Thursday, November 20, 1997

Home furnishings store is one of a kind

By DOUG WILLIAMSON / Abilene Reporter-News

Regena Hatchett had Ambiente in the back of her mind for years.

A year ago, husband Jim threw his support and confidence behind the idea, and today the thought is reality.

"It is something different, something eclectic, something fun," she says of her home furnishings and accessory shop. "I think it is one of a kind in Abilene."

When customers walk into the store in The Cloisters at South 7th and Leggett, the colors are the first thing that strike them. They are both bright and subtle, and definitely not Abilene. You get the feel of being in a small Santa Fe shop or a Dallas specialty boutique. Like its name, the store's surrounding atomosphere is special.

Hatchett has stocked the place in Mexican and Indian original and unique, hand-crafted, hand-painted goods. She personally selected each item, many of which were spotted on trips to Mexico.

Her customers "look for fun. They want to mix the old with the new, the interesting with the unique. Their homes have character and style. No one else (has a home) with the same look," she said.

Hatchett said many of her customers "are artistic. I have many doctors' wives, people with second homes or cabins and interior designers."

She will know if she is successful just by looking at her customers.

"If I see them pleased and excited with my pieces, I will have done it," she said.

So what are the customers finding in Ambiente?

Religious artifacts, Bangkok water jugs, ceramics form Italy and France and a myriad of other objects fill the quaint store.

Hatchett said her favorite item is a Chiapas dowry chest from Mexico.

The Abilene native and Abilene Christian University design graduate has more plans for her shop. A beautiful, large deck overlooking Elm Creek will probably see pottery and other outdoors-type items this spring, Hatchett said.

One of the most recent additions is a exquisite mural, painted by Brownwood artist Rod Marsh. He spent a week transforming an interior wall into what appears to be a rock structure with an archway to a lovely green garden. Of course, the scene is faux.

Marsh has done similar magic in several Abilene homes.

Ambiente is a little hard to find. It is in the rear section of The Cloisters. The store is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and by appointment on Saturday.