About Us

My name is not Cornelia. 

I'm Brooke Hartman. Former tech sales/social worker/shm turned home stylist and owner of Cornelia's Home Market located at 520 Water Street in Eau Claire WI.  

So how did I get here? So glad you asked! 

As we were remodeling our home in 2022, I grew frustrated with how often had to resort to Big Box or online shopping to curate the items I wanted for our "new" home. At this time I was also helping friends and family style their homes, and I would daydream on my morning walks of designing/styling full time. Those daydreams morphed into imagining what it would feel like to have a storefront.

Fast forward to the summer of 2025. 
I'm laid off for the first time in my life and I had a decision to make. Try to find a new job in tech (no thanks) or become my own boss. With the support of my husband, our two girls, our friends, and several small business organizations, my daydream started to become a reality. I was on a mission to bring beautiful, unique and functional homewares to Eau Claire. 

We have officially opened in April of 2026 and we're ready to help bring functional, unique and beautiful homewares to the wonderful people of the Chippewa Valley and beyond!

So who is Cornelia? 
Great question.

Cornelia's is a nod to my grandfather, Cornelius and my dad Jim. Both have passed away, but were the owners of a home building business in Central Wisconsin. While my grandfather died when I was young, I was fortunate to have our dad until 2020. His work ethic, commitment to customers satisfaction, and well...just being a great human, was beautiful to witness. My siblings and I were so lucky.

And Cornelia's Home Market sounds better than Brooke's Home Market :)