Janis Jennings Snyder owner of Vita Bella! and Vita Bella Too, stocks her shops with one-of-a-kind antiques and period furniture. Plans are underway for featured artists receptions.
Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
For those who drive by the Kenwood Village Marketplace on Highway 12 but haven’t stopped in lately, spring has brought out the wisteria vines, the fountain in the sunny square is burbling and two new businesses have opened their doors in the charming little complex: Vita Bella!, a furniture and home décor store, and its sister, Vita Bella Too, a gallery and showroom.
Janis Jennings Snyder of Kenwood, owner of both enterprises, had long hoped shops like these would open in the area. As a commuter to Marin, she shopped for quality pre-owned home furnishings and period furniture there and in San Francisco. Finally, last fall she made the decision to take action herself. “My mother always said I should have a retail shop,” said Jennings Snyder. “She passed away after a long illness and after I regrouped and looked at what I was doing and what I wanted to do, the decision to open Vita Bella! was easy.”
The sites in the Kenwood Village Marketplace had been vacant, and the storefront where the main shop is located was previously a video store. Jennings Snyder set about opening up the space, tearing out walls, painting and even doing the faux concrete floor herself. Fortunately, as a mural artist she had a lot of experience in large-scale interior and exterior design, and had a business staging homes for sale. That business also meant she had a large storage space full of great furniture, which gave her an initial inventory of items and Vita Bella! opened on Feb. 29.
It didn’t take long for her to meet most of the locals who dropped by to see the new shop, since it is located next to the Kenwood Post Office. “It turned out a lot of other people had also been craving this kind of store,” said Jennings Snyder. Soon consignments were coming in: room groupings of fabulous period furniture, one-of-a-kind antiques and handmade pieces such as a highly original line of products made from horseshoes. “We call that our ‘cowboy corner,’ and we’ve kind of grouped original art and furnishings that have a Western theme.”
The shop will specialize in quality furnishings, and unique home accent pieces with a policy of 50 percent of the sale price to the seller. In addition to consignment, the store will carry a few new lines such as silk scarves, Seda France candles, fabric pillows and handmade jewelry and lamps.
Vita Bella Too occupies a space that has a wall of high windows facing the plaza, creating a diffuse natural light that brings to life the art on display. An artist herself, Jennings Snyder wanted to feature regional artists and sculptors. Currently, there are works by Don Ponte, Vicki Daniel, Randy Sue Collins and Robert Benson, among others.
Plans are underway for regular receptions at the gallery for featured artists, to be held on the third Saturday of each month. Guests are welcome to come by and stroll around the friendly plaza, talk with the artist and listen to live music.
“We really had a wonderful first month. It seems that there has been a pent-up desire for something here like the shop and the gallery,” said Jennings Snyder. “I know I made the right decision in opening in Kenwood – not only do I now have a one-minute commute, I feel in a certain sense my mother is here as my partner.”
Vita Bella!
Vita Bella Too
8910 Hwy. 12., Kenwood Village Marketplace; 707.833.1233
Wed. – Sat. 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.,
Sun. Noon – 5 p.m.
