When her two young daughters begged to see a French farmhouse, it changed the course of this VentureMom’s life. “My husband and I let our girls out in front of a real estate office while we parked the car. When we came back they had found a farmhouse in the window they just had to see.” Tracy Dwyer had planned this trip to France as an educational trip but didn’t realize they’d be educated on the local real estate. “We ended up buying a house in the Loire Valley of France!”
Tracy and her family spend five summers and other vacations in the French countryside scouring the local homes and shops for antiques and collectables. She was doing design work in the states and brought back containers full of these found treasures to use in her clients’ homes. “The other bonus was that there was no TV and the locals spoke very little English. We were forced to learn French. It was one of those special situations that we couldn’t have recreated if we had tried.”
Tracy had been very active in redesigning the restaurants that her commercial real estate company invested in, so moving to interior design for homes was an easy transition. She had also renovated and designed several homes for her family. When friends asked her to help them, it was a natural transition to start her own business. And then with containers of French antiques coming to the states, a store was a natural progression.
Parc Monceau started 33 years ago, in Westport, CT by a woman who lived on a park in France called Parc Monceau. Tracy was a frequent visitor and knew the owner well. These two Francophiles would often have coffee and Tracy told Joanna, the former owner, that if she ever wanted to sell her shop, to call her. That day came and Tracy didn’t even hesitate. Tracy says that Joanna told her, “I’ve never been late on my rent and neither will you.”
Tracy describes her shopping trips to France as a rush, “You’d meet your shippers at the airport in their trucks and hit the warehouses early each morning. “Pickers” are there with trucks filled with the goods they’d collected and are offering for sale. When the doors open it’s a race to get into the trucks and choose what you’ll bring back.” The shippers would get the goods to the docks and they’d arrive months later, “It was like Christmas, opening the containers and remembering what I’d bought.”
In 2008, Tracy’s business changed when the overall economy turned. “It was a perfect storm. Interior design trended towards the modern, the recession hit and dark wood furniture was out. I had a loyal customer base for French antiques, but I wanted to see what else was out there.” Tracy and Parc Monceau slowly incorporated the muted colors and modern furnishings that the times demanded. Tracy has a unique talent at choosing things that work and speak to her clientele.
In 2016 Parc Monceau underwent a full renovation including a new name this year, Parc Home. Tracy incorporated her design services into the shop in 2010 and never says no to a design job, “I love putting together interiors that are personal to a client. These are the rooms they will live in and I want them to love them.”
When asked how she feels about her shop, Tracy says, “It’s great to support the local community. All of my artisans are local and I have 12 full time employees.” When Tracy’s husband retired from advertising he even ventured into the design world by developing a custom line of tables for Parc Home. Tracy says, “I’m a doer. I was born to do this. I’m not afraid of the responsibility and I feel very fortunate to work in a business that I love.”
VentureMom Tip
Make sure you adjust for changing trends in your industry.
