The Stillroom

For updated calendar of events go to www.historicsaxonburg.com and you can see everything that is fun to do this coming fall!

What’s new in town, you ask?  The Stillroom Annex is a cute little shop that is located in the back of  The Fresh Cup Cafe.   

If you need a special spice for cooking (we carry fair trade, organic and great prices) or a quick gift to give and don’t have the time to run to a big store, stop in at The Stillroom Annex located in the back of The Fresh Cup Cafe on Main Street. 

So, in a pinch for chipotle, need a vanilla bean? If you need housewarming gift or just need a minute to relax , stop into The Fresh Cup Cafe and  look for the shop in the back that is out of the way! The Stillroom Annex hours
are Wednesday – Saturday 11-3.

Our 111 State Street Shop is still open the same days and time as we have been for the past eight years now.  Tuesday through Friday 10-4 and Saturday 10-2.

It had been brought to my attention that my usual happy and upbeat posts took a downward turn last week.  o.k.  Pollyanna temporarily left the building and now she’s back.  (Thanks @bfbcping).  I just needed a reality check.

In spite of a very quiet August, I shall commit to remaining upbeat, positive and I will go to sleep counting my blessings.  I will continue moving forward with my plans to open The Stillroom Spice & Scent Shop at The Fresh Cup Cafe for September 1st.  The new shop, in addition to the herbs, spices and scents will also feature local quilt makers Rose and Patty’s beautiful, beautiful handmade quilts and accessories as well as small antique and collectible pieces from the lovely and funny Laurette.  The plans should tighten up in the next few days…just one more place for Saxonburger’s and out of towners to visit.   The signs  will be in place within The Fresh Cup Cafe in the next week to signify that we are ready to get down to the business of doing business!

Where have all the shoppers gone?   This is the worst August in eight years but I keep hanging in there.  I could be spending time doing something more worthwhile than trying to add to the charm of a little historic town in the middle of pretty much nowhere.  Whoosh…this is really testing my endurance as a “mom & pop shop!”  I could be…visiting my parents more often, hanging out with friends I haven’t seen in months and months, I could be brainlessly sifting through the sands of Cape May Point looking for fossils, I could be volunteering time at the local animal shelter and walking my chihuahua way more than I do. I could be doing alot of other things while I am still relatively middle aged and healthy.  Maybe I am similar to Billy Mumphrey in the Seinfeld episode where Billy is described by Kramer as having “unbridled enthusiasm” and being a  ”cock-eyed optimist.”  This is totally testing my enthusiam and my optimism!  I will now go and chill with an iced cold herbal strawberry pomegranate tea, which is a new flavor from Stash…a shameless plug for my tiny tea shop in Historic Saxonburg, PA.

Saxonburg will be welcoming Sister City guests from Muhlhausen Germany over the next few days.  They will be guided around attractions from Butler County to the city of Pittsburgh.

Saxonburg is the settlement  of John Augustus Roebling, inventor of wire rope and creator of the Brooklyn Bridge.  If you have not been to Saxonburg lately, you should take the time to enjoy this little gem of a village in Butler County. 

We still have vintage architecture that has been saved throughout the village, we have several restaraunts that vary from one another, B & B’s that are housed in turn of the century buildings and we have several gift shops that are each different from each other including The Stillroom on State Street (shameless plug)  which moved here eight years ago at the start of another resurgence of shops after a dry spell.

Here is to our sister city and I hope they enjoy their stay here in our tiny spot of the world!

Oh, and how about those Pens?

Since The Stillroom re-opened after the holiday season on January 20th 2009, I figured I would give a report on our first one hundred days of business this year here in Saxonburg, Pa. 

What a difference a year can make!  The gift business has taken the expected downward turn along with the economy since I opened the doors in 2001 but the tea sales are still on target.  It is not enough to consider going out of business, it just requires careful planning for the coming year.

If Saxonburg is a destination point, I want to be here for you to enjoy what The Stillroom has to offer.  We have  a very fine selection of Stash Teas and Harney & Sons Teas long with fun and useful tea accessories. 

The Stillroom is a very sweet and relaxing shop to browse around in.  The gift selections that we have are the tried and true things that have grown in popularity over time.  For a small shop, there is a sweet selection of giftware for brides, babies, children, for the garden, for the tea and coffee lovers, for the sweet tooth, fragrances for the home, music, DVD’s, books, vintage hats, gloves, odds n ends and so much more.

The Mother’s Bouquet Floral Tea’s are in and make such a cute little presentation with a keepsake tin for mom for under $5.00.  The Stillroom has six new tea flavors including new from Stash, iced tea mixes that are excellent and several oolong blends just in time for when the weather gets hot.  They are great iced or hot!

I am expanding slightly into gently used antiques and not so antique.  Just touches of beautiful tea sets, glassware and along with pretty things and cool finds.

On that note here is a little Mother’s Day history.  Started by Anna M. Jarvis in 1907, she proposed a day be set aside for children to pay tribute to their mothers. The original intent was for a mother who had passed on into loving memory.  It was Anna’s hope that the holiday be intended to inspire simple, loving gestures “through some distinct act of kindness, visit, letter, gift or tribute to show remembrance of the mother to whom general affection is due.”

Remember, it is only the first one hundred years of motherhood that are the hardest!  After that, it’s a piece of cake!  Our Harney & Sons mother’s day tea will go great with that cake.  (another shameless product plug)!

I learned a little something about planting trees in April.  In keeping with the original intention of Arbor Day, I went to my local greenhouse in search of a fragrant lilac bush and a weeping cherry tree.  As I honed in on my final purchase, the woman there was kind enough to let me know that if I bought my bushes and tree this past weekend,  I would either be carrying these large plants from porch to yard and covering and uncovering them until the danger of frost had passed.  I really appreciated that information!  In the meantime over the years as Arbor Day has evolved into Earth Day,  save the planting and your money for Memorial Day weekend or there about.  There are countless other ways to continue “going green” until we can plant the green!  It has been a rather chilly and gray few days as I look out of my shop window and swear I am looking at sleet…but look out for Saturday’s projected high of 83 degrees!  That’s what I’m talking about!

As the calender days roll by we have seen the first spring holiday come and go.  The village is starting to wake up from winter and the shop keeps are dusting off and rolling up sleeves to get ready for the next big thing which I suppose is Mother’s Day. 

But before I get ahead of myself, I must give a shout out to Earth Day (formerly known as Arbor Day), which is April 22.  This under estimated day is probably one of the most important days in the spring.    Arbor Day is the gentlest of holidays, a thoughtful, reflective day that originated in Nebraska in 1872 by one of the courntry’s earliest ecologists, J. Sterling Morton. He became increasingly alarmed with the wanton clearing of the Western plains by settlers and with the land being void of any greenery the nineteenth century maps of the  Nebraska Territory bor the legend “ The Great American Desert.”  It was recorded that our counrty’s first Arbor Day- April 22, 1872- saw the planting of one million trees across Nebraska’s desolate prairies!

“Dear little tree that we plant today, what will you be when we’re old and gray?”"The savings bank of the squirrel and mouse, For robin and wren, an apartment house.  The dressing room of the butterfly’s ball, The locust’s and katydid’s concert hall.  The schoolboy’s ladder in pleasant June, The schoolgirl’s tent in the July noon.  And my leaves shall whisper them merrily, A tale of the children who planted me.” -Nineteenth-century anonymous

Speaking of planting and blooming, The Stillroom has Blooming Spring Tea pods ready for you.   Our blooming teas are a fun way to end a fine day of planting!  Also know as art tea for it’s beauty, when the art tea pod is steeped, a large Calendula and a flurry of Osmanthus flowers bloom in the pot!   We have glass tea pots just for these but they are just as spretty in a mason jar…that depends on your level of fancy or casual. This showy tea  has a distinctive apricot flavor and goes great with our apricot biscotti.  Let the show begin!  These are cool and they may be enjoyed hot (if it’s a cold late April day) or iced if it’s a warm weather day!

As for Mother’s Day, we always have a delightful selection of Mother’s Day Tea Tins with silk tea sachets in addition to this-n-that!

After the toy scare in 2007, The Stillroom started to pay closer attention to how and where we buy giftware.  We always puchased our decorative garden sculptures, nightlights, teas, coffee and biscotti locally and within the USA.

Over time and after going to local gift shows, I determined that every other gift shop in the AK Valley was attending these shows and that resulted in gifty repetition from shop to shop. 

I did however, manage over the years, out of maybe 75 to 100 booths, to find one or two that were showcasing local talent throughout the Pittsburgh area.  From Derry to Penn Hills to Foxburg to Zelienople to name a few, I started finding unusual, and high quality giftware to pass on to consumers in our area. 

This weekend, I found two more artists that are contributing to The Stillroom.  One was a woman from Ohio who makes tea caddies from Ohio clay.  For a shop like mine, that was huge! Not only did it fit in with what we sell, it meant I could finally drop the “big box” distributor.

When I first opened in 2001, I did not have alot of knowledge as to where to buy gifts that my customers would enjoy.  I jumped on the bandwagon that I am sure alot of shop owners do and that was to buy from large importers that served larger chain stores and as well as smaller shops.  As a result, I found alot of everything was made everywhere else but here. As  I walked through gift and craft chain stores, I  found the same merchandise there that I carried only they were always able to beat my prices because of how much they were buying.

That said, over time and with alot of searching, The Stillroom is a local gift shop, buying as much as possible from local artists, some famous and most not. 

This is how I plan to boost my local economy in some small way along with jumping on the “green bandwagon” by changing the way we package items that are going out the door.

It’s all good!

with fragrant smells which yield a certain kinde of nourishment.

-William Coles 1656

With spring coming at us at a welcome pace, it is always  nice to see the winter blahs  blow into the winds of March!   They are replaced with the lively fragrance of hyacinths and  Easter lilies,  egg dying, making a living Easter basket, (instructions to follow) enjoying Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit and enjoying chamomile tisanes! 

Chamomile is such a fresh delicate herb flavor. This herbal tisane ( it has no tea) has a  granny smith apple-like flavor and brews a pretty gold color with a fragrance that is pure and delightful…  not to mention it will help to calm an upset tummy! (As Peter Rabbit’s mama knows!)

Ash Wednesday is upon us and  this special day of observance marks the beginning of Lent , Easter and of course Spring .  Soon we will be picking up the last of the branches and twigs from the gusty winds of winter and raking out the  soggy brown leaves from our flower beds as we greet our neighbors with yard arms in hand. We watch sunny days get longer as the birds slowly return to greet us with their sweet songs in the key of life. 

 The Stillroom is preparing for the spring season with our Harney & Sons Chamomile tea, Blooming Tea Pods, Beatrix Potter books, Divani Chocolates, our new line of pistachio butter cookies, colorful new Laurel Burch designs, all of our fragrant Spring scented hand lotions are in place, new colorful lithophane night lights are on the board and Peter Rabbit onsies are waiting for your littlest bunnies to wear!

If you have been cooped up all winter, take a minute to download our shopping map for Saxonburg and come and enjoy what we have here in our little village!  

The Saxonburg Area Library is preparing for their fund raising Spring Tea party on March 18th which has gained tremendous popularity, The Fresh Cup Cafe is booking weekly Thursday afternoon teas by reservation and  The Hotel Saxonburg is now accepting reservations for their Spring Tea on March 22 from 2-4. Call Lori or Sue at 724-352-4200 between 9-5 for details! 

It’s all about the tea! 

The Stillroom Gift & Tea Shop is a tea retailer and we are open Tuesday through Friday from 10-4, sometimes 5 on super sunny days and Saturday’s from 10-2.  

Come and visit us soon to peruse our selection of  cool gifts, Stash and Harney &  Sons Teas, La Prima Coffee, La Peri Dolci biscotti and Divani Chocolates.  

 The new flavors arriving from Stash  are Coconut Mango Oolong  and refreshing White Peach Oolong.   What is Oolong? It is semi-fermented with qualities of black and green teas. With a distinctive fruity flavor, it is very good indeed!  We also have added the Chanakara Tea Sampler as well as powdered green iced teas made from whole green tea leaves that have been ground into a fine powder.  By the glass or on the go by simply adding to bottled water!  Great for the summer months ahead. 

The Stillroom Gift & Tea shop is a small space so I  leave the tea parties up to the places that have the space to seat you.  We have the pleasure of serving the Saxonburg area by supplying you with the best selection of tea, tea accessories and fine giftware made in the United States of America!

We heart tea. 

Changing the way we do business…buy local and fair trade!  Change you can believe in!

Here is how to prepare a living Easter Basket.  Line a basket with foil then plastic wrap.  Bring it to the top sides of the basket.  Fill with a little gravel or small stones for drainage and add on top of that a good brand of potting soil and plant rye or other hearty grass seeds.  Water and keep in a bright room.  It is real cute and all natural!

Over the years of creating a retail shop, the last few years have  been the most important for me as a buyer. 

It has become  very clear that it is important to stock The Stillroom with as much as I can find that is made locally and in the USA. 

 I have been  supporting the following businesses  in the area such as  La Peri Dolci in Penn Hills, La Prima in Pittsburgh, Fernwold Reproductions of Derry, Divani Chocolate Boutique of Foxburg, and Gemini of Zeli.  Expanding into Harney Teas of New York, Stash Teas of Oregon, Laini’s  Ladies, The Porcelaine Garden from California,  Mailable Greetings along with the baby onsies, copper bubblewands, terrific hand lotions from Illinois and much more.

Take note also that we have finer quilting fabrics from Quilters Delights that went out of business last year.  We are helping the former owner Rosie by giving her shelf space in The Stillroom so that quilters and sewers in the area do not have to go far to find beautiful textiles for hand made projects!

I am going to continue in this direction with  the hope that we all can survive this awful recession.  Now that we have what hopefully is a pro active president in place, the Steelers have the trophy, Phil has seen his shadow, it is time to pull up the bootstraps and get on with the business of digging out.

We will be blessed with some warm weather this coming week and along with that the signs of spring and regrowth should be observed.  Take note of the few birds that will be audible upon awakening, the melting of all of this snow and the back ups at the local carwashes. 

In the meantime, The Stillroom will be doing what it has tried to do best and that is to continue to be here for anyone who wants to come and enjoy small town shopping.  Weather it is for a quick gift or good coffee or tea, I will do my best to bring the best to you!