With its pop art David Bowie print hanging on the wall, blankets from the African Maasai tribe and pillows with sassy sayings in loopy cursive, it’s no surprise that owner Shannon Foley Henn calls the pieces in her boutique, Uptripping, “art and furnishings for the adventurous.”
Uptripping, located in downtown Winter Park, was named best art gallery and best furniture store, moving up from second place spots in both categories last year. Henn thinks it’s thanks to the store’s one-or some-of-a-kind pieces.
“The most common thing we hear is, ‘Thank you for being here,’ because we’re definitely a different flavor for mountain furniture and mountain artwork,” Henn said.
The boutique features artists’ works from every corner of the globe, including as local as Henn’s own work. Her collection is born out of her passion for traveling and the connections she has made all over the world.
“Sometimes art galleries can be intimidating to go into and we really hope we’ve created a space that’s not intimidating, it’s just fun and there’s something for everyone,” she said.
Henn said she always knows she is doing a good job picking pieces to feature in her store when customers’ giggles are a constant background noise.
Inspiring people to do “funky things with their things” is Henn’s ultimate goal. “I love when people come in and find a piece of art and I get to know that person and I get to know where that artwork goes to live,” she said.
Helen Sittig, Photography by Helen
Another way Uptripping help makes that happen is by building community through its First Friday events, where they partner with the surrounding businesses to put on live music, food and drinks and feature local art. Then the proceeds go to a local charity.
Henn said it’s very exciting for people to enjoy the store so much that it won first place in two categories.
“When we first opened, Sky-Hi asked me what our measurement of success was and I said the answer to that is that people pop in every week to see what’s new,” she said. “The exciting thing is that has happened.”