Miss Cayce's Christmas Wonderland Behind the Scenes

Miss Cayce’s is made into a new Christmas Wonderland every year, and people always ask co-owners and sisters, Becky and Kathy, how they do it. Some people like to think it’s all just Christmas Magic.

Just like the elves are busy making toys all year long, Kathy, Becky and the entire Miss Cayce’s Crew are busy at work planning, buying product at Market and setting up the store for the season. Each year is a chance for a new store with new product, new brands, new themes and new areas in the store.

I asked Kathy and Becky a few behind the scenes questions to learn about how they plan each season, create new displays, pick product for each theme and more.

Becky and Kathy like to pull inspiration from everywhere, whether it’s the showroom displays at Market, trends on Instagram, home décor showrooms, DIY projects, pop culture or antique stores.

“Market is a wonderful place for inspirations. We like to spend the first few days at market just looking around to get a feel for what is trending,” said Kathy. In fact, Market was the inspiration behind creating new themed areas and displays for the store. “We realized how excited we were to go to market to see the new showroom displays, new trends, new product and new innovative ways of decorating, so we thought, why not recreate that same excitement for our customers” said co-owner, Becky.

Since it is a seasonal store, only open from September to January, “we are technically a new store in town every year. That means we should look like a new store every year,” Kathy said. “Plus we sell out each season, so the new season is full of new merchandise, and we like to create new looks and themes based on the products we sell that year,” Becky followed up.

When deciding themes, Kathy and Becky are inspired  from  trends, staple products customers love, what did well the season before, home décor show rooms and new color stories. “We tend to have some similar areas from the year before but with a twist,” said Becky, “For example, a traditional Christmas would be Red and Emerald Green, but our Snow Fun themed areas adds a pop of Black and White, Lime Green, Snowmen, Snowflakes and a Flocked Christmas Tree to make it more whimsical.”

After 30 plus years of planning, creating and decorating the store with new themed areas every year, customers have begun to expect a new shopping experience when they come in. “Some customer’s absolutely notice, and others notice subconsciously. We have customers sometimes expecting a specific theme from the previous year, but then they realize we have changed it” Kathy said. However, the sisters are aware that not everyone completely changes their Christmas décor every year, so they create similar themes, so people can coordinate with and add onto their decorations from years before.    

Inspiration for the store can even come from pop culture. For example, a new theme this year called Christmas Carnival was inspired by The Greatest Showman movie. Market had showcased a theatrical and bohemian look that reflected the beautiful costumes and theatrics in the movie. Kathy came up with the idea to include a huge DIY Hot Air Balloon made from scrapes of fabric, metal and decorative bow in the store's display. “Kathy has an eye for interior design,” said Becky, “She not only creates big and exciting displays like the Hot Air Balloon to make it a Christmas Wonderland, she also knows how to display product so that customers can imagine it in their home and be inspired on new ways to decorate their home.”

Sometimes it takes several times walking through the store to see it all, and sometimes it can be hard to choose only one theme, but Becky and Kathy had some expert advice for people decorating their home for the holidays.

“Think about where you put your tree, how you like to entertain and who your audience is (friends, family and kids, or yourself). Look at your home décor and find a Christmas Theme that coordinates, or if you are a die-hard Red and Green Traditional Christmas fan, but your house is blue and rustic, you could use a red and green plaid that pulls in the tones of your home,” said Kathy. “We try to ask people a lot of questions about their home, their personality and style. We purposely buy a wide variety to products so that we can accommodate your tastes” Becky reinforced.

Sometimes people do not realize that you do not have to pick from just one theme. You can pick through the different themes so that it all coordinates and works with your home. “We have trained our employees to help customers select products that will complement their interior design,” said Becky.

Kathy always says, “A beautiful home deserves beautiful Christmas Décor,” and Miss Cayce’s firmly believes in celebrating the holiday through decorating your home to entertain your family and friends. No matter the theme you choose, how much or how little you decorate, we encourage you to have fun with it!

The store is now open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm and Sundays from 2-5pm. Come in and see us! Need help picking out your decor? No problem, we are ready to help, just ask a team member when you come in. We look forward to seeing you. 

If you do not live in Midland check out the online boutique to shop all of the Miss Cayce's essentials, or contact us about coming into the store from out of town either by yourself or with a group. We would love to meet you and welcome you.

Happy Decorating,

Rebecca