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The pampered masses have been indulging in trend that has been on the rise since last year: “Quiet luxury.” Embraced by the fashion and retail realms, it’s a concept that prioritizes understated elegance, refined choices and subtle sophistication.
While the trend continues to play out in pockets of global wealth, one could say that Round Top has been a nexus of quiet luxury for years.
And while she wouldn’t deign to call attention to herself, Susanne Maida has been an unsung arbiter of the movement that fits Round Top like a pair of Fratelli Orsini gloves.
Maida has been presciently driving the trend since 2014 when she purchased the Round Top Inn, a collection of lovely cottages that includes historic structures from the 1880s built by Charles Henry Schiege for his family and his cigar-making business. Later when an adjacent property came up for sale, Maida doubled down and bought it, reuniting the historic Block 29 that is now home to the inn and Prost on Block 29, the evocative stone house turned patio wine bar. Together, they make up one of Round Top’s most delightful pockets of unstudied discernment and discreet charm.
Without any prior experience in hospitality, Maida found herself the new proprietress (a role she prefers to call “caretaker”) of an inn whose rooms exude an easygoing elegance and country confidence.
“I just liked the property,” she said.
The comment is typical of Maida’s self-effacing nature. While she prefers to be in the background, the entepreneur’s projects are invested with an abundance of her own unique style that is the antithesis of flashy and attention-seeking.
Five years later Maida acquired the former Old Glory antiques store on the main drag and proceeded to create a dining and retail experience that has become Round Top’s new social hub. Boon & Company offers multiple venues under one roof: the breezy, easy-to-like restaurant with its open kitchen and wood-fired pizza; retail (specialty food market as well as curated shopping); and the new Bar 17 (a glamorous, bespoke-design enclave tucked in a mezzanine nook above the restaurant). Additionally, the Boon grounds include a “green house” perfect for celebratory functions and seasonal retail pop-ups.
Maida’s hands are all over Boon – the compound exudes her personal style and distinctive touch. Reminiscent of boutique experiences such as Oakville Grocery in Napa Valley or the former Dean & DeLuca gourmet food stores, the Boon project proved to be a perfect fit for Maida’s entrepreneurial spirit.
“Boon is my baby,” she said, “I could do retail all day long.”
Maida isn’t one to bring attention to herself or much less crow about her accomplishments. But her businesses speak eloquently and with rich authority about her commitment to Round Top. Together, the Round Top Inn, Prost, and Boon & Company have brought a new level of distinction and worldly panache to town.
How does she do it?
In typical Maida understatement she allowed only this: “I have a good eye, I guess.”
Come see for yourself.
The pampered masses have been indulging in trend that has been on the rise since last year: “Quiet luxury.” Embraced by the fashion and retail realms, it’s a concept that prioritizes understated elegance, refined choices and subtle sophistication.
While the trend continues to play out in pockets of global wealth, one could say that Round Top has been a nexus of quiet luxury for years.
And while she wouldn’t deign to call attention to herself, Susanne Maida has been an unsung arbiter of the movement that fits Round Top like a pair of Fratelli Orsini gloves.
Maida has been presciently driving the trend since 2014 when she purchased the Round Top Inn, a collection of lovely cottages that includes historic structures from the 1880s built by Charles Henry Schiege for his family and his cigar-making business. Later when an adjacent property came up for sale, Maida doubled down and bought it, reuniting the historic Block 29 that is now home to the inn and Prost on Block 29, the evocative stone house turned patio wine bar. Together, they make up one of Round Top’s most delightful pockets of unstudied discernment and discreet charm.
Without any prior experience in hospitality, Maida found herself the new proprietress (a role she prefers to call “caretaker”) of an inn whose rooms exude an easygoing elegance and country confidence.
“I just liked the property,” she said.
The comment is typical of Maida’s self-effacing nature. While she prefers to be in the background, the entepreneur’s projects are invested with an abundance of her own unique style that is the antithesis of flashy and attention-seeking.
Five years later Maida acquired the former Old Glory antiques store on the main drag and proceeded to create a dining and retail experience that has become Round Top’s new social hub. Boon & Company offers multiple venues under one roof: the breezy, easy-to-like restaurant with its open kitchen and wood-fired pizza; retail (specialty food market as well as curated shopping); and the new Bar 17 (a glamorous, bespoke-design enclave tucked in a mezzanine nook above the restaurant). Additionally, the Boon grounds include a “green house” perfect for celebratory functions and seasonal retail pop-ups.
Maida’s hands are all over Boon – the compound exudes her personal style and distinctive touch. Reminiscent of boutique experiences such as Oakville Grocery in Napa Valley or the former Dean & DeLuca gourmet food stores, the Boon project proved to be a perfect fit for Maida’s entrepreneurial spirit.
“Boon is my baby,” she said, “I could do retail all day long.”
Maida isn’t one to bring attention to herself or much less crow about her accomplishments. But her businesses speak eloquently and with rich authority about her commitment to Round Top. Together, the Round Top Inn, Prost, and Boon & Company have brought a new level of distinction and worldly panache to town.
How does she do it?
In typical Maida understatement she allowed only this: “I have a good eye, I guess.”
Come see for yourself.
