Debra Monahan dreamed of opening a gift store (a Hallmark store to be exact) when she was a little
girl. She reveled in the idea of having a store where people would come in and thoughtfully pick out a
gift or card for a loved one. Those dreams easily gave way to a master’s degree in business and a 15
year history in BtoB corporate sales in New York. In March of 2005 she moved to Old Town, Alexandria,
Virginia at the behest of her boyfriend. She continued to work for her NY firm and had aspirations of
moving back to NY within 2 years. It took 6 months in Old Town before she was completely and utterly
in love with the community – it became her muse and inspiration for opening that store that she
dreamed about as a girl. “How could you not love the cobblestone streets, gas lanterns, and numerous
boutiques and pubs?” says Debra. She left corporate America in November of 2005 and began her
business plan in January 2006. On November 20, 2006 her dream became a reality; not with a
Hallmark store but with a self conceived gallery/gift store filled with work whose purpose is to do one of
three things: inspire, provoke thought or bring about a smile (better yet, a laugh) - hence "Gifts with
Purpose". The store is filled with bright wall colors such as lapis blue, tangerine, banana yellow and
apple green that converge on the senses before you even have an opportunity to discover the
merchandise. Most items in La Muse are handcrafted by American artists.
The cornerstone of La Muse's mission is to give back to the community. “I run promotions monthly
wherein which the store donates a percentage of each sale to charity.” she says. “I look forward to the
time where we will be able to consistently donate a percentage of sales to charity – there won’t need to
be a promotional period.” In addition Debra provides a drop-off point for www.anysoldier.com and
sends packages to military units serving overseas each month to help make their stay away from the
USA a little more bearable. “Donated items are generally so simple – like shampoo, fabric softener,
baby wipes or magazines - even a card – how hard is that?” All military personnel (active or retired)
receive a 10% in store discount with ID. Debra's military inspiration comes from her Uncle Dennis who
is a retired Marine - she ran the Marine Corps Marathon in his honor in 2006. Debra also makes it a
point to volunteer her time to such causes as Meals on Wheels and the local food bank. Click on La
Muse's 'Giving Back' page to see what causes they are supporting this month!
La Muse is located at 108 N Patrick Street (just a few steps off of King Street) in Old Town, Alexandria,
Virginia 22314. You may contact Debra at the store at 703 683 1696 or on her mobile phone during
non-working hours at 703 473 3165.
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La Muse
a Live with Gratitude, Inc company
a Live with Gratitude, Inc company
| Thank You Darryel Adams - for giving his heart and soul to Debra and La Muse - without you there would be no La Muse Sheri Holthouse - for the numerous 'volunteer hours,' the logo and every graphic art talent you give to the store Kristin Keckeisen - for the name La Muse, conceived on a cocktail napkin at King Street Blues, a local Old Town establishment Dawn Corcoran - owner of Aurora, an awesome hair salon in Oyster Bay, NY (go check it out 516 922 2223) for her entrepreneurial advice and loaning Debra business credentials so she could research product prior to opening La Muse Angel Duff - who conceived the vibrant wall colors of La Muse - without which the store might be confused with just another gift shoppe :) Jean Smith - for the countless hours of shopping and decorating (and for the best Christmas window in Old Town. Really, it's true - La Muse won the Town holiday decorating contest) |
| What is "gifts with purpose"? When we choose work for La Muse we aspire that it may meet one (or more) of three objectives: To Inspire, To Provoke Thought &/or To Make You Smile(better yet, Laugh!) Scroll Down the Page to see Pictures of La Muse Visit Debra's 365 Days of Good Karma blog. See us on Facebook too!! |
| Valentine's Day! |
| The Card Room with the best greeting cards ever! |
| Greetings from La Muse! Here's the Front Room |
| The Lime Green Room |
| The Lapis Blue Room |
| Darryel & Debra were married on Monday, November 12, 2007 in Aruba. Check out our photos! |
Store owners: Darryel, Debra & Lemieux! |
| Click Here for awesome pictures of the January 20, 2009 Inauguration of Barack Obama |
| In April 2009 La Muse entered a contest through Intuit (the makers of Turbo Tax and Quickbooks). Our customers had to vote for us and many left comments. To read the story and customer comments Click Here |