Gainesville's Backyard Boutique basking in its bird art

Backyard Boutique owner Helen Ellis talks to birds, and according to son Rod, they listen.

“She’s a bird whisperer,” said Rod, manager of the Gainesville bird shop.

And thanks to a change in approach — and inventory — their customers are starting to listen as well. Like many businesses in 2008, including some of their neighbors in the Atlas Walk Shopping Center, Backyard Boutique struggled mightily in its third year at that location.

So at the start of this year, the Ellis’ gradually liquidated the front half of their store — primarily made up of non-bird related items — and replaced them with a gallery space to exhibit original works of art and photography.

Now business is looking up and customers get to see more than just the impressive collection of bird feeders and bird baths that cover the back end of the store.

Much of the artwork is also in card form, with sayings like “I hope you love birds, too. It is economical, it saves going to heaven,” by famous poet Emily Dickinson.

“The greeting cards have been really, really good sellers from the beginning,” Helen said.

Every third Thursday, Backyard Boutique has an open house with goodies and a chance to meet some of the artists featured on the walls. Some of them include members of ArtBeat Gallery in Manassas as well as accomplished bird painter B.J. Opfer, whose work has been featured in juried shows at the National Zoo, the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge and the Rappahannock Wildlife Show.

Helen and her husband, John — both accomplished wildlife photographers — also have their own section on the walls.

Much of the Ellis family’s affection for birds can be found online. On top of helping Rod at the store, Helen has a blog called “Wings n Things,” where she goes by the moniker The Birdlady.

On her blog, she posts her various photos of wildlife from trips to the Shenandoah Valley, Everglades and out her back door with creative captions and famous quotations. She’s also produced a photo documentary titled “A Bluebird Story.”

The Ellis family arrived at their bird fascination from opposite ends of the spectrum. A retired physician, John was always a good amateur photographer and learned to appreciate birds through the lens of a camera, said Helen.

For her, it was the complete opposite.

A fan of the Eastern Bluebird, the retired nurse said she’s loved birds for as long as she can remember. Ironically, the Alabama native grew up in a neighborhood populated by very few birds.

And for 19 years, the Ellis family included a cat, which dined on the various feathered friends that ventured near their backyard in Northern Virginia.

But when the cat died, Helen’s love for songbirds was reborn. Six years ago, they opened Backyard Boutique in Haymarket before moving to its current location in November 2005.

“They just seem magical,” Helen said. “They’re little, they’re beautiful, they have hollow bones and they can fly,” Helen said.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.