Email: [email protected]
Store Name: Erika Reade Ltd
Store Address: 3732 Roswell Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30342
Instagram Handle: @erikareadeltd
Owner: Erika Laughlin
Years in Business: 37
Tell us about your store. What inspired you to create it?
I was young when I opened my shop. I had just graduated from Georgia Tech and knew that a corporate or engineering career wasn’t for me. I’m a people-person, pretty handy with numbers, and appreciate beautiful decor and comfortable spaces. My mother and grandmother always had a knack for making a house a home – I’m sure I get my design sensibility from them. I love helping customers find the perfect gift and then making their day easier by wrapping it for them. As a native Atlantan, I chose my retail space wisely, and am still there after 37 years!
Talk to us about your product curation. How do you decide which brands to offer?
I put a lot of thought into sourcing our products and care that items are well-crafted, responsibly made and that those who make them are paid fairly. We cater to homeowners, gift-givers and brides- and grooms-to-be and I want the products we sell to be in use for a long time. I was first drawn to LAFCO because of the lovely fragrances, but came to appreciate that the hand-blown vessels repurpose well.
What is your favorite or “must-have” LAFCO product and why?
My “original” favorite is champagne; I love its crisp scent that’s appropriate all year ’round. My “new” favorite is Blush Rose – it has such a nice combination of fragrance notes. We carry both Classic and Signature sizes, with the Signature being the most popular for gift giving.
Do you have a store pet or furry friend? What’s his or her name?
No, there’s no shop pet. I have four dogs at home, though, who run the place…
What advice or ideas would you like to share with other independent businesses?
For your key lines and products – the ones that you and your customers love and you always want to have in stock: go deep and buy plenty of them. Trust your instincts. Your customers will appreciate knowing that they can always source those items from you. “Buy it and they will come.”
Many years ago I received a wedding gift from you, it was a pottery type bowl that had me and my husband name and wedding date on it. I treasured this bowl. but my daughter broke it! by accident. I had saved your name from a magazine add and came across it the other day. do you still do custom work? the add had it as a crystal bowl however mine was pottery. the add I saved was the friend quote by Emerson. My name is Carole Clarke and my husband of 45 years is Peter
Really enjoyed reading the story behind Erika Reade Ltd.—it’s nice to see a shop built with so much care and lasting passion. On the entertainment side, I’ve been unwinding with Stickman Hook lately, and it’s a simple, fun game that’s surprisingly relaxing after a busy day.
What a lovely spotlight! Thirty-seven years in the same location says so much about the relationships Erika has built with her customers. I especially appreciated her advice about going deep on key lines—it’s such a practical reminder that consistency and trust matter more than constantly chasing the next trend. Her description of the champagne scent as crisp and year-round appropriate makes me curious to try it.