Small shop with big goals in Gates
Gates — The Mulberry Patch is just as small as its name implies. The approximately 500-square-foot gift shop opened Dec. 1 and sells candles, children’s toys, handbags, home décor items and more.
Owner Kimberly Ringelstein said her goal for the store is to sell unique high-end products. “I just wanted a specialty shop — things you can’t get everywhere else,” said the 41-year-old Gates resident.
The store, at 560 Coldwater Road, is open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and features products including Donna Sharp handbags, Crabtree & Evelyn scents, Michel Design Works soaps and candles, Melissa and Doug educational toys and Pavillion Gift Company home décor (which is based in Bergen, Genesee County).
“My slogan is ‘gifts for the hearts and home,’ and I really do believe that I specialize in that,” Ringelstein said.
Also a hair stylist and nail technician, Ringelstein is the former owner of Poshe Salon and Spa on Buffalo Road. But when health problems began to hinder her work, she knew she had to make a career change.
While on vacation in Yorktown, Va., this fall, Ringelstein was inspired by a boutique she visited named the Yorktown Onion, which sells home décor and gifts.
