Bountiful

Home Furnishings and Interior Design

Jamie Merida came to the Eastern Shore looking for a place to build a business and a community that he could call home. Twelve years later, Merida and Bountiful, the upscale home furnishings shop he founded in Easton, are part and parcel of the fabric of Eastern Shore life.

Bountiful grew out of his first Easton-based venture, Lantham-Merida Antiques, which offered only carefully selected antiques and one-of-a kind pieces. It didn’t take him long, however, to discover that what Talbot County really needed was a fresh, new resource for furniture and gifts.

Today, Bountiful is an 18,000 square foot home furnishing, gift, and design gallery that that has gained a widespread reputation for unique product, versatility and quality. Merida says: “My customers tend to be very sophisticated people. They travel and they’ve seen a lot. I want to make sure that when they come into my store they see something new.”

“We do everything we can to make sure that doing business with us is an exceptional experience.”

And Merida makes certain that customers have plenty from which to choose. In addition to a wide selection of fine furniture and accessories, Bountiful offers lighting, area rugs and carpeting, wall décor, tile and stone, gifts, antiques, and tabletop items. Product is displayed in vignettes that offer shoppers endless opportunities to see creative combinations of color, style, and pattern.

“Stores-within-the-store” offer more surprises. The Gardens at Bountiful offer authentically colored and styled silk flowers, pre-made arrangements, fountains, and garden accessories. Bling at Bountiful is a small boutique of designer-look jewelry and handbags. The Library houses coffee table, cook books, and specialized books that can’t be found other places. “The “stores” change almost as often as the merchandise does,” Merida says. “We’re continually trying to provide new surprises for our customers.”

Merida prides himself on Bountiful’s design staff. He says: “We do it all and do it well. The designers work on projects ranging from one room to an entire house. We also do commercial projects, which, locally, have included The Tidewater Inn, The Inn at 202 Dover, Scossa, Harbortown Golf Resort, and the Harbour Inn and Marina.” The store’s Design Center houses the area’s largest collection of wallpaper, fabric, trim, and carpet samples. “We’re happy when our customers are happy,” he says.

Merida means what he says. Customer service matters at Bountiful. “We do everything we can to make sure that doing business with us is an exceptional experience,” he says. His “try before you buy” policy is part of that commitment to customer service. “It’s important for customers to be able to take items on approval and we’ll even deliver large pieces,” he adds.

Service to the community also matters to Merida. He has used his Holiday Kick-Off bash to raise money for the Women & Girls Fund, CAPA, and the Mental Health Association. He lectures at the Historical Society’s Antiques Show and is always ready to lend at hand with fundraising galas. “Talbot County has been very good to me and I’m happy to give back to the community in any way I can,” he says.

Bountiful
218 N. Washington Street
Easton, MD 21601
410-819-8666

www.bountifuldecor.com

Pictured: Amanda Friend, Barbara Lundahl, Denise Perkins, Ellen Fink, Judy Dunnington and James Merida
Photography: David Mark Hall