Change is in the wind...

October is here! The wind comes in blusters, sending burnished maple leaves scuttering along the sidewalk like chipmunks. The breeze carries stories if you listen~ they echo off the store fronts that line First Street in Historic Downtown Snohomish. Tales of a humble beginning when folks first scratched out a clearing along the river. Stories of a busy shopping district where my grandparents came every Saturday for groceries and livestock feed. The Eagles building was a hub of activity and in our family, the place for receptions as my older cousins married off. I love watching the renovation of that grand old landmark. What stories those walls could tell!

Listen! There are more stories swirling on the street. Shhh~ What’s that? The 900 block? I’m listening… January? 2012?

Life, ever evolving brings change. It is with much joy and excitement that I announce, together with my friend Berthina of Foland’s Folly, a big move for both of us! After months of deliberation, Berthina and her family have decided to relocate her shop to the original Folly… a little house David reconstructed behind their Everett home. The shop will be open by chance or appointment in the early spring of 2012. A new and improved website is also in the works for Foland’s Folly.

It is said, ‘When one door closes, another one opens’. As Berthina steps from her doorway into a place of family time and contentment, the Speckled Hen will move across the street and nestle into the cozy spot at 922 First Street. I have warm memories of this historic storefront. I walked those creaky board floors as a kid, when it was known as Weeds Variety. Max Weed helped us choose our school supplies, and if we were lucky there were a few pennies left for a piece of licorice or two. Now another layer will be added to the patina and more stories will unfold.

Both shops are undergoing changes, but for now, you won’t even notice! Foland’s Folly and Speckled Hen are geared up for the holidays and look as beautiful as ever. You will still be greeted by warm and friendly smiles… it will be business as usual through December 2011. Then our respective new stories will begin…

Thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to read my ramblings…Blessings to you!