When Ryan Tyler Dunagan and Grant Tate were seeking a spot for their new shop, they found Magazine Street a ready runway for their distinctive mix of antiques and offerings for lifestyle and interiors. As Tate said, “Geographically, for the items we carry, you would [previously] have to go to either Dallas or Atlanta.”
Not anymore. Since the store’s October 2023 opening (in the space that once housed Ashley Longshore’s studio), shoppers have been snapping up everything from glass-blown hurricanes, lacquer trays, and crystal match strikers to items from clothing line Fox & Hen the Label (designed by Dunagan and sold in-store). Said Tate, “We only select and bring in things that we personally love and collect for ourselves at home. We try not to have the same things as everyone.” Those unique items include designer lampshades, exclusive ceramic lamps, antiques, clothing, objects and curiosities.
The Alabama natives have always appreciated lovely things. Dunagan’s family owned a home décor/floral shop, so he evolved from designing arrangements to designing interiors. Tate descends from an artist mother (Jennifer Leverette, whose creations are sold at Tyler + Tate) and furniture maker/photographer grandfather, and he went on to graduate from Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in interior design.
The duo’s design aesthetic is reflected in Tyler + Tate’s offerings, often inspired by nature and layered with blues and greens – plus a bit of whimsy. In addition to artwork by Leverett (valued for both its sentimental and aesthetic contribution), the shop showcases work by local artist Scott Sanders, which Tate describes as lending a “contagious, colorful, and cheerful mood.” Antiques (including vintage Murano) are sourced mainly in France and Italy, frequently through contacts Dunagan and Tate have forged over many years of buying.
With Mother’s Day on deck, Tyler + Tate has plenty to offer in the gift department. To those seeking recommendations, Tate suggests Addison Ross picture frames, lacquer salt and pepper grinders, coffee table books, or Estelle glassware.
After all, said Tate, “Collecting beautiful things has always been the start of conceptualizing beautiful spaces.”