a business?
Speaker 3:I think the biggest thing that helped me was leaning on other friends business owner friends that I had just happened to meet along the way. They were a tremendous help. And I think the biggest thing too is for me just knowing that I don't have to have all the answers right when I start. I think you know I'm also a very tight B person, so I think you know, sometimes if you have it all planned out right away, that's great. But being flexible, being fluid kind of, in how you run things, sometimes I feel like it's always like pivoting, you know, staying true to like who you are, your business, your mission, your goal, what you want to bring to people, but also being willing to stretch yourself a little bit. But always lean on the people around you too.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. That's such great advice. The businesses that have longevity are the ones that know when to pivot and are okay with being flexible and changing.
Speaker 3:So yeah, yeah, thank you. I appreciate that. I've very much learned that I cannot do everything that my like myself. So, yeah, leaning on everyone.
Speaker 2:So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about? Whitby's?
Speaker 3:Oh, so many things. I take a lot of pride and care in the products that I bring into my store. I try to find things that are unique but not so unique that maybe two years from now you're like why did I buy that, you know, and you just take it to goodwill. I try to find things that I source vintage rugs. I try to find things that have texture, story layers, but then also things that are pops of fun. I really really love to support other makers. I have businesses out of Richmond Crescent, simples, naked Goat, independent artists all the way up to, like, portland Maine, from everywhere. So it takes a lot of time to search, curate because we have a very small space. Yeah, and my location, my location is like in an old 1800s house and it from the front it's so cute and it looks amazing, but a lot of people think it's a home. So yeah.
Speaker 3:So that's. That's been something that you know we're working on and figuring out how to get more people in.
Speaker 2:So yeah, how fun, though, to get to source all these cool things, and and then you are also so important in other people's journeys as well, because you're bringing them into your store and introducing them to the Fredericksburg market. How cool is that.
Speaker 3:I know it's my favorite thing and, honestly, like Instagram is such a tool too. Back in 2018, I stumbled on something a flea market fair in Nashville in Tennessee, and I'd been following closely one of the vendors and have always dreamed about, you know, owning something of hers. And then now, as a store owner, I had reached out to her and we just brought in backhet and she makes bags like really, really cute handbags. It's like a baguette, but better. That's her thing. But supporting other makers is really the best part about the job.
Speaker 2:So yeah, that's amazing. So if the listeners want to come check you out, um, share with us your address and how they can find you yeah, so we are at 703 caroline street.
Speaker 3:we are across from the old visitor center next to osan and it's a cute little white house, black awnings and um, it's just a really, really cozy space to come visit and just come in and say hi, we'd love to meet you, awesome.
Speaker 2:Lindsey, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast and sharing Whitby's with us.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com. That's fxbgneighborspodcast. com, or call 540-534-4618.