Stepping into the cozy new Lemontree store in downtown Kalispell, shoppers are immediately greeted with the scent of mulled cider that permeates the space from one of the decor shop’s premium candles.

The intimate two-story building at 35 First Ave. E., across the street from Bonelli’s Bistro, is chock-full of candles, room fragrances, wall art and a growing collection of unique options for creating a pleasant home environment at a time when more and more people are staying indoors.

“People are excited to have something new and fresh, which is what we bring,” said Sara Shine, who runs the store along with her parents, Nancy and Rick Walker.

Sara and Nancy described Lemontree’s inventory as good-quality, higher-end interior decorations, with a heavy focus on seasonal items and hard-to-find brands. They carry lines including MacKenzie Child’s—whose products occupy the entire second floor of the store—as well as Michael Aram decor, Nambe fine wood serving dishes and Sid Dickens’ collector tiles.

The store opened in early October and already has drawn “many, many repeat customers,” according to Shine, because Lemontree offers special finds that customers are often surprised to see in Kalispell. Shine said their first visitors have told her, “this is exactly what we’ve needed here.”

While shoppers might not expect all of the offerings they can find lining Lemontree’s shelves, the shop’s warm reception comes as no surprise to Shine and her parents. The family has been running another Lemontree store near Las Vegas for 18 years. In that time, they’ve developed a healthy sense of what homeowners look for to liven up their living spaces, as well as the business practices that help a small interior decorating venture compete with the big box stores in the market.

Sara pointed out the Lemontree store in Nevada was the only business of its kind in the Las Vegas area to survive through the recession. She and her mother credited exceptional customer service with being Lemontree’s saving grace through difficult times. They expect that approach to serve them well for the opening of their second store in the midst of a pandemic.

“The big box stores sell lots of volume. We are more interested in taking care of our customers,” Nancy explained. “We are so excited to be in this community.”

The Las Vegas Lemontree store has been honored with the Best of Houzz award for customer service for six years in a row, starting in 2014. Interior design website Houzz annually recognizes interior design professionals around the world for excellence in various facets of the home decor business.

“It’s a pretty tall order to attain,” their long-running streak of awards, Nany pointed out.

Even though they realized from the onset that Montana’s homeowners might bring a different perspective than the desert dwellers who frequented their first store, the Lemontree leadership is confident nonetheless that their customer service experience will carry over to their new Montana location.

Shine, in particular, feels confident she’ll quickly develop connections with the local community of home decorators in Kalispell, because she moved to the Flathead with her husband and three children at the end of August. Shine recognized Lemontree might need to make a few adjustments as the long-standing shop establishes itself here, but she is excited about integrating into her new community and tailoring the business accordingly.

She has a lot more to look forward to in Lemontree’s future, too. Over the next few months, there are plans to add an array of additional options at the Kalispell shop, including hundreds of additional MacKenzie Child’s pieces, semi-custom furniture such as sofas and chairs, and semi-custom bedding ranging from daybeds to California King beds.

By the start of the new year, Shine said shoppers will have the opportunity to personally design the shape of their new sofa, or pick from 25 different fabrics to adorn a set of accent chairs. This highly personalized furniture will come from brands such as Lexington and Basset.

Lemontree Montana is located at 35 First Ave. E., Kalispell. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.