New biz in Sea Cliff making something beautiful out of life’s messes

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As a young girl, Lisa Marchetti remembers being dragged around to tag sales by her antique-obsessed grandfather, and while her grandmother considered it a waste of time, she did not.

“She did not appreciate antiques, but I loved them,” Marchetti said. “Every time I look at a piece I want to know the history of it, where it’s been — I wish they could speak.”

After raising five boys and dealing with, what she called, “the beautiful mess” that came with it, Marchetti, of Manhasset, decided to open up an antique shop of her own. She found the empty storefronts of her home hamlet inadequate to fulfill her vision, which is to give purpose to home goods items born out of life’s beautiful messes. When she took her search to Sea Cliff, however, her vision cleared.

“The community has great DNA to appreciate a store like this,” said retail consultant Linda Cohen. “You’re finding great antiques to curate your home without it being expensive.”

With longtime friend and Sea Cliff resident Susan Davilla, Marchetti opened the aptly named My Beautiful Mess earlier this month. The eclectic space offers a mix of old and new pieces to fit a variety of visions, from the more seasoned antiques shopper to the newer, millennial-aged buyer.

“My goal was anything that could be bought here would be something I’d keep in my own home,” Marchetti said. The store offers Marchetti’s finds from all over the eastern seaboard, including Maine, Connecticut and Florida.

“[Lisa’s] true calling is coming out in this store,” Davilla said. “She takes forgotten items, brings them back to life, and makes them beautiful things to be displayed again.”

In addition to decorative wall art, antique furniture and upcycled furnishings — think wind chimes crafted out of sterling silver teapots and utensils — shoppers can find sustainable gift items like wine-scented candles sold in recycled bottles, handmade cosmetics from the Pennsylvanian Amish and soy-based soaps.

Marchetti’s desire to sell organic and vegan products comes from a former bout with breast cancer. As a survivor, she wants to inspire customers with her story of tragedy-to-triumph while sharing the stories of the shop’s wares.

“Every wholesaler I carry here has a story as to why they started doing this — it’s telling me how they got through their tragedy,” Marchetti said. “They took something that was so horrific in their life and turned it into something beautiful.”

“You have to learn to make something beautiful out of your mess,” she added. By carrying this mantra into her new business, Marchetti hopes to spread her vision to buyers trying to visualize their own messes.

“Shoppers can find a use for anything, and see things in a whole new light,” Davilla said.

The opening of My Beautiful Mess follows of flood of new businesses popping up on and around Sea Cliff Avenue, but Marchetti finds the revitalization an opportunity to help her fellow proprietors. “We’re not competing against each other,” she said. “We each have our own thing and we all want to see each other succeed.”

My Beautiful Mess is located at 60 Roslyn Ave., and is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.