Our Story

 

Hello! My name is Elyse. Nice to meet you! I started Muz & Rose to have a space to shop thoughtfully & sustainably. Everything we carry is picked with intention & made to last. 

Did you know we’re more than just a boutique? We host seasonal residencies & pop-ups + community-driven events & workshops in the heart of downtown Leesburg. 

Why Muz & Rose?

The name Muz & Rose comes from my two Grandmothers, Grandma Muz from Missouri and Grandma Rosella from Italy (both pictured above). I never had the pleasure of meeting these two women from different worlds, but through the stories about them and heirlooms I inherited from them, they have managed to shape my life in profound and lasting ways.

My grandmothers lived lives of simplicity and meaning. The inherited heirlooms I cherish from these women are all hand-made and well-crafted with the ability to last lifetimes. In the wake of globalization, the thought of my grandmothers brings me the desire to do the opposite, to localize, to focus on the amazing community of makers, craftsmen and artists right in our backyard. To focus on quality over quantity, timeless pieces over trend-based design, just like Muz & Rose did many years ago.

I didn’t start this boutique to be revolutionary, quite the opposite, I started this as my attempt to go back to the basics of life; to connecting with the people around you, to appreciating and supporting your local community, to knowing your neighbors and your shopkeepers, to sharing experiences and creating stories that also last lifetimes.

This is more than just a boutique, it is a place to come together, to discover, to learn, and to grow. We are inspired by this community. We hope you’ll join us on this ride and find something that inspires you too.
 

About Me

I went to The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and worked in the fast fashion side of the industry for a long time. I started feeling like my job was doing more harm than good to the world and ended up leaving NYC and running a sustainable butcher shop in VA for the past 7 years. Now, I find myself back in the world of my first love of fashion and beautiful things, but I am trying to do it in a more positive way than before. I want Muz & Rose to be and feel like an inclusive space where anyone can come discover fun stuff from used records to a cute top all while helping to heal the earth, not harm it. I hope this gives you an idea of what I am all about and what my shop will be about, too.

Here is an article about the shop in Northern Virginia magazine!

"Come walk with us and wonder a little, we hope you'll stay a while..."