Tables full of trinkets, shelves lined with decor and lots of smiling faces are what one can expect to see when shopping at Poppy, a boutique in downtown Columbia that specializes in unique handmade items. The store, originally founded in 1981 by Barb McCormick, has flourished ever since.

“The inspiration for Poppy was born out of a love and appreciation that I grew up with for art and especially craft,” McCormick said in an email. “My mother was a docent at the Oakland Museum in California and often sent me gifts from the various craftsmen that she encountered — unique, functional handcrafted works of art that delighted me and were unattainable in Mid-Missouri.”

Current owner Liz Tucker began working part-time at Poppy in 2004.

“Part-time turned into full-time, which turned into going on buying trips with the former owner,” Tucker said, laughing.

Her part-time work at Poppy was quickly becoming a permanent job as McCormick decided to retire in 2011. Tucker soon took over, and she has owned the shop ever since.

“My hope was to see Poppy continue and flourish,” McCormick said in an email. “It would take someone who shared my passion. That person was Liz.”

Over 200 artists are represented in the store, Tucker said. Most of the items in the store are entirely made by hand, which is important to those that work there.

“I think with handmade items, you’re supporting a person and there’s a story there,” Tucker said. “There’s something so magical about that transaction between me buying it from that artist and somebody buying it from the shop, knowing that there’s a real person behind that actual item.”

In addition to working the floor, Jami Powell, a sales associate at Poppy, deals with artist transactions. She also handles special orders and repairs.

“One of the great things about working with artists is that they really stand behind their work so with almost all of them, I can send a piece back to them and they can repair it or make a mate or anything like that,” Powell said.

About 40-50 percent of the artists Poppy works with are local to Missouri, Powell said. The majority of them work on consignment, which essentially means the store carries the work and the artist is paid once the item is sold.

“They’re trusting us with their items and we’re trusting them that they’ll keep us supplied,” Tucker said. “We have a really great consignment reputation, and have several artists that we have worked with before for years and years.”

Powell decided to work there so that she could be around things she truly loved. She is an artist herself and has a line of indigo homeware items known as Smiley Textiles, which is currently being sold at Poppy.

“[Working at Poppy] really helps me know the backend stuff,” Powell said. “I knew my products and what I wanted to make and how I wanted to make them, but art school doesn’t teach you anything about the business side or how to talk to shops, how to price your work, invoice or anything like that. Working here really taught me how to work with a shop.”

On the store website, Poppy outlines a simple but effective gift-giving service. The workers at Poppy can help customers find the perfect gift based on information provided about the recipient.

“We pride ourselves in helping people find the right gift for someone,” Tucker said. “People come in and tell us who they’re shopping for and usually we will ask them questions about their personality or their style just so we can learn a little bit more about who were trying to serve. We will pull a tray of options we think, based on what they have told us, that they would like. We always gift wrap — its complementary.”

This time of year, Poppy is busy with lots of upcoming events. Every Sunday in December, there will be food to eat and a portion of every sale goes to a nonprofit.

“For us as a small business, it is a way we can really give back,” Tucker said. “It is sort of a way for us to align our resources with causes we support. It also raises awareness of our store and those smaller nonprofits.”

Poppy is located at 920 E Broadway #1 in downtown Columbia.

_Edited by Alexandra Sharp | asharp@themaneater.com_