Our Little Place is Growing!

Our very own Small Town USA is having itself some fun, let me tell you!

At least I was having fun today ... *big smile* ...

                 

If you haven't heard, there's a good-sized two story brick building named the Viking on a corner of our Main Street that, back in the olden days, was a home furnishings and supply store called the Quarve Building (after the owners), using the main floor and lower level (basement) while the second floor was apartments. 

The building has been put to use in a few ways between then and now ... and recently became available again. Except the second floor has been closed for a very long time and the basement could stand some TLC, so it's now just the main floor - which is plenty ... for the time being ... 

The renovations of said main floor over the course of time have come in handy for our little community.

The big front display windows aren't so very different, and the front doors and steps are the same ... but inside ... the big entry area is flanked by the Couchs' Coffee Shop that has all kinds of things besides coffee (mm-mm good!) and a sort of Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe called The Melding Pot that has all kinds of things that you might not want to eat or drink but which you will most assuredly love looking at and taking home. Shelly Weigelt makes darned sure you'll find plenty of new things every time you stop by. AND she's got helium balloons on behalf of Perry and Laurie Anderson. Also up front and in the hallway are custom-made wreaths designed and handmade by Wendy Wagner of Wendy's Wreaths, in conjunction with the Coffee Shop.

As you walk down the wide hallway you'll find men's and women's rooms to your right.

To your left, along the side street length of the building, are what were offices and meeting rooms. They are now homes to a bunch of small shops. First in line you'll see Close to Home Gifts - all personally created by our local artists, spear-headed by Deronda designs, whose creative metalwork jewelry and lampwork beads are likely to make you ask, 'How does she do that?!?' West End Creations adds the bright colors of crocheted items plus earrings and rings that will catch your fancy and hold it. Shiela Branson (yep, that would be me) contributes artwork and the books she writes and illustrates, including the whole lineup of the 'They Are My Song' series. Add soaps and lotions using buffalo tallow (including a men's line) made by another type of artist, Mrs. Robert Fehr, and some pottery designed and handmade by yet another local artist, Kathy Tebelius, and an assortment of era items ... Close to Home is liable to become your 'go-to' place for some almighty special gifts. Fay Fandrich often adds plants and flowers for special occasions.

Next stop is Anne West of Bowdon's West N More for some exceptional clothing and accessory options. 

Then comes Eldredge Publishing's Fessenden facility. For your printing needs, whether a quick copy of a school paper or invitations to anything you can think of to leaflets or ... well, the list just doesn't really stop.

Moving on down the row you'll come to another 'extension', this time of the business-next-door The Computer Loft. For your computer needs, this is the place for you.

Last in line but certainly not last in interest is The Stuff-o-torium - looking for era pieces and/or antiques to pique your curiosity? This guy's got one heck of a lot of stuff, believe you me. Every time I walk in there, he's got all kinds of new (well, old, but you know what I mean) and fascinating stuff. It's downright dangerous and I'm intensely relieved to be totally broke - otherwise I'd be carting a lot of his inventory to my house ... and I'm supposed to be clearing my own stuff out, not adding to it!

So that's the line-up along the side street. 

On the other side, once  you're past the ladies' room and the men's room, you come to a bit of a division. First there's a one-step-up sort of platform room with a half wall that looks into a great big wide open space. Right now there's a desk and chair in that step-up room and that's about it. Michelle uses it at times for her publicity stuff. Kids play in it at times, and they can play in the big open space too (unless somebody else is using it).

The big open space is for general purposes. Every other afternoon a group uses it for sweat-producing workouts, for example. 

It also has a line of cubicles along the far wall that are for general use. Kids use them for doing homework, people can use them for on-line projects (The Computer Loft donates internet access), you can sit at them and read, work on your own craft projects ... whatever you might need a temporary desk for. 

Sometimes the big open area is filled with vendors for special occasions. It can also be used for birthday/anniversary parties and bridal/baby showers (non-alcoholic types of things I'm presuming, but don't quote me on that), meetings ... if you need a big space but not an auditorium, this comes in right handy.

The Coffee Shop is open 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and closes at three on Saturdays. The rest of us are mainly open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from ten-ish until maybe five-ish ... because, well, because we have creating to do and families to spend time with. On the other hand, this is Small Town USA - none of us are all that hard to find if need be.

So ... it's not been but maybe three months and already this Small Town USA is turning a historic building into something that's creating a new history of its own. 

It's called The Q.

UPDATE! Small Town USA - Gotta Love The People!

Update to the below post!!!
I met the mother of the story at this evening's JuleFest Feast, a Norwegian culinary delight I have to say ... but the UPDATE is that this mother had TWO sons on the same mission, and the book was for her husband. One son was a little ahead of the other, and he's the one in the story below. It's just as well that was the last available copy, and that she and her sons communicate well, as otherwise that second son may have persevered until he'd succeeded in his quest as well - and the dad would have gotten two copies of the same book!


How oh how I wish I'd remember to never go anywhere without a camera!

Walked over to the local grocery store a bit ago, to get stuff for supper.

In I go, right?

They told me that someone from out of town had just left to go see if Close to Home was open because he wanted one of my books and the store is out.

Not only did I not have a camera, I had no keys to get into the shop, either.

Even so, I slip-slided my way the half-block over to The Q  just in time to follow this person in.

Turns out it was indeed the one who wanted a book. When I asked him if he had a couple of minutes, as I would have to slide the block and a half home to get the keys, he smiled and said, 'Sure.'

Then a friend who happened to be there sweeping and such said, 'Wait! I have a set of keys!'

And so into the shop we went and out he came with a signed book for his mom, who had asked him to bring her one since he was in Fessenden on another errand.

I would have loved to get a photo of the people who all pitched in to get the mom her book! The people at the grocery store who steered him to The Q and Close to Home, the ones at The Q who helped us out, and the son who went out of his way to get something that his mom wanted.

Serendipity is awesome.

But serendipity rarely works in a vacuum. Without everyone's being the kind people that they are, she might not have gotten her book for quite a while.

So yeah.

Ya gotta love the people of Small Town USA!

A Lady Where I Work Had A Great Idea

At least I think it's a great idea!

Being unable to implement it my own self, lacking the requisite skills and history, I put out a Facebook post and we'll see what comes of it.

We were talking about the shop, Close To Home/Deronda designs, my sister has invited me to join her with at the local place that will soon be opening, called  ' The Q '  in our hometown.

This was a small group of elder ladies; we were talking about what kinds of shops would be good to have in our little town, and one of the ladies said, 'How about a Norwegian shop?'

The next lady added, 'How about a German one?'

Many of the early settlers in our area were of Norwegian or German origin; needless to say they brought with them their traditions - which are incredible (except for lutefisk) - and my eyes lit up at the thought of being able to see, taste, hear, touch, and smell a collection of the best of the best that the families of our settlers can and do still produce.

Being as I hadn't eaten in more than a few hours, my belly was the first to kick into high gear as I sat down to do the Facebook post - and just the thought of the awesome stuff that are traditional around here had my mouth watering. Minus the lutefisk, of course. 

Since I'm not Norwegian, and only a little bit German, and not at all German From Russia, I'm not the one who has what it takes to produce the wonderful stuff that many in this area kind of just take for granted.

And the smorgasbord my belly craves is only just the beginning.

Into my head popped some of the traditional costumes.

Into my head popped some of the music.

Into my head popped some of the artwork.

Into my head popped some of the sweater designs, and scarves, and mittens.

Into my head popped accents of the languages of those who settled here.

Just sayin'. 

Me, I think it would be an awesome project to collect family stories 'from the locals', and photos if they want, and pictures of stuff they make, and recipes of foods they prepare (with tips and helpful hints), and at least the words to some of the songs, and traditions, and ... and ... and ...

And put it all together into another local book about Small Town USA! 

Think of all the stuff I'd learn in the process! It would be a rare and priceless gift, I tell you true.

So I personally would LOVE to have all the Norskys and Krauts in the vicinity get together and present to the rest of us a cumulative collection of everything they've got to show off - which is plenty, let me tell you! 

I would love to do a full color book of it all, but that's cost-prohibitive in print form so only the cover would get to be colored - BUT Kindle does color without the added cost that goes along with print so a 'match' deal would probably be a good idea for using the color photos ... they'd be greyscale in the print books but full color in the Kindle version ... hmmm ... I think I like that idea.

But it isn't going to be up to me so there will be no getting up of my hopes here.

HA.

My hopes are already up for what could turn out to be so much fun I can't even think of it without grinning - not to mention the heaven my belly would be in if our friends and neighbors can be talked into it. Mmmmmmm ... 

Right.

It's past my bedtime right now.

What do you bet I'll be dreaming of kuchen and knoephle soup and kraut and sausage and krumkake and etc. and end up waking myself up with a growling stomach and drooling all over my pillow? 

WHY can't I write about this stuff in the daytime?!?!