Hydrangea Cove beach cottage and garden décor has a new look, a new location and a new customer service manager: Hank the bulldog.
Formerly on Turquoise Street in north Pacific Beach for six years, the women’s gift shop and décor store is now in a reconfigured space at 845 Garnet Ave.
“We were so lucky to find this space, the owner of the building wanted us to be here,” said owner Susan Christopher, showing off her divergent wares in brightly lit, customized rooms. Her compartmentalized retail rooms cater to babies, greeting cards, jewelry, furniture and fabrics, among other items. 
“We completely remodeled our new space to highlight the beach-cottage look, including rooms with coastal colors and wood accents,” Christopher said about her new retail space, which once was a Century 21 real estate office, before being owned by Tower Paddleboards, which has since relocated in Pacific Beach.
Established in 2011, Hydrangea Cove has become the destination for unique, curated gifts for weddings and babies. Other goods carried include candles, body and bath, jewelry, books and greeting cards. Complimentary gift wrapping is offered.
The home décor end of the business features pillows, rugs, lamps, mirrors, coastal accents and vintage, one-of-a-kind furniture.
On a tour of Hydrangea, Christopher noted, standing in her greeting card room, that she’s “very picky about the cards,” adding “people come here just for the card selection, it’s pretty unique and well-curated. These are really lovely cards — and some of them are incredibly funny.”
“When I count my blessings, I count you twice,” reads one card on a homemade rack.
“These are cards from England,” said Christopher noting their quality “is gorgeous” adding, “You don’t find these in San Diego.”
Christopher had an interesting tale to relate about how she got started in coastal retail.
“The shop for me was Plan B,” she said noting she was in banking for many years and transitioned into her new endeavor in 2008.
A Mission Beach resident since ’99, Christopher said, when she was re-thinking what she wanted to do during the recession, she thought, “I’d like to open a shop where I would like to go and pick up things for my beach cottage. There were shops like this that were disappearing because of the recession. But women still wanted to go somewhere where they could browse and relax.”
Named for her favorite, colorful flower, which likes to grow along the coast and reminds her of her native Connecticut, Christopher noted Hydrangea’s bath and body section carries perfumes, lotions and home fragrances, like “washed cotton.”
Though Hydrangea is primarily for women, the shop does carry gifts for men for special events.
One room in Hydrangea is like a mini art gallery, much of it locally generated. There’s even a pet section, as well as a section for babies and a design studio. There is also some women’s apparel in the store, like broad-brimmed sun hats for ladies.
“We have a lot of customers who come from La Jolla as well,” said Christopher of her clientele. She added she also likes to entertain small groups, including a monthly reception for nonprofit organizations.
“We like to be able to offer things that people, who are visiting, can buy for under $10 or $20,” Cristopher said pointing out her typical customer is a woman aged 30-plus. Hydrangea Cove Where: 845 Garnet Ave. Info:?619-846-8113
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www.hydrangeacove.com