Locally-Owned Hellenic Aesthetic Brings the Ethos of Summers Spent in Greece to Tampa Bay

We asked locally-owned Hellenic Aesthetic to share its story with us as part of our series showcasing Greek business owners in Tampa Bay. Thank you to founder Marianthi Vlachos for telling us all about her lifestyle boutique which celebrates Greek culture of the past and present.

Out of what passion did your expertise in cultural expression through Greek products form?

I received my bachelor’s degree in Art History in 2013. Throughout the process of earning my degree I became more intimately acquainted with Greek art and objects of both antiquity and the Byzantine periods. This exposure to historical artifacts opened my interest in Hellenic art making and in craft. I created Hellenic Aesthetic because I wanted to find a way to celebrate Greek creators of the past, present and future.

Hellenic Aesthetic Greece necklace. Also available is Kefalonia and Crete, with Cypus, Rhodes and Chios being added in July 2019.

The Greek Nameplate necklace, as well as the evil eye necklace available at Hellenic Aesthetic.com

What is the story behind your product choices?

Everything we sell reflects the pace, style, and ethos of summers spent under the Mediterranean sun. We sell jewelry, sandals, women’s accessories, housewares and paper goods. Most of these products are made in Greece by established Greek designers who I’ve discovered either while traveling to Greece or on Instagram. On a few occasions when I’ve been in Greece, I have come across an item I like and buy a bunch of it on the spot.

“Our nameplate necklaces are our best selling product, they can be customized in Greek or in English and are a must-have accessory.”

When we opened our virtual doors in 2017 we were only selling other designer’s products. In 2018, we began slowly introducing our own products. We started with a leather luggage tag that was inspired by the nonstop flight from JFK to Athens airport. I designed them and they are made in the USA for us. We expanded to jewelry and we now have a line of necklaces. Our nameplate necklaces are our best selling product, they can be customized in Greek or in English and are a must-have accessory. They are made in a small jewelry workshop outside of Thessaloniki.

It is important to me and to the brand that we make as much of what we sell in Greece as we can. Each item we sell has a different story of how it got there and each designer’s aesthetic brings something unique and different to our site. Their work and talent make HellenicAesthetic.com the special place to shop that it is.

“It is important to me and to the brand that we make as much of what we sell in Greece as we can.”

Ceramic Evil Eyes made in Glyfada, available at HellenicAesthetic.com

Traveling to Greece. Where and when have you gone? What are among your favorite things to see or do?

I’ve been all over! On the mainland: Leonidion, Patras, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, and of course Athens. I love Athens, each time I visit there are new and interesting restaurants, shops and cafes to visit.

Islands [that I’ve visited]: Rhodes, Kefalonia, Symi, Halki, Naxos, Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Folegandros and Sifnos.

This summer I’m visiting Hydra, Karpathos, and Koufounisia for the first time. You can follow along on our Instagram @hellenicaesthetic I’ve been to many islands in the Cyclades but I would have to say my most recent trip in August of 2018 was special. My mom and I traveled to Naxos, Folegandros and Sifnos. Each island had such incredible food and was so unique and beautiful.

Our blog on HellenicAesthetic.com features travel guides to our favorite islands. My grandmother Ismailia was born on the island of Rhodes making it a very special place to me.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a day trip to the island of Symi via ferry from Rhodes. Symi’s port is beautiful; rows and rows of colorful neoclassical inspired houses all stacked on top of each other.

Typically the ferries also take you to the Archangel Michael of Panormitis Monastery which is a lovely place for Orthodox Christians to visit. If anyone has ever visited St Michael’s Shrine in Tarpon Springs, this is the monastery featured towards the bottom of the very large icon on the right wall. My Yiayia Ismailia grew up in Tarpon Springs just a few blocks away from St. Michael’s Shrine.