By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — AYR barns, named for a seaside town in Scotland, is a home accessories and design store marking its first holiday season in Westport.

Shop owner and interior designer Becca Casey has created an atmosphere inspired by aesthetics of her Scottish and English roots.  

“I feel like I’m in the British countryside,” she said of the store, at 1835 Post Road East, which radiates rural, yet sophisticated charm.

Her family in Scotland raises horses, and the Westport barn, which housed Walpole Outdoors for 18 years, was the perfect setting for her new shop, Casey said.

“It was important that I found a barn,” she said. “It’s a beautiful, neutral backdrop.”

The shop is Casey’s first retail venture, but she has been in the interior design field for several years, offering home accessories online that she buys from around the world. 

Merchandise on display in the shop are also available online at the AYR barns website, she said.

The barn’s interior has been designed for patrons “to feel relaxed and at home,” Casey said, with pale gray and white tones for walls and furnishings. The barn is decked out for the holidays, with a large tree sparkling with lights at its center, and a smaller fir tree decorated with children’s items in a corner nook. Garlands of brushed aluminum bells hang on one wall.

In one corner of the shop is the “Cabbage Café,” where coffee, tea, baked goods, salads, soups, sandwiches and quiches are served. It reflects Casey’s intention to provide customers with a welcoming, relaxed environment.

Casey chose Westport to open her first shop because the town is where interior designers come to find merchandise for their clients, she said, referencing the plethora of furniture and home-design businesses in town. “For me as a designer, I came here to shop,” she said. “I knew it was a real hub — a place where people enjoy aesthetic pleasures.”

AYR barns opened in September, and with the holidays drawing near, Casey has planned several events at the barn including a “Holiday Bazaar” on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m. The event will include family craft activities, such as making clay ornaments, stamped wrapping paper and felt mistletoe, plus cookies and cocoa will be served. 

“Tablescapes Unveiled: A Master Class in Holiday Elegance,” will be held Thursday, Dec. 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Casey and floral designer Lauryn Soden, of Stems & Co. in Rowayton, will share tips on creating a welcoming holiday table while customers enjoy wine and light bites.

To sign up for the events, click here.

Store hours are: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Cabbage Café is open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For holiday hours, check the website. Phone: 203-292-3016.

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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist and journalism teacher for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman newspaper for 10 years and teaches journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.