Photos courtesy of Le Petit Zebra

When one of my oldest Miss Porter's School friends and inspirations, Amy Nevin, shared with me that she was opening a retail store, I knew she had the style eye to make it great. Always a fan of color, she always had the cutest accessories and was ahead of the fashion curve. This spring she debuted Le Petit Zebra, a charming preppy-meets-whimsical home and gift shop located on 27 Forest Avenue in Locust Valley, Long Island. The town I grew up in is seeing a major shopping renaissance, with a burgeoning design, gift and antique store scene. LPZ is a great addition, where you can pick up a hostess gift and shop for your home. The assortment includes furniture from Bungalow 5 to Oomph, printed accessories from Roberta Roller Rabbit, gobs of cute writing papers, cult beauty brands Santa Maria Novella and Tata Harper, shiny baubles from Asha by ADM, and wonderful artwork. Displayed together, with a dash of vintage, and it is like visiting a chic friends house, where you want everything. The shop is all dolled up for Christmas, which means they are stocked and ready to go.

 The LPZ maccot against a kiwi colored painted wall

 A pink Diane James Peony arrangement, colorful vase, Oomph table and Bargello flamestitch pillows sit beside great carryalls

An oversized art print dominates a wall with stationery galore

A Santa Maria Novella scent station

Gifties! Candles, serving pieces, candy and brightly- hued leather notebooks

Get ready for holiday dress up time with some sparking jewels from a favorite, Asha by ADM. Amy carries the full assortment

Cozy chevron throws, striped bags from Scout and Utility Canvas and lots of ready to give candy containers await

Tole flowers, a variety of scented candles on shelves sit next to a stocked teal colored bar from Society Social