Tales of this Shopkeeper - A Romantic Homes Magazine Experience

It's 2 pm and there are friendly, chatty customers in the shop as the FedEx guy brings in the box....my heart skips a beat as I sign for it and say a few words to him.  There it sits in front of me....I resist opening the box while my customers shop around the store.  They are sweet and asking questions.  It's hard to concentrate on what they are saying but I force myself to wait....
Once the shop is clear I open it revealing the cover of my favorite magazine.  Like an old friend these past few years, I have loved spending time with Romantic Homes Magazine.  This time is different and instead of starting at the beginning I quickly flip through to about where I usually find the "shopkeeping" section.
There on page 78 is Winsome Cottage!!  I see my name in the first paragraph and am instantly humbled.  It's not often I see my name in print...really never these days unless I've signed up to take part in an event in town where they list the shop and owner.

The editor has captured our story very well and I think to myself what a good listener she was as she interviewed me and how she included my husband in the telling.  That was important to me as he is half of this business we do together.  There under the title is the editor's name and then my friend, Jodee's name, at least her business name and I am so grateful that she was given credit.  She is a sweet talented photographer/teacher with a very busy schedule.  But when I called her she was there the next day to shoot the photos.  Go to:
http://www.jpballphotography.com/ to see her wonderful work. Here is one of my favorites from the shoot ...

Pretty, huh?
I'm not sure how I was chosen for this special experience except that I, like all shopkeepers out there, have a story to tell and there is something about that that is always interesting ie. how did she get her start? or what made them decide to open that type of business?  Thus, my favorite part of my favorite magazine...."Shopkeeping".

The fact that we are featured in the July issue and that July will be three years that we opened the shop is just another fun aspect of this whole thing.  I mean we opened with a very small inventory and were so excited about what we had in there.  It was a beginning....
Here are just a few photos of Winsome's early days, very early!!

That was our first location and it was very cute inside!!

Before we opened....

And so here we are in a different location with wonderful customers who have made this all possible.  Too many things to be thankful for and so much to look forward to!

Thank you, Romantic Homes Magazine and Rebecca for allowing us to be in your wonderful publication!!

Tales of this Shopkeeper - Vintage Marketplace @Springfield Extravaganza

The alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. and I was in and out of the shower in no time.  It was Vintage Marketplace weekend in Springfield, Ohio.  Each spring and fall the Springfield Extravaganza is a huge draw for flea market enthusiasts across the country.  This year, with over 2000 vendors, it proved to be a junker's paradise.
With the addition of the Vintage Marketplace this year there was definitely something for everyone.  I wasn't disappointed!
I arrived around 6:45 and entered through gate B.  As I was parking the car I was also talking with my friend, Colleen, from Fleurish Creative Studios.  She had entered through a different gate and we were trying to find each other to walk through the Vintage Marketplace for the first time.  She had a whole day to explore.  I had three hours before I would have to leave to drive back and open the shop.
After finding each other by the big ice cream cone:) and sifting through some vintage jewelry from one of Colleen's favorite vendors, we headed to the large tents in the center of the extravaganza.
I wish I had taken pictures of all the creativity in booth after booth of vendors but I didn't.  Colleen did so here is her blog and wonderful pictures....www.fleurishcreativestudio.com
We both knew vendor's that were involved with the Vintage Marketplace and we stopped to see their booth's and chat.  Here's Colleen and I at her friend, Julie's booth, "Julz".  She makes beautiful jewelry....

We continued on and met Jackie from Shambora Studios and said hi to Lisa at Urban Farmhouse.  Then hopped over to see Terri and her girls at Alley Cat Chic and Carleen and Betsy at Old World, New Home.
Memories Gate was next...love those ladies, too.  Each one full of vintage furniture and home decor with their own unique twist.
While checking all these wonderful vendors out I came across a booth with a deal I just couldn't pass up!  It was early in the weekend but the price was right so I snatched up this great bank of lockers.  It barely fit into the back of the truck and took three healthy men to unload it BUT it's in the shop now and wow, do I love it!! Check it out.....

That's right.....two sides back to back! Aren't they great?? Don't you love the color?
More  about the weekend soon!

Tales of this shopkeeper - Antibes & Napoleonic

We have lots of unpainted items right now so yesterday while the shop was open I decided to pull a dresser out of the back and just get started.  I put on a coat of napoleonic.  I really love how rich this color is!  And because it dries so fast, I was able to put a coat of antibes over the top....painting done!

 Now to rub back a bit to expose the napoleonic underneath....hmmmm. It needs something more so I came up with this....

It's  got a lattice look to it and I love the napoleonic under and over the antibes!  A coat of clear wax and there we are...fit for a display window for sure!
This summer, well, for at least a few more months, we will keep up the barcelona and antibes in our windows.  Remember this??

It left the building this week so we will be using Barcelona on something else (it's a surprise) for the window.
Some possibilities might be this....

Or maybe this....

Stay tuned.........!

Tales of this shopkeeper - Shedding some light....

Many kinds of people walk through my shop door and I'm grateful for each one...really! Each one is unique. Most are friendly, some don't speak when spoken to, some are very opinionated and every once in awhile there's that one. You can't get a handle on them. First impression is never a good one and, in fact, they sort of rub you the wrong way. Until....God sheds some light on the whole thing. And here's just another reason I LOVE what I do!! Let me use an analogy here. Take this great little chandelier my daughter in law found while we were up visiting them this past weekend. At first glance it looks pretty worn and covered in dust and grime. Enter, and I'm not being mean here, a very disheveled lady holding an equally disheveled looking dog.

She barely speaks when I say "hi". That's okay. She keeps her head down and seems to just be walking through not really looking at things. Her sweater is stretched out and hangs higher in the back than the front..... The roses on the chandelier are covered in grime and yellowed from age. They must be hiding something...

She continues around the shop, sort of shuffling. I can barely see her face as her hair is hanging in front of it...the chandelier has no light coming from it. The wires are old and were disconnected long ago... Now the lady is making her way towards the front, head still down. I am compelled to say something before she leaves and I feel compassion as she is now a few feet away from me. "What a cute dog" I say. "What kind is it?" The shuffling stops...she raises her head and looks at me...I take cleaner and a cloth and begin to rub on the grimey film that covers the rose.... Her hair parts and I see a beautiful pair of blue eyes staring at me....as the grime disappears a beautiful white porcelain rose appears....

The lady begins to tell me about her dog and how special he is to her as her husband died a few months ago....there is a light in her eyes...I realize the chandelier just needs some attention and it will light up once again...