One day, right after my birthday, after I hosted guests for a weekend in my home and I was extremely tired, the thought crossed my mind that I needed a creative outlet. I had approached ‘entertaining’ the idea of a store for a while, but I knew my idea was a little different and it needed some real solid vision and I would need help to make it happen.
On my porch that day, I say it was divine inspiration, the idea hit me like a baseball bat in the head. Not too long ago, a man I trust told me, “You can do things.” Those words echo today and continue to press me to “do things." Things beyond what I think I can do. But enough of that...
And so it began; I met with friends, business friends, etc. and the seed fell into the ground and truly began to grow. The building search was on and we began to buy and find unique fixtures and furniture for ridiculously low prices, sometimes even free.
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| A few of the early fixtures ready & waiting to display creative works! |
In the middle of all the shopping, we began to invite artists to join us. It was a crazy ride. That last week before we opened, I wondered if we would have anything on our shelves to offer! But lo and behold, we were sufficient, and have been building artists (friends), makers, creators and unique inventory ever since. Whew!
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| Artisans bringing their handcrafted items in for us to display. |
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| Preparing the invitations to be sent out... |
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| Hanging our beautiful locally made sign a few days before the Grand Opening! |
At the early stages, a theme was birthed, a logo created and soon every piece seemed to come together. After a “high pressure” two weeks in the beginning of November 2020, we had our soft opening and then our grand opening. I honestly had to pinch myself.
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| Ribbon Cutting ceremony - a wonderful day! |
The original vision was to have a brick and mortar where local Artistans, creators and makers could sell their creations! A place where you could buy something from our locale that was made & created right here or near here. Where local folks, people with Cumberland Valley roots, could kick start their business, continue it, etc. and I envisioned a place where new artists could have a start, and an area where classes could be taught. I hoped for a place that Shippensburg University students and parents could peruse and find unique things that represent our beautiful area of Pennsylvania!
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| A portion of the shop - beautiful works displayed throughout! |
Friends, we’ve done it. We are continuing to move forward, and we are thriving and continue to do what we do. You may say, "What do you do - what is The Cumberland Shop?"
Well, I’ll try to put that in a few words for you!
The Cumberland Shop
The logo of our Shop contains 4 leaves. One for each season. The walls of our shop are painted for each season; light green for spring, a deeper green for summer, mandarin for fall, and light lilac for winter. We host a seasonal tree for each season in our window.
On the entrance wall, above our fireplace, hangs a vintage reproduction of a map of the Cumberland county from the 1800’s. A small picture displayed shows what our location was in 1900, the Shippensburg YMCA. Our building was a bridal store, a spa, a hair salon, a furniture store, a bakery and restaurant.
The Cumberland Shop:
- Is a store with 37+ Artisans, makers, creators.
- Houses an area large enough to hold classes.
- Is a non-profit.
- Supports ‘Women in Need’ financially and is a drop off spot for WIN. Every handmade shawl made for the shop is sold to support WIN.
- Is a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and financially supports the trail. We also conduct Trail Cleanups and sell Appalachian Trail goods, including handmade walking sticks.
- Supports an International Training School in Ghana, Africa. Handmade glass beads made in Ghana are crafted into jewelry and sold to support the school in Ghana. Batik fabric that is produced in Ghana and made into bags and banners also supports the school.
- Wants to see the Downtown Area of Shippensburg prosper and grow.
- Is in support of every business and we buy from, support, advertise and do what we can to make their business grow.
The Cumberland Shop believes in the power of unity, communication, and supports shopping local and shopping small. We also believe in fair prices; but, also believe and understand how much time, creativity and material it takes to create an individual piece of art, or anything that is hand produced. Therefore, our Artisans set their prices and we believe in their integrity. Our things are not mass produced, they are truly handcrafted. We LOVE that!
It is highly possible that you can find a pair of earrings at a large chain store less expensive than the handmade earrings we feature at the shop. There is no doubt about that, but think about this - when you buy from us, you are helping a local individual, a local artist, a local creator and maker buy groceries, clothes for their baby, and put food on the table. Not to mention, you are supporting someone’s dream.
So, what is The State of the Cumberland Shop?
“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.”
– Douglas H. EverettFriends, we are living the dream!
Thank you for your support of The Cumberland Shop!
Nancy A. Hudson
President
I love everything about the shop! What a blessing to our town!
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