Vintage
Roundtop
When I first wandered into Paige and Smoot Hull's Vintage Round Top booth at Marburger Farms in 2014, I was entranced by the unique styling and aesthetics of their modern vintage brand. I bought a few accessories and hand poured candles for Hotel Ella that day, thinking they'd be a great fit for our budding merchandise curation in the lobby. My "cold call" email request for additional candles the following week quickly blossomed into a friendship and eventual brand collaboration as we discovered our shared creative vision and passion for mixing the old with the new. I had no idea when I walked into that booth what a treasure Paige and Smoot would be as partners, collaborators, and friends.
We took turns road tripping between Austin and Round Top for months to brainstorm and develop a custom line of Vintage Round Top "Texas Sweet Grass" scented bath amenities for Hotel Ella and their Round Top rental homes and cottages. Paige and Smoot also helped us source French vintage merchandise cabinets from Fredericksburg for the hotel lobby, and came to share their unique creative story with the Austin community at the Hotel Ella Salon Series.
The biggest lesson from that experience is that the opportunities to collaborate creatively exist in the most unexpected places, if you are open to letting them unfold. And some of the best friendships can grow from a chance encounter. Always, always, grab the card and send the email. You never know.
“We’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Ana Stapleton on numerous projects and events and have been blown away by her depth of creative expression, incredible taste, and professionalism. Not only is she a joy to work with but also is a natural at developing design concepts, directing projects, and adding unique details that take projects to the next level. She is true innovative visionary.”