Holiday House Tour provides a 'Lifeline'

By Melike Monahan

special correspondent

Barb Wolfe and Heidi Ellis are two friends who met working on various projects through their church. Wolfe and Ellis are business owners. Wolfe owns Confetti, a unique merchandise store, and Ellis owns Cozi Inspired Interiors, a home furnishing specialist. Although both ladies have busy family and work lives, they shared the same passion to do something more for their community.

Wolfe and Ellis decided to start an organization dedicated to integrating community service projects into its business practices for the benefit of local charities. Community of Retailers was established early this spring. When choosing which charitable organizations to help, Ellis said, “Something has to strike a chord with both of us. The family component needs to be there. And the charities we help involve families here in the Midlothian area.”

C.O.R.E.’s second event this year, on Sunday, Dec. 14 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., is the Holiday House Tour. It will benefit Family Lifeline, an organization serving as an extended family to those in need by giving them the tools they need to create a better future for themselves and their community.

There are five homes on the tour located in Midlothian and Powhatan County. The historic to contemporary homes will offer creative ideas for redefining homes and showcase festive holiday decorations by local designers. In addition, area musicians and caterers will provide music and gourmet treat samples in the homes.

“It’s a great way to spend an afternoon with girlfriends and get ideas on decorating,” Wolfe said.

“It’s also nice to be able to get away, to take a break from rushing,” she added.

One of the historic homes on tour is the white home on Old Buckingham Road near the Trabue Tavern home. The house is decorated in colonial style with multiple split levels. “This house was estimated to be built around 1828. Our family is its fourth owner,” Ellis explained.

Retail owners Barb Wolfe, left, and Heidi Ellis began C.O.R.E. as a way to give back to the community. The group has organized a Holiday House Tour to benefit Family Lifeline. | photo by Melike Monahan
Holiday Home Tour tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and can be purchased now at Confetti, 2005-A Huguenot Road or at Cozi, 14211 Midlothian Tnpk.. “We are anticipating to reach our goal of 250 tickets,” Wolfe said.

The first C.O.R.E. event in the spring, a cooking class at Cozi with a chef, raised 300 pounds of food for the Central Virginia Food Bank. “The cooking class was free if you brought a bag of groceries,” Ellis said.

“We have a wonderful customer base. We get our customer base and friends to get involved as well.”

For more information contact Confetti at 560-9012 - confettibw@gmail.com and Cozi at 897-1353 - cozi.interiors@gmail.com.

http://www.familylifeline.org/