My Dearest Paris,
I’ve had a love affair with you since my first trip in 1993, when by some strange miracle the sun shined seven straight days…..
Some 20+ years later you would provide the backdrop for my love story to officially begin.
On Sept.16, 2014 on a Tuesday we said yes.. Just us... me and him.... in this intimate little museum church tucked away on a beautiful vintage cobblestone street in the 8th arrondissment of Paris. No one to worry about, only special moments and memories to make. Honestly I had never actually dreamed the dream of getting married. And possibly because both my parents had passed away it didn’t feel so important to hold to any tradition. Our Ceremony…small but filled with so much love, not a single detail overlooked and it was one of the easiest days of my life.
30 magical days in London, Paris, and Barcelona. Between the beautiful architecture of some of my favorite places like the Louvre, Sagrada Familia, V&A, and the Palace de Versailles to aimlessly wandering in the Tuileries Garden and people watching in the tiny little cafes near Sacre Couer to staying in our favorite hotels in Marais. It was all the things that dreams are made of. Casual long strolls along the seine with ice cream covered hands made for some of the dreamiest romantic experiences. Oh and did I mention we raced from London to Paris to celebrate with Jay and Bey for their first OTR tour in Paris!!!!!
It was those perfect moments, that would later spark the idea. How can we capture and share the essence of how we felt in all the cities. It didn’t take long for us to discover we had already been doing just that for years.
Tracey had been collecting and curating his own little collection of hats, vintage brooches and cuff links from our travel. I have amassed a sick match collection (I know, I’m a bit of an odd bird), home décor gadgets, magazines and jewelry. And so just like that Two Twenty was born. Well not really… The dream would sit with us for a few years and then finally we started creating space for it in 2019.
So you asked….Who and what is No220 vs TwoTwenty?
Our little boutique store Two Twenty was born and launched with our new home fragrance (candle) collection No220… a little confusing we know….. but you’ll get it.…just stay with us! Two Twenty is special to both Tracey and I because both of our mothers were born on 220…. honestly its a discovery we only recently paid attention to. My mommy is no longer living but Tracey’s mom has loved me in every way and given me everything I need and more. We honor them both by doing the things we love and sharing them with you.
Our hope to create a space for us and other artists to share and inspire you to purchase the things you love. And quite possibly inspire you to do the things you love as well. So join us on this road trip as we grow our little baby and share it with the world.
Oh and feel free to SHARE and ASK US ANYTHING, we don’t take ourselves very seriously and we won’t be offended by much!
With lots of Love,
The Collins House
PS. Our Chic AF debut candle collection was inspired by memories in some of our favorite places: GA..... It's Just Peachy, Je T'aime Paris and I Love New York and its only the beginning!
Stay tuned for more Love Letters!
