Home accents occupy the first floor of Pepperberry's 700-sq.-ft., two-story building, and the cash wrap doubles as the office.

"The furnishings I have in my store are very expandable and collapsible. I pull out drawers and open doors at peak inventory times and can close them up when I don't need them and the store still looks full. I also use a lot of books, lemons and other props that will eat up a bare spot as needed."

Weingartner says one advantage to running a small shop is that it's manageable. "You have to wear many hats, but because I'm involved in every aspect of the business, I can run it as it is or make changes based on what I see happening on any given day. I am always on the sales floor and my customers get my personal attention. My little shop fits my little town. My customers know each other and love to see each other when they come in."

Shopowner Laurie Weingartner makes good use of expandable and collapsible furnishings, pulling out drawers and opening doors at peak inventory times.

Pepperberry's, established in 2006, offers mid-priced lines, with 70% of space devoted to home accents. Categories include accent furniture, wall decor, decorative pillows, throws, permanent botanicals and tabletop.

Key vendors: Guildmaster, Blue Ocean Traders, Bramble, America Retold, Aidan Gray, Bougainvillea, NDI, Go Home, Rosanna, Mariposa, Paragon and Propac

What markets do you shop? High Point and New York. This year I also went to Atlanta. I am working on getting to Dallas next.

Do you see any trends emerging or remaining "hot" in home accents for your area? Simple clean lines. Traditional yet current functional furnishings and accessories. Brown is still strong in this area.

What makes you different/sets you apart from the competition? We are a boutique and we embrace all that it means, highly specialized with attention to detail. We create a shopping experience to stimulate the senses and we top it off with excellent customer service.

How do you reach your customer? We advertise in a local women's magazine and e-mail a monthly newsletter. Our blog is updated regularly, we post to Facebook at least once a week and we try to Twitter daily. We give back to the community by donating merchandise to charities, especially the ones our customers are involved with.

How have you been affected by/responded to the economic downturn? I have not been affected by the economy. I have seen growth month to month, and year to year. I am one of the lucky ones. I do think boutiques will be the survivors in this economy. We tend to be more creative in our solutions and therefore able to mask any hardships we may be encountering ... and in the eye of the customer that is key.