A Successful Grand Opening and Introducing Charis B., Crochet Artist



 

 

 

We'd like to begin with a sincere and enthusiastic "thank you" to everyone who stopped by Shabby Shed to celebrate our Grand Opening. It was a whirlwind weekend, but FUN.

 

Elisha outside the store during our Grand Opening

 

 

We loved seeing the familiar faces of our "regulars", but were also heartened by the large number of first-time customers who came through our doors.  We've always thought that if we could just get people to come in and see what we have, that the store would "take off", because what we're offering is unique. Where else can you find so many quality and affordable items, brought to you by local hands?

 

It was fun offering our customers champagne

Our consignors should be happy with October sales, because a lot of their creations found new homes. But rest assured, the store is not empty! Almost every day we make way for new things. It'll be worth your while to keep checking back with us throughout the holiday season.

Gorgeous antique dressing table, now in the store

Our line of baby stuff keeps growing

Felted hats... warm and fashionable

 

Potpourri and fragrant oils

 

And now: a visit with one of our consignors...

 

 

Meet crochet artist Charis B.

Charis, crochet artist

Charis is a 23 year-old Bloomer native who crochets baby ties, baby cocoons, hats and mittens, pins and hair clips, and flower headbands for Shabby Shed. She also has different types of clothing items at another consignment store in Bloomer-- The Turnaround-- which specializes in clothing. Her items there include the June Bug vest she's wearing (which is a cross between a vest and a scarf), clutches, dress vests, and ear warmer head bands.

Charis models one of her headbands

We thought it would be fun to feature Charis because she is such a convincing model for her own creations. She drops items off to us and we find ourselves ooh-ing and aah-ing over whatever crocheted fashions she's wearing. She's quiet and shy and always sweet. But when we started asking her about herself for this interview, we were surprised to discover that there's a big story behind her handiwork.

The crocheted back on one of Charis's June Bug vests

Charis uses her crochet earnings to help finance mission trips to other countries-! She has been to Bolivia, England,  and Vancouver, Canada (during the 2010 Winter Olympics); also Chile, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Israel, Kenya, and Uganda. She is currently saving for a return trip to Kenya.


Besides her crochet work, Charis babysits for four different families and is a volunteer youth leader through her church. Her overseas trips are group efforts led by a deacon from her church and a few other young people. But these are self-financed trips. The focus of the trips is relationship-building and supporting whatever improvement efforts the local pastors are doing for their area.

Leg warmers make a nice boot cuff

Charis started crocheting at age fourteen, with the help of a book and a few pointers from her mother. But it came easily for her and she now thinks of herself as a "natural crocheter." She no longer works with patterns... she sees things she likes and then comes up with her own version. (But she points out that she does NOT know how to knit). We are big fans of her boot cuffs, pictured above, which are simply leg warmers folded over the top of boots. We suggested she make some of those for Shabby Shed when she gets the chance :).

 

 

Even her belt is crochet!



 So another great consignor and another great story!

Until next time...

Grand Opening Details and Introducing Natalie of West Hill Honey

 

Elisha by our new wrapping paper shelf

We have been "busy as bees" here at Shabby Shed, getting ready for the Grand Opening this coming weekend! Sale dates to remember are October 11-13th. We're hoping that all of our customers and consigners (along with some folks we haven't met yet) will make it over during the weekend. We've extended our hours, to make that easier.


Grand Opening Hours:

Friday         10-8
Saturday       9-6
Sunday         9-5


There will be lots going on. New items, a storewide 10% off, drawings for prizes, and refreshments.

Shabby Shed

We've been talking to the local newspapers, so you might see a story about us this week in the Colfax and Bloomer papers. We're trying not to be such a "secret".

Our sign out front

We share a building with Real Estate One, and now we share a sign. The easiest way to find us is to remember that we're across the road from the new McDonald's in Bloomer.


We've been calling our consigners and encouraging them to bring as much new stock as possible. And the store has been filling up.


Right now we're kind of straddling two decorative seasons-- fall and Christmas. We've added a beautiful line of quilts to our other fabric creations: table runners, crazy quilt pillows, pillowcases, potholders, bibs, dish towels, baby towels, strip skirts and headbands.

Filling the store!

Throw-size log cabin quilt in batik fabric

 

 

Pretty painted table surrounded by harvest accents

We've got your holiday decorating needs covered

We have one gorgeous Christmas quilt...
a king size log cabin in red, green and white.
Red and white gingham backing.
 

Warm up your house with a cozy scented candle

But we also have "timeless" stuff to offer you, like antiques, furniture and special accents. Just this week we received a new assortment of infinity scarves, which are great... unlike traditional scarves, they come in a loop of stretchy material. Instead of tying, you twist the scarf a couple of times before putting it over your head. Very comfortable and easy to style.

Infinity scarf

And our jewelry assortment is growing. Besides our fused glass necklaces and plates, we now have original beaded jewelry made by Carmen of A Cute Bead in Menomonie. Her earrings and necklaces are offered at a variety of price points, depending on the materials used and intricacy of craftsmanship. The necklace below is one of our higher end items from Carmen. Gorgeous, isn't it??

Hand-made jewelry

 

We also supply mineral-based make-up and an assortment of fun hair pieces. We have hand-made soap, soy candles, locally produced honey (more on that in a minute!), and loose-leaf tea. This week we introduced coffee from Backroads Coffee in Hayward. And we'll debut chocolate from Legacy Chocolates in Menomonie at our Grand Opening.

Our tea, honey, and coffee area



Theresa from Backroads Coffee in Hayward
 helped us set up our coffee dispensers.
 We offer complimentary samples of the
packaged coffee grounds we sell.

So as you can see, we have lots to offer you!

 

 

And now, as promised, a closer look at one of our consigners and her products...

 

 

West Hill Honey

 



You've probably noticed our West Hill Honey products, available in the store. They are produced in Chippewa Falls by a 14 year old young woman who first got into beekeeping five years ago as part of a 4-H project. The hard-working owner of West Hill Honey, Natalie Abbott, tends her bee hives on a wooded hill in an urban area outside her family home. The whole family helps out, but the workload got easier after a successful fund-raiser last year to buy state-of-the-art honey manufacturing equipment. You can read about the entire project at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1766386210/the-story-of-a-blossoming-honey-business.

Bee hives along the West Hill

Making the honey

Natalie in full beekeeping gear

 

Natural, raw, unprocessed honey is SO good for you (and delicious). But locally-produced honey has even greater health benefits. Local honey contains pollen particles from around your area, so eating it will lessen the seasonal allergies you experience.

 

 

Beekeeping is also good for ecological stability. Everyone's heard those stories in the news about bee colonies collapsing... whether because of pesticides, disease, or changes in the environment, the disappearance of healthy bee colonies threatens our food production. We need bees to pollinate many of our different food crops. Any time beekeepers are willing to help colonies along... that's a win-win for bees AND the surrounding community.

 

 



West Hill Honey is just one of the great local products we offer. Come to Shabby Shed's Grand Opening October 11-13th to see for yourself.