Scenery Hill - The five shop owners who gathered in Annette Hareras' "Everything But the Cat" store in Scenery Hill on Thursday morning represented the newest entries on the block of a village that's been known for decades for its antique and craft shopping.

On March 20, more than a dozen businesses - from a new gallery and gift shop to the venerable Century Inn - that straddle Route 40 will hold a grand opening to kick off the 2010 season. Read more...

In North Lawrence, you’re both in and out of town. The river is a powerful psychological divide.

With its blue collar, live-and-let-live vibe and roomy backyards with abundant vegetable gardens, its biker bars and tattoo parlors, auto shops and endless soundtrack of train whistles, North Lawrence feels like frontier country, a place far removed from the bustle across the river. Read more...

Suzanne Young dreamed many years ago of owning her own shop. Last September, it came true when she purchased the Mustard Seed gift shop from Joy Collins.

A Selma native and 27-year-old business owner, Young relishes the support Demopolis has given her ever since she opened her store doors. She simply can’t get over how proud residents are of their own town, and she appreciates their patronage every single day. Read more...

For nearly 74 years, the Rowley General Store in North Vandergrift supplied families whose homes dotted the Kiski River Valley.

In 2001, the historic landmark turned into a gift shop, but it eventually closed, too.

On March 21, the former general store will be sold at auction. Read more...

Long Hill — When new — or sometimes repeat — customers enter Linda Tribuna's small TMC's Boutique, they are offered a five-minute tour of the shop's jewelry, artwork, womens' accessories and other gift items, she said.

TMC's Boutique on Main Avenue in the Stirling section's shopping district is crammed with unique pieces created by 16 artists, mostly from Central Jersey, Tribuna said. Shoppers from neighboring towns in Morris and Union counties and nearby communities, such as Basking Ridge, seem to enjoy exploring the merchandise displayed around the store, she said. Shoppers also seem to like stopping by for a respite from the mall experience, she said. Read more...

Pearls & Pretties, 1733 Pearl Road, Brunswick, in the Laurel Square Shopping Center, has earned a loyal following of shoppers over its 25 years in business, thanks to owner Alice Taller.

In fact, the day I was there, one of those shoppers, Lois Stollar, exclaimed, “If you can’t find a gift here, you’ll never find it.” She praised Taller’s honesty and service as one reason she has been dropping in throughout the years. Read more...

A manufacturer's representative for letterpress cards and paper lines, Tamara Gellert had been working out of her home office for seven years when she decided it was time to shake things up. "I wanted to stay engaged and be creative," she said. "I wanted to share my love of paper and the talent with whom I work." In mid-December of 2009, Gellert opened Birch Paperie. As an 18-year resident of Wallingford, she located the store close to home, choosing a tiny space in Green Lake's Tangletown, directly behind Mighty-O Donuts and across the street from Zoka. Read more...

"You are about to make a new friend," "You are cautious in showing your true self to others," "Help, I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory!"

The fortune cookie.

Break it open and just discover your destiny, or play a little game — swap the cookies with your partner before reading, or just add the phrase "in bed" at the end of your fortune — however you have your cookies, it's always a surprise. And at Fantastic Fortune Cookies in Rollinsford, it's a big surprise. With two huge sizes of delicious cookies — as big as your fist or even huger — and a fortune you can create yourself, these cookies are tasty and filled with fun. Read more...

With hundreds of farms, craftspeople and artisans in the Pacific Northwest, even Dorene Kirkingburg – while setting up her locally-made gift store in Olde Towne St. Helens – is learning of new regional products everyday.

Kirkingburg, 50, is what you might call an expert on Northwest wares. Read more...

Steve Chellew’s Lafayette Hill swimming pool business keeps him busy seven months of the year, but considerably more demanding is his work as an artist.

When he’s no longer wrapped up in pool season, he warms up the potter’s wheel in his basement studio and gets to work. Read more...