Coryanne Ettiene and Heather Lowry have been friends for years. “She’s the calm to my chaos,” Ettiene says, and her perfect replacement.
Ettiene opened her popular eponymous shop in 2015 before expanding to other locations, like Round Top. Now, she’s selling Ettiene Market to Lowry, who officially takes over May 1. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Although renamed The Standard, not much is changing. The McKinney store will still sell home and kitchen goods. It will still sell Magnolia Pearl. It will still focus on female makers. But Ettiene has been known for her European flair, and Lowry plans to source closer to home.
“I’m a sixth-generation Texan,” Lowry says. “So, I just wanted to give it just a little Texas twist.”
While Lowry begins to helm the shop, Ettiene and her family are moving back to the U.K., where her husband is from. There, Ettiene plans to enjoy the calm and work on a book—something she says she didn’t have time to do while running the store.
We talked to Ettiene and Lowry about their longtime friendship, why Ettiene decided to sell, and how Lowry is changing the standard—literally.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
D Magazine: Coryanne, in addition to Heather being your buyer since 2020, y’all have been friends for years. When did y’all meet?
Coryanne Ettiene: We met at a neighborhood party.
D: When was that?
CE: Oh gosh, 2015 or something?
Heather Lowry: Yeah, 2015.
CE: I clocked the room. Everyone was like 10 years older than Heather and I, and she was in a pool and I just went, ‘okay, her. She’s gonna be my friend.’ And I walked over, and I somehow implanted myself in her life.
D: And what made y’all grow so close?
CE: She’s a sister I never had. She’s the calm to my chaos. She’s the reason to my insanity sometimes.
HL: We can just be ourselves with each other. I think that’s important. I mean, we can be silly and serious and all the things.
D: Coryanne, you closed your Bishop Arts location last year and recently wrote an essay on burnout. What made you want to sell?
CE: I realized that while I loved being shopkeeper and I love the community and the retail environment that I had created at Ettiene Market, I really had so much more that I wanted to experience. So much more creativity that I wanted to unfurl. But to do that meant that I needed to close my retail chapter so that I had more blank space to carve out something new and different.
D: You’ve said you’d only sell Ettiene Market to Heather. Why?
CE: She came at the start of my burnout and motivated me and guided me and loved me in a space where I desperately needed to maintain my joie de vivre. She did everything I wasn’t always able to do. She went places with me when I needed to have people with me. Operations, buying, HR, customer service. … It was a laughable, obvious path. But, you know, we tiptoed around it. But she was the one that I would sell it to.
D: Heather, when Coryanne came to you saying she wanted to leave the business, what went through your mind?
HL: I just wanted to continue what she had built. I just love the store. It’s been one of the best work environments I’ve had in my retail career. I love our customers. They’re just the happiest, nicest people. And I just love going to work every day. So, I just wanted that to continue.
D: Why did you buy the store?
HL: I’ve always run stores for other people, so I have the experience. I’ve been doing it for so long, I could do it in my sleep. But it’s just that my children are older, and it was just the right time. I’m settled, and it’s now or never essentially. I wouldn’t have the opportunity again.
D: You’ve changed the name from Ettiene Market to The Standard. What prompted that decision?
HL: It’s a very personal name for Coryanne. Having it as her last name, that’s her connection. So, this just separates it a little bit. I’m gonna keep it, obviously, in the same direction as she had, but I just wanted to imprint a little bit more of a Texas root.
D: You’ve both said that Ettiene Market’s range of merchandise won’t change too much, but can you walk me through your plans for the shop?
HL: I’ll definitely keep the kitchen and the home. And just try to find some more Texas makers and just more of a West Texas vibe, which is where my family’s from. I mean, I love everything as it is. But I’m constantly on the hunt for just new and interesting products, [and I] want to keep it filled and evolving. … I’m just always looking for the things that I love. And I want those things to be available to everyone.
D: So what are some items that you’re planning to add?
HL: I was in the cosmetic industry for quite a while, so I’m going to add some more self care. I’m really into clean beauty now. I’m really passionate about what I put on, in my body. So, I definitely want to expand the self care section but, really cooking and home—that’s my passion.
D: What is your ultimate goal for The Standard?
HL: I just want to carry on the great environment. The feedback we get from customers daily is just how much they love this store. And I want to keep that alive. I just want people to come in and see really exciting objects and new things and just keep that feeling going.
D: And Coryanne, what are your hopes for Heather as she takes over?
CE: That her dreams come true.
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