The Stillroom

Did you ever wonder what makes you happy?  Are you happy?  Does your heart feel light and your mind without a care in the world?  I remember when I was younger and had happier times in my life.  The adventure of getting on a bus or plane and going to where happy lived.   That does not mean that I don’t have moments of happiness because I do. I am blessed, lucky and perhaps a bit spoiled as well.  I suspect that as we get older somehow happy starts to elude us as we trek onward to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads, our health in check and most importantly making sure the kids grow up to be fruitful, good human beings etc.

I am at a point in my life where happy seems to be harder to find.  Maybe that’s because I have always led a bit of a nomadic existence AND I have been planted here for almost ten years. (the longest in any one place)! I feel am getting root bound and happy is getting strangled.  Is happy in the city, is it under a rock in some corn field?  I often wonder throughout my day, what is true happiness.

There was a time when I first opened the doors of my gift and tea shop that nothing could of made me happier!  After ten years I am no longer as happy as I was when I first had the excitement of putting it all together and spreading and sharing my little corner of the world with others.  I have made a lot of friends over the ten years that I have been doing this gig and that has made me very happy.  I have a great little dog who brings a smile to my face every day even though sometimes she’s a little bit bad.  My husband cannot be greater.  Especially after 30 years of putting up with my whims and sometimes bird brained ideas on how life would be so grand if I could only have a cool shop in which I could indulge myself when perusing gift catalogs and purchasing things and stuff to share with folks who find me.

I think the happiness of running this little business has, over time, started to shrivel up and it is time to find happy again.  Being shackled to this building in which I work and live for ten years now has run its course.   I should be happier and I am now feeling the wonder lust creeping back in to my heart and that makes me want to move. and shake life up a bit before I check out. Not move up out of a chair or off of the wicker couch, but move everything.  Pack up the house and just go and see where I can find true happy again.  I suppose happy is a state of mind and perhaps I am confusing it with excitement and adventure.  Adventure makes me happy and light of heart. This is usually fair warning to my sister the real estate agent.  I’m walkin’ yes indeed I’m walkin’.  (with my Mike of course).  He should prepare for another hair brained idea.  We are taking a little excursion north soon, a few states away.  Perhaps that is where I will look for adventure and subsequent happiness.  Living life to the edge.

I think it is time to hoist the anchor and set sail for a new land.  I’m not sure where that is but the Blue Lagoon in Iceland is looking pretty damned good at the moment.  Check it out and tell me I’m wrong!

Memorial Day weekend starts at least three days before the main event in my estimation.  The week leading up to Memorial Day is always filled with anticipation of a long weekend and quite a few folks capitalize on that extra day off by using their vacation time.  The excitement of sun and sounds of ocean waves, motor boats on the river and people splashing around at the pool are the noises we all love to hear.  (I think that’s why by the end of the season we look forward to the sounds and smells of leaves falling off of the trees because it is gentle and quiet).

Memorial Day in Saxonburg is pretty much like every other small town in America.  There is a blink or you will miss it parade down Main Street to the gazebo at the park where ceremonies take place honoring those who have served.  It is a prideful moment in time that we share every year and this one is always special. We line the Main Street and clap and whoo- whoo to the veteran’s as they march by with the flags, sporting their military uniforms and looking crisp and smart.

The current mayor comes out and gives a speech followed by a few more meaningful speeches and stories of such bravery most of us will never have to conjure up in our lifetimes.  It is a special weekend.

Then the town scatters to their prospective grills, picnics and projects for the long weekend.  It is going to be a hot one by Monday so take a minute  Friday or Saturday and come in to The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge and ask for our Red, White & Blue iced tea!  Ahhh, Yeah…What would a patriotic picnic be without it?  We brew it right on the spot and it is excellent.  If you are not feeling it, you may ask us to brew any of our fifty flavors of tea and we will do it up right before your eyes!  If you are not feeling that, take home a ten pack, throw it in a jar and make some sun tea.

The Lounge is air conditioned, the music plays softly in the background and St. Francis has the fountain running for the sounds that will relax you and put you in a chilled state of mind for a hot weekend!

Also, a follow up from St,. Luke’s Dig This event…if you missed it, try again next spring!  It was the first year and was as charming as could be.  The honeyman was there, several greenhouses sold their wares, the bird house man was there and so was the fellow teaching a little on the spot class on how to make a wild bird habitat!  It was really nice and it looked like a little fair in the park!  The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge kept the free lemonade flowing and the lavender pound cake was a  hit!  We had all of our herbal container gardens at the door so people could pinch and delight in the great fragrances.  We raffled off our tea garden to raise a few extra dollars for the youth group which was won by a local woman who was giving it to her mom.

I’ll be here the rest of the week as usual so if you come in to Saxonburg, stop in and visit us!  We’d love to see you!

Also, we will be updating the shopping guide one last time before next year.  Look for it at the upcoming Antique Show in the Woods in June at the Penn’s Colony Grounds.  This is the first year for that event so check out their website.  I don’t have the deets just yet but will nail those dates down soon.

Check the Penn’s Colony website in the meantime!

Join The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge tomorrow at St. Luke’s for the ‘Dig This’ event from 8-2!  Why bother getting up, getting the kitchen messy and then cleaning up when you can just jump in the car (or walk) on a beautiful Saturday morning and come on over to the  super pancake breakfast at St. Luke’s at the corner of Main and State Street in Saxonburg and across the street from The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge!  After you get your fill and enjoy some visiting with friends and nabes,  you can go outside and shop your favorite local greenhouses for some wonderful starters for your summer garden!  As the morning air starts to heat up (it’s supposed to be a beautiful day here in our town) stroll across the street and check out our tea garden table and pick up literature on how to plant a tea garden and please do pinch these delightful little plants for a fragrance that will be sure to lift your spirits to heavenly heights…after all it is St. Luke’s fundraiser!  The lavender lemonade will be flowing and the lavender pound cake will be my experimental treat for you to try!  I thought it would be fun to whip up something that you can make from your very own garden so come on over.  I am participating in the event, we are just doing it here at the shop so you can experience some tea time activities!  A portion of the proceeds will benefit the youth group from St. Luke’s so open your wallets up, just a little goes a long way like you wouldn’t believe!  This event runs from 8-2 Saturday.  See you there?

The future’s not ours to see.  Well, first let me say that the Third Annual Saxonburg Village Shops May Market this past weekend was fantastic!  We saw many people come to town for this special shopping weekend and it was so much fun holding our “older than dirt” sale. 

That said, I think if I write this on my blog, it will feel more real.  Yes, the rumors are true!  I have decided to start to liquidate The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge starting this summer.  (For any outstanding gift certificates, you will still have time to cash them in on merchandise).  My plan is to close the shop at the end of this holiday season.

After ten years of having a physical store and waiting daily for a handful of people to come through the door,  I am moving my store to etsy which will reach so many more people.  The other rumor is also true and that one is that we are looking forward to putting our property on the market next spring.

It is time.  While it has been fantastic living and operating my little shop in Saxonburg, I have always led a bit of a nomadic existence and I do enjoy moving around.  In thirty years I have been to the great states of Oregon and  Maryland.  But the best of all was finding my way back to the Pittsburgh area.  There are no better people than the ones you will find in our communities of The Steel City.

I don’t think I’m going away forever, (unless the good Lord sees fit) I am just wanting to move my business closer to the fine city of Pittsburgh.  I have found my tea customers and so many of them say how much they love my shop and hope I don’t close it up.  That is really nice to hear but all good things must come to an end. 

I am planning on closing for most of June while we get our son settled in to a summer program at Harvard and yes, I’m bragging and then getting him settled at The Savannah School of Architect and Design. Looks like I’m going to be doing one of my favorite things that I have not done in the many years that I have been tied down to my shop, that is, travel!

Life is short and I won’t let it pass me by.  It is time, and whatever will be, will be.  I have choices and I have made a tough one.

So come on down!  We had a chilly, sunny day yesterday and that was almost perfect.  What WAS perfect was the upswing in visitors to Main Street and The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge.

I had only one question as to how we advertise this event…well, we don’t, really.  The village shops pretty much can’t afford signs and ads in the local newspapers.  You wouldn’t believe what the cost is!  We do advertise in our little local free paper called, Weber’s Willow Tree.

This is a loosey, goosey sort of event but if you do find the ad, come over to Saxonburg today, May 12th and perhaps you will grab some great finds from flea market items to great prices to a little something free if you come in to The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge today only AND it will be appropriate for the mom’s in your life, especially if they are tea lovers!  Mention the blog!

On the porch of The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge there will be such great prices on vintage this, retro that collectibles you won’t believe it!

We are a stones throw off of the beaten path of Main Street so take a second and see us.  Look for our sign at the corner of Main & State that reads ‘older than dirt sale at The Stillroom’ and walk past Novotny’s fine pizza shop and you will find us at 111 State Street.  We will be wrapping up around three and will be finished by four.  It’s a great day to come to Saxonburg and find great gifts for mom, graduation, to decorate a corner of your house and of course great gifts from our shop! I could go on and on but I have to heat up the water so I can be ready to make you are great cup of coffee or tea!

Look for a fresh wrap up blog tomorrow!  Happy Mother’s Day,

There have been more moments than not lately when I hit the keyboard to write a new blog and I draw a total blank.   The everyday life of a shop keep in Saxonburg (at least this one) can get rather mundane at certain times of the year.  The Christmas buzz is over and the winter season has come and gone and shop life after that can become rather boring.

When anyone decides to skip the major coffee outlets and head to The Stillroom Lounge for a simple cup of really great tea or coffee, it’s a joy to serve it up along with stellar baked sweets from Aunt Ann’s or A Taste of Heaven Bakery.  When they discover what a neat little space we have here at The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge, it’s even better!

I posted one of my favorite quotes the other day and another small business owner, Vab who owns and operates Divani Chocolate in Foxburg commented at how true this particular quote was.   It nudged my weary brain and helped me snap out of the dreamy state of mind that the more quiet  days in the shop can bring and start to create!  How I love working with the fragrant herbs and dried flowers and spices that grace my shelves.  I have been inspired to create some new scents so I will be off to the mixing room over the next few days to blend some fragrances to delight the senses.  Thank you, Vab!  I also want to mention that Foxburg has Maple Days coming up this weekend, I believe the 28th.  Stop in at Divani’s chocolate shop where you can delight in excellent hand made chocolate by the sweet Melissa in addition to maple goodies!

Moving on and coincidentally, there was another comment from a client that came in for wedding shower favors last fall and again this spring.  She said the guests loved (in capitol letters) the shower favors that we created together.  She reminded me that mother’s day is coming up soon (I lost track of how quickly April has gone by) and would like to come in to create gifts from the shop for  the mom’s in her life.

It is so nice to get feedback that says “hey, I appreciate you being here and I want to share what you offer with friends and family” and to know my friend Vab checked in, read and related to my favorite quote that says “herbs do comfort the weary brain with fragrant smells which yield a certain kinde of nourishment.”

Now I have to shamelessly plug the shop to let you know that the ambiance that I have created in our lounge is worthy of being in any city neighborhood be it Lawrenceville or The Strip.  Our coffee beans are locally roasted and there is no complicated machinery involved in brewing our  coffee and tea.   We pick out a selection of  baked goods  right here in Saxonburg along with excellent biscotti from Greensburg.  Our Harney teas are from a family owned and operated tea company here in the northeast, our candy comes from Pennsylvania and we offer great tea pots and accessories without having to go in to Pittsburgh.  Our shop is a little treasure here in Saxonburg.

I have kept the same hours for three years now.  After sort of keeping track of the busiest part of my day, that window is Wednesday through Saturday from 10-3.  Those are my advertised hours and I am often here beyond three and also am open by chance on Tuesdays.  If the flag is out, I am here.  Unfortunately for me, I have never been busy enough to hire help so it is just me and me alone, which is great for you because if you want to talk tea or coffee, I am your gal.   I could stay open seven days a week from 10-5 but that is just not practical for me as I enjoy getting out of here the second I lock up the doors. Who of us doesn’t watch the clock for the end of a work day?

Now I would like to complain!  I know, the more you complain, the longer God makes you live. I have had an influx of people coming in with folders (I cringe, I have to admit) that I have never seen in the ten years I have been in business and I know what comes with those folders.  It is always an organization of one type or another requesting gift baskets, gift certificates or a supply of tea for their various functions which are usually tea parties.  I rarely refuse anybody because I have great tea.  I have been advised by my business partner that I must control my urge to keep giving away the store.

That said, I am thinking about putting the property on the market  in the next year so that my husband and I can move on to the next chapter in our lives.  The Stillroom Gift & Tea Lounge has been very, very good to me but I feel the days here in Saxonburg are numbered.   I know it will be hard to shut it down and leave but I think after ten years it might be time for me to start thinking about what I would like to do next in my life and I don’t want to waste time thinking about what might be, I want to make it happen! That would be to relocate our gem in to a part of the city of Pittsburgh which could be anyplace from Shadyside, to Bloomfield to Lawrenceville to Point Breeze or Highland Park.    As Eva Gabor said, “I get allergic smelling hay.”  Not that there’s anything wrong with that… I think the city would be fun and  is the way to go!

Saxonburg has a May Market coming up on May 11th and 12th which will be the third annual!  I mistakenly thought the Women’s Club Rummage sale was on that weekend but that was incorrect information and I also thought St. Paul was having their annual herb sale but that too has been scrubbed.  Hey, I’ll be here with bells on selling clearance items from the shop, flea market finds, food samplings and some new products to enjoy!   We will also have the tea lounge in full swing for your enjoyment.

The Third Annual Saxonburg Village Shops May Market will be great.  The idea is to try to make it better every year so please try to make it out and see whats new in the village!

In the meantime, we have a little bit more cosmetic work to do on our exterior and a few more things on the inside of our building and it will be ready to put on the market!    That is very exciting for us.  A little nudge can go a long way.  Interested in owning a piece of Saxonburg in the next year?  This might be your chance!  Interested in an owner occupied business?  We are one of the last few remaining gems in this town.  When the improvements for Main Street start happening, this town is going to be the polished diamond I always knew it could be and I will be ready to move on to my next project!