Excited! ... And So It Begins ... Close to Home ... ' In the Q '

The Mamm Books, and all the others, are heading for a new home base.

Close to Home/Deronda designs has joined with  ' The Q '  on Main Street of Fessenden ND USA - and my books and I have been invited along on what's sure to be an exciting adventure!

Above is a photo of the very beginning of what we have in mind for the Mamm Books. Yet to be assembled for display are areas for 'Small Town USA' and the kid books (aka Juvenile Fiction), and a comfy 'Mamm Chair' for resting yourself in. I may well add some of my artwork as we go along ...

'Deronda designs' will stun you with creative uses of hand-made lampwork beads, precious metals, leather ... and whatever else the endlessly active mind of Deronda throws her way!

A bit of history:

Built in 1908 the Quarve Building is one of the oldest surviving structures in this small North Dakota USA town.

The two-story brick building dominates its corner of Main Street and welcomes one to Fessenden with its own indomitable style.

Originally the home of a furniture and home supply store, the double doors of the Quarve Building opened into the store's main floor - and a wide set of steps led directly into the lower level where you could find more merchandise, whatever you might need or want for your home. 

A secondary outside door led to the apartments on the second story, now inaccessible. Locals can and will tell you stories about the 'little old ladies' who lived upstairs. One local woman says, 'The stairs creaked, so by the time you got to the top you saw fourteen heads poking out of doors to see who was coming!'

Between then and now the building has sat empty, has been used as a Hobby Shop and Ceramics Shop, had a small library in it, been the headquarters of a couple of marketing ventures - and is now opening its welcoming doors once again.

This time it is home to  ' The Q '  which in turn is home to several local businesses.

Well, it will be as soon as we all get moved in and ready to roll!

The front window slots are taken by 'The Melding Pot' which is a sort of modern-day Curiosity Shop, and a Coffee Shop.

Next in line is Close to Home/Deronda designs, with me in tow as well as a vendor of Christian-Family oriented items including books and gifts.

Since we're only just beginning I can't say for sure who will fill the four remaining shop spots except that one will be a business office.

These little shops extend along the front and the south wall of  ' The Q ' leaving a large space open. On the north wall of that large open space is a bank of six small cubby areas suitable for doing homework and/or on-line time, or whatever you might need a quiet work space for.

I believe the plan is to use the big open space as a 'community living room' of sorts, with seating where friends can meet and share a cuppa, where groups can host showers or meetings or ... who knows?

A smaller raised area, set apart by a half-wall, has been suggested as a place for local artists to have shows of their work.

' The Q ' is a work in progress and is only just beginning to tap the creativity of local artisans, business-people, and gifted people of all sorts.

Me, I'm darned excited, thrilled actually, to be a part of the whole thing.

' The Q ' might surprise you; it will almost certainly please you. This is a local venue for us to show you what we're made of and what we make of the gifts we've been blessed with.