Home & Garden: Vintage Charm

By Loren Mayo
| 4:00 a.m. August 22, 2012

"I actually got the bicycle at Home Goods. I didn't buy it when I first saw it, but when I woke up the next morning, I thought, 'If that's still there, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mine!'"

Arts + Culture

Veiled by majestic trees on quiet Wisconsin Lane is Ronelle Ashby’s 1920s abode. When she returns from busy days spent running her Towles Court gallery, Ashby Art & Antiques, and opens the garden gate into her personal promised land, she rejoices in its stillness and beauty.

The two-story house is littered with treasures from Ashby’s travels to Spain, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Morocco; portraits by her late husband, William; and accessories from her daughter’s vintage shop, Broad Ripple Vintage.

“It’s eclectic, as opposed to bizarre,” says Ashby, who moved in 2005 to Sarasota from Chicago. “I love the vintage charm of the 1920s, and I love the Spanish style. Coming through the garden gate — it’s a great pleasure and so serene.”