What is the Caspari style? “There are certain themes,” says Gaea Rich, head of design, licensing, and product development for the store. “Our inspiration is international—Chinoiserie, classic French, botanicals, textiles from India and Asia, ceramics, European 19th century but also modern influences…”
Mark Bergadon, director of marketing, retail and e-commerce, nods: “You know it when you see it.”
Caspari’s wide range of products occupy a very specific niche: tabletop decor, from napkins to candles, flatware, and glassware; home and garden items; desk accessories; stationery for every possible occasion; gifts, cards, and wrapping paper. Rich points out that its Charlottesville shop—the company’s headquarters and flagship store; the only other brick-and-mortar location is in Paris—was specifically designed to reflect that perspective, with areas that customers move through like the spaces of their home—living room, dining room, library or study, porch or patio.
All Caspari products are designed in-house and manufactured specifically for them. “We design more like a textile company,” Rich notes. “Our products may be paper, but they are designed to look like textiles or ceramics. We pay a lot of attention to texture and color.” Caspari’s ethos is “stylish, not trendy”—products stay in inventory for at least two years.
In addition to its own designs, Caspari carries some complementary brands and licenses a wide selection from world-renowned designers, museums, and artists, including Maison Pierre Frey, Tillett Textiles, and Scalamandré; Colonial Williamsburg, the Huntington Library, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs; private collections; and independent artists. “We’re making art accessible to people,” says Bergadon.
The Downtown Mall shop often holds events, from holiday-themed cocktail parties or book signings to gatherings that feature local artists and designers. More than marketing events, “these are ways to keep us connected with our community,” says Rich. Caspari has a loyal and widespread customer base; fully half of its mailing list is people from out of town who come to Charlottesville intending to shop at the store.
Caspari’s events tend to be “seasonal and local,” says Rich. There’s always something for Garden Week (“that’s big with our customers,” notes Bergadon), which makes sense because botanicals are a large and popular segment of the company’s designs. An event in June 2025 featured Art Chadwick of Richmond-based Chadwick & Sons Orchids, talking about growing and decorating with orchids and signing two of his books, First Ladies and Their Orchids and The Classic Cattleyas.
Early this year, noted British interior designer Ben Pentreath was in the States for a book tour, and Caspari invited him to a session at the store to talk about design and sign his latest book, An English Vision. Pentreath called the Q & A session “Ask Me Anything”—quite an invitation, since the designer has a considerable fan base among UVA architecture school students, who turned out with enthusiasm.
In March 2026, the store partnered with Foxfield Races and well-known Charlottesville-based artist Cate West Zahl, creator of the race’s 2026 painting. The crowd that evening included Caspari’s customers and Zahl’s considerable local following; the event featured the first viewing of her painting and a 100-ticket raffle for a chance to take it home.
And just to make sure all bases were covered, later that month Caspari hosted its second Mahjong event. Last spring it was a tournament, this year a weekend of classes for both beginners and experienced players. And of course, while you’re there you can see how Caspari can help you lay out a truly beautiful table and sideboard for your fellow players.
When it comes to entertaining, says Rich, “we’re here to solve your problems.”
