The Stillroom

The beautiful fall days are being enjoyed by everyone.  You can just tell.  Last evening, we were in “the big city” and at ten at night, everything just seemed light.  People were chatting, meeting, waiting for buses, wearing sweaters, having a cup of coffee and a smoke, dining outside… it really can’t get any better. We were at Heinz Hall catching a Louie C.K. show and saw a post from my nephew Adam showing a picture of the stage.  Turns out he was sitting at the other end of our row with his date.

There is still quite a bit of green in the A-K Valley.  This is kind of rare, usually all of the leaves blow away on Halloween weekend.  The nicest part of this is it will help to make winter seem much shorter.

Each season holds its own magic.  Summer is long gone and here in mid autumn, the sky could not be more blue. The tree across the street at the church is a work of art against the sky with the morning sun lighting up the canvas.  I am blessed with a serene view from my “office” window.

Speaking of Light Up Night not, it is that time of the year folks.  The Light Up Night Festivities with our annual blink and you’ll miss it parade will be happening the evening after Thanksgiving.  That’s November 25th so mark that on your calender.  Here’s the thing.  Our town is little and to me, this one special evening is magic.  It’s a throwback to all of the things we remember growing up.  The few shops decorate to the nines, houses light up, luminaria light the Main Street.  There is an energy that is uplifting and happy.

Be sure to check out our shopping guide at www.saxonburgshoppes.com!  There are some changes in the guide and it will be updated in January of 2012.  In the meantime, just know that LeNora Moore is no longer here or My Livingroom.  The floral shop went out but we are happy to say that Saxonblooms reopened so we still have fresh flowers if you need them!  There is  a smoke shop that also moved in on Main St. this past fall.

The Stillroom will now be open on Tuesdays!  We are here Tuesday through Saturday from 10-3 and Christmas Eve until 2p.m.

Please note that November 26th is our open house as we celebrate not only our 9th Christmas in business, but also  Small Business Saturday.  Do a pop in and pick up a sample of your favorite tea.  I can’t do a pour here but the idea is to select a tea to try at the end of the day.  A time when you can really put your feet up and contemplate or meditate and just relax.  Join me in the Zen Den and wind down for a few minutes.

You can register to win one of two $25.00 gift certificates to be drawn on December 1st!

It is working for me because I am forcing it to.  It is important to be forward thinking as a business owner and operator.

As The Stillroom Gift & Tea shop reaches the end of another year, great plans for the new year are already in the works.  Without revealing too much,  I realized for quite some time now that The Stillroom has not reached its full potential as a mom and pop shop.  That’s all I will say.

In the meantime with much careful planning, oh my gosh, goodies are finally coming through the door for the much anticipated holiday season.  It was a very quiet summer in town this year with the Main Street sewer replacement project and then the particularly hot August so I am hoping (that’s the hopey thing) that everyone will come in and find what they need to fill Christmas stockings and bear with us when we close for January and February.  That’s when the “changey” thing will take place and I think the result will be a wonderful asset for all to enjoy!

So, come in and enjoy some quality time in The Stillroom Gift & Tea shop.  While it is not a huge space, it is packed quite well with objects of beauty, delectable edibles, fragrances to heighten the spirit of the season to come, sounds of peaceful music and water trickling into the fountain and naturally, hot tea to smooth out the edges

It is tea weather and I am serving it up once again.  Hey friends and family, tell  your friends to check us out.  I get by with a little help from my friends.  I’m going to try with a little help from my friends.  Thanks!

Please note if you download the map, a few a couple of businesses have moved out.  LeNora Moore and My LivingRoom have gone out, Saxonblooms Flower Shop moved in as well as a Smoke Shop. These updates have not been made to the guide.

What will you find in the Autumn Stillroom?

Come in, get out of the rain and find a quaint shop that will delight your senses.  Skip Walmart and visit a mom and pop shop near you.  We are working hard preserving a piece of your  past for the ‘present’!   Do you want a little something under ten dollars?  I think I have you covered here at The Stillroom Gift & Tea Shop in Saxonburg, PA,  plus I help you customize it.  Are you looking for delectable deliciousness for the host/hostess gift that you might need?  I have you covered.  Need an unusual gift?  Got it. Are you looking for a beautiful gift?  I have it covered.    What will you find in the autumn stillroom?  A peaceful retreat from big box stores.  We are the heart of America.  It is a labor of love and war.

I am getting ready for lightup night on November 25th.  New goods and goodies are arriving daily including some of the old favorites!

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Nothing, nothing makes me feel better than a good hot cup of tea.  Except maybe chicken soup with lots of carrots.  Since I can’t sell chicken soup,  I am selling very good tea.  I do prefer herbal tea myself, particularly Chamomile Nights and Christmas Eve.

All of the holiday teas are now in stock, waiting for you to enjoy after an evening sitting in the bleachers  at a local Friday night football game.  Or indulge in our dessert teas accompanied by a slice of pumpkin pie.

If you are a fan a Weight Watchers, which I am, we carry excellent dessert teas to help ease those evening cravings that can creep up on us!

The Stillroom Gift & Tea Shop is a warm and welcoming little shop that is located off of the beaten path in a little diamond in the rough town that is off of the beaten path.  Not the best location, location, location, but the best little thing going on on State Street.

There are always sales on this or that.  I am clearing out folks!

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who took a minute out of their day to stop in The Stillroom Gift & Tea Shop this weekend.

It was so nice to see familiar faces.  We had a great crowd on Saturday afternoon that kept me here well after closing time!

The tents have folded up and the vendors left the park and all in good time too because we have some strong storms moving through at the moment.  I am glad that the weather held out.  Both days turned out to be sunny which was welcome after such a rainy weather week.  The rain gods cut us some much needed slack both days.

I would also like to give a shout out to the folks in Mellon Park who put on a spectacular art show the same weekend as ours.  I get there early Sunday morning and walk through the beautiful grounds to enjoy the work put out by members of  the Craftsman’s Guild and race back here to open just in time for the start of our fair.

You can tell that the economy is taking its toll on just about everything as both art shows seemed to have a few less vendors than they have had in the past.   All in all, it is always a weekend to look forward to in our area.  I am now off to Squirrel Hill to get a giant glass of mango green bubble tea.  A perfect way to wrap up a perfect weekend!

That title is actually the name of a Hall & Oates song.  It’s pretty.  It’s been a quiet week in Saxonburg as the end of the summer season is almost here.  I don’t consider it officially over until the calendar prompts me to.

I was thinking how summer is sort of almost sad at the end as we try to hang on to those last few days of heat here in the north east.  The garden that I planted late this year is grabbing every last ray of sun and it looks like I will have a late crop of tomatoes and peppers.  The basil was harvested and the cucumbers are through.  Maybe that’s the sort of sad part.  I say sort of because as the seasons change, we change too.

This is the time of the year when the fall festivals are as bountiful as our gardens  We get a vigorous energy when the mornings are cooler.  You want to go in search of apple dumplings and hay rides and pumpkin picking and start to think about Thanksgiving and Christmas.  This is the great thing about the change of season.  It feeds us in different ways and in good ways.

One of the fun and challenging parts of having a gift & tea shop is ordering.  I try to bring in a few new products every year and one of those is our new biscotti line.  I know, your thinking, I can get that anywhere.  No, you can’t unless you drive to a coffee or specialty shop an hour away.  The Aunt Anna’s Biscotti came in this week in wonderful new flavors and they are rich and sweet and they our nothing short of outstanding.  We have caramelized pear and toasted pecan and a mint chocolate chip that will just lay you right out!   We also have the La Peri Dolci in the seasonal flavors of Pumpkin with chocolate chips, cinnamon caramel chocolate and snickerdoodle.  Yeah, who doesn’t enjoy the change in our palate as the season changes.  Our hot cinnamon spice and pumpkin teas are at the ready along with three new flavors from Stash.

Not a tea drinker?  I have you covered with our La Prima coffee beans that we will grind to order.  I love that coffee.

Change of subject.  I want to keep up more with my blog.  I think it’s a lot like looking into someones diary.  I want you to know my thoughts on living in a small town with interesting history, with some of the ‘old guard’ still around but fading away, the separation of groups, (you know every town has challenges bringing everyone to the same page) and the fun and sometimes frustration of owning a mom and pop business in this day and age.

The history of Saxonburg in a nutshell is that German immigrant John Augustus Roebling founded our town and invented wire cable up the street and eventually created the Brooklyn Bridge.  That’s kind of cool in that nerdy I love my town kind of way.  Call me a nerd.  I do love my corner of the world here and I always refer to Saxonburg as a diamond in the rough.  The main street has maintained most of the architecture and The Hotel Saxonburg is still the main draw.  It has been under new ownership for a year now and if you have not been there recently, you must come.

Our village has bad sidewalks.  We are hoping to see Saxonburg finally turned back in to the destination point that it once was so many years ago.  I have been running The Stillroom Gift & Tea shop (our ten year anniversary is coming up on September 11th this year)  mostly because I love it, secondly because I enjoy giving my village neighbors a place to come to where they can find locally made gourmet products or to just shoot the breeze.  We don’t sit around and play checkers, now we pull out i pads and google stuff  so that makes The Stillroom charming in an electric  Mayberry kind of way.  My greatest hope it to be a part of a  revival of sorts.  Who doesn’t enjoy a fine revival?

You can see that Mike & I published a shopping guide that you can download.  A few weeks after we did that, a couple of places left but the few gift shops including the artists co op are sweet.  I always tell people for the most part, we are all open on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 and 5  but it is best to call individual shops to be sure of their hours.

Change of subject.  So, goodbye summer, hello fall.  Come on out and visit our village not just during special events but any weekend.  We have beautiful bed and breakfasts, places to dine, and shops to enjoy.  Start your visit here at 111 State Street, (we are just next to Novotny’s most excellent pizza shop) and I will tell you where to go.  (My customers love that line) 

I can hand you a paper map here that will show you the best places to eat, stay, shop and dine.  Doing mom and pop shop business in Saxonburg is like doing business in the middle of a corn field in that you have to take a pretty country drive to get to us.  Now that the leaves are about to change I can’t think of a better time to jump in the car and visit!  We are close to Todd Sanctuary Nature Reserve, fairly close to Moraine State Park, thirty five short minutes from Pittsburgh and thirteen minutes from either Butler or Natrona Heights.

It is America at it’s old timey best.

When you walk in to The Stillroom Gift & Tea shop you will be greeted with a “may I help you find anything today?”

I  like to know if you are a tea drinker.  This is important because we carry over 50 flavors of tea!  I can then point you in the direction where our tea cube is located and you can have at it!

All of our holiday teas are ordered and in addition to that, we are so very happy to announce a new addition to our shop in the way of Aunt Anna’s biscotti.  This bakery is in Greensburg and the reason we added them to our already fabulous locally baked La Peri Dolce biscotti is because they offer a great variety of flavors so now you have even more deliciousness to choose from when you come in.

Our teas and biscotti just make the best housewarming gifts for when you need that little something to give your host or hostess.  You and I can customize a great gift in just minutes and the nice part is you pick what you want.  If you need guidance, I am here for you!

Please stop in during the art festival to try some of our new dips from a small family owned business in Baltimore, my old stomping grounds.

The Stillroom Gift and Tea shop makes a very great effort to bring  the best in locally produced goods and giftware.

Remember we also carry vintage this, retro that from the lovely Laurette!

This is the thought that popped into my brain.  The other was, ‘how do you say goodbye to summer?’  My gaze turned to my porch and the bluest of skies that today is holding those big puffy white clouds laced with gray and purple.  I had a dream last night that there was a cloud in the sky shaped like a horse and  it had on a bridle with a red ruby holding it together.

After spending countless days in mid summer trying to keep cool yet consuming way more coffee that I should, (wondering why am I having these heart palpitations) I thought is was time to check myself.  We had a small deck that needed to be replaced so my dear Mike finished the project and my herbs are back where they spent the beginning of their life cycle only to come to the eventual harvest.

It is a beautiful day in Saxonburg. I am soaking a big pile of pinto beans for beans and greens.  The other pan has chopped zuchhini and onion and herbs and spices for our evening dinner which today will be on the porch.  The humidity has taken leave for a few days so I will basically be living out here until Thursday.

My beverage of choice has been chamomile nights and lavender tulsi to help me get rid of all of the caffiene I have consumed, although I find myself having withdrawal headaches so I am trying to fix it with what else, a cup of joe.  Just one though.  I am filling the birdbaths, harvesting herbs and spending the day between the kitchen, garden and porch.

I have come to the conclusion that I love early summer,I am  not a fan (pun intended) of the dog days and I love this time of  summer when the gardens are just bursting open.  The ferns on the porch are a giant wall of green.  Because we live in a little village with a main thorough fare in front of us and the busy pizza shop next to us, I hung seven ferns for privacy.  If I didn’t do something, people waiting for their food just kind of stand by the fence looking this way.  I love having the activity of daily life around me which I enjoy,  however it can get kind of loud.  Hmmm, maybe because Pipa Lequita Louisa Fatima Maria Mookda Indoogoo is having a barking fit.  I still love chihuahuas.

The ups man should be dropping a shipment of some really excellent three dimensional animal purses soon.  These are so cool.  I have to keep  the “cool gifts” part of the shop going.  This is part of our “motto”.  Cool Gifts and Hot Tea.  The Stillroom has been in business for ten years already!  We were closed for a few months while we transitioned into the location that we are in now.  Although The Stillroom is small, it is packed with vintage this, retro that, great coffee, tea, biscotti, seasonal chocolates from Divani, and the rest is just cool stuff, some new, some old.

The goodbye to summer is a great time of the year.  When we were out the other evening, the cicadas were so loud you could barely have a conversation.  But I love that.  The crickets in the evening used to lull me to sleep when I was a kid and I never tire of their bug beat.  The only real goodbye is to fewer and fewer humidity filled days.

Summer parties and free spirited college kids will be returning to studies and work.  The school buses will  be driving up the street again, the high school band practice and pie night will be here along with the sound of the local football game traveling up to my neighborhood.  There are a lot of great things about living in a little village.  Except for yesterday when the 200 plus motorcycles came cruising through.  These are usually some kind of fund raiser so I try to keep my frustration in check.  It is always on a Sunday which is the only real quiet time I can get in my little corner of the world.

But today, this morning, it is a beautiful start to the week.  I better go check my beans before they burn like my zucchini muffins because I was getting addicted to face book.   My attention is back to where it should be, outside enjoying the day when the shop is closed and I am able to give my kitchen and garden my undivided attention.

Remember that our Saxonburg Festival of the Arts is going to be September 10th & 11th and the shop will be open so come on in to town and enjoy Roebling Park and the rest of Main Street for what we hope will be a fun packed, music filled weekend!

After a month of very hard work, our Main Street is clear of heavy equipment, flag people, rolling backups and all of the other fun stuff that goes along with any improvements!

We are gearing up for the Saxonburg Festival on September 10th and 11th.  The Stillroom Gift & Tea Shop will be open 10-5 Saturday and 11-3 on Sunday for the festival.

In the meantime, enjoy the harvest and what’s left of wonderful summer and visit The Stillroom Gift & Tea Shop.  I have  some pretty cool stuff coming in for the first time in quite awhile.