Founder Angela Beck launched Pomegranate after a trip to India, where she fell in love with the block-printing technique. After operating as a wholesale company for nearly 30 years, the store has opened its first storefront. Photo courtesy Shining Light Photography for Pomegranate Inc.
Pomegranate Inc. owner Angela Beck wants her new retail space to feel like stepping into an inviting and immersive display of her beloved lifestyle brand’s breezy aesthetic, as well as a gathering space for the local community.
Long known in Lexington for its biannual warehouse sales, Pomegranate started as a wholesale textiles company nearly 30 years ago. During the pandemic, the company shifted to primarily online sales. Now, Beck says, the time is right to open a retail store.
“This is what we’re most excited about — showing all the things that we’ve worked so hard to put on display,” Beck said. “We want it to be an experience and a fun gathering place.”
Located at 700 East Main Street near the Clay Avenue retail corridor, the newly renovated boutique will offer customers an opportunity to immerse themselves in Beck’s curated collections of hand block-printed apparel, linens, textiles and accessories, as well as unique home décor and antiques sourced by Beck during her travels.
The space also includes an area for customers to enjoy light bites and wines, called Penny’s at Pomegranate, presented in partnership with chef Ouita Michel. Michel’s mother, Penny, used to live on Clay Avenue, Beck said.
Owner Angela Beck hopes to eventually add an event rental component to her new Main Street storefront. Photo courtesy Shining Light Photography for Pomegranate Inc.
The wine, from Angela Vineyards in Oregon (named after Beck), will be available via “Pour Pass,” a self-serve system where customers can swipe a preloaded card and pour a wine from a specialized dispensing machine.
“We want people to stay and hang out for a while,” Beck said. “The idea is that we can help you set your table and we can help you find a great gift, and we also want you to experience the whole levity and refreshing colors of Pomegranate.”
While the company is still working out the details, Beck anticipates a slow rollout of the food component and fine-tuning the process to provide customers with what they want.
“Later this spring, hopefully, we will be renting the space out as an event space,” she said. “We’ll be catering those events, so in the evening, if you want it for your book club or your weekly mah-jongg league, you can take over the entire space.”
Beck launched Pomegranate after a trip to India, where she fell in love with the country and the block-printing technique used to decorate textiles. She started designing her own patterns after moving to Lexington with her husband, horseman and entrepreneur Antony Beck. Soon after, she set up her first trade show booth, and Pomegranate was born. The company’s products feature exclusive designs that are hand-stamped onto textiles by artisans in India using traditional techniques.
Beck launched Pomegranate after a trip to India, where she fell in love with the block-printing technique. Photo courtesy Shining Light Photography for Pomegranate Inc.
In 2020, the pandemic forced Beck to shift everything to online sales. Most of her sales, she said, come from outside of Lexington.
“Our top four states are California, New York, Texas and Florida,” she said. “We also have a huge mailing list because of our wholesale showroom in Atlanta.
“In the past, we’ve also set up in the New York gift shows, in Dallas, and in Las Vegas, but we find that staying closer to home and having a permanent wholesale facility in Atlanta allows us to draw the right traffic and to get buyers from all over the country.”
Beck will continue to sell Pomegranate’s wares online and through retail partners nationwide. She also plans to release exclusive prints that will be available only at the Lexington location.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “It’s a beautiful space. It is really beyond my imagination how well it turned out.”
In addition to offering a selection of Pomegranate’s hand-blocked linens, the new shop will offer an area for customers to enjoy light bites and wines, presented in partnership with Ouita Michel. Photo courtesy Shining Light Photography for Pomegranate Inc.