Amy Geib is proving that Millennials will happily accept their parents’ and grandparents’ gifts of furniture. Whereas the Baby Boomers cherished furnishings with cherry finishes, and the Greatest Generation was gaga over mahogany, younger generations’ tastes are decidedly different. They love antiques and vintage pieces that are made modern through painted finishes and upcycling, thus delivering a one-of-a-kind piece.

Ever since she was a young girl, Amy has loved rummaging through other people’s unwanted possessions. Her love for thrifting started as quality time spent at yard sales with her grandmother and ultimately grew into the foundation for her career.

Despite her natural inclination for upcycling and interior design, Amy’s career path initially took her in other directions. After dropping out of art restoration school, through which she learned how to restore paintings, murals and statuary, Amy decided to get a degree in health sciences and pursue a career as an X-ray technologist. She spent the next decade in the medical field, but her love for design lingered.

Fate intervened when Amy attended a blogging conference, where she was inspired to create a home-improvement blog. Since she is constantly looking several steps into the future, contemplating what she is going to tackle next, Amy appropriately named the blog Always Never Done. “I always have a new project on deck,” she says.

Posting about her projects and home renovations became her new hobby. It didn’t take long for her friends and family to start asking for her help with their own home projects. As Amy’s brand grew and word spread beyond her friends and family, she decided to drop to part-time as an X-ray tech, and then eventually left altogether in order to pursue what she loves. Now, her blog has such a following that it has attracted the attention of HGTV, The Home Depot and PopSugar. Brands like California-based Jeffrey Court (tile) give her supplies in exchange for blog posts using their product.

The success of her blog prompted Amy to open her first brick-and-mortar location in Salunga. Since making its debut in 2015, business is booming. In addition to her own work, the shop features items from more than two dozen other artists, upcyclers and makers. “Things are constantly moving in and out of the store,” Amy says. “The furniture usually only lasts a day or two.” Typically, Amy has two design projects going at a time along with five or six smaller repurposing projects.

Amy redecorates the shop habitually. “I like the store to look fresh,” she explains. She rearranges the furniture daily and changes the entire footprint of the store every other week. As her business continues to thrive, Amy is slowly focusing more attention on the interior-design services she offers. One aspect that has taken on a life of its own is freshening the look of kitchen cabinetry through paint.

Despite her start in upcycling, designing and decorating for her clients have become Amy’s new favorite part of her business. Looking forward, she hopes that she can get a better vision of her design services, employ more people and continue to slowly grow her business.

Amy is already making big moves towards those goals. This month, she will be moving her store to the former home of Aud-a-bud Ceramics in Landisville (3090 Harrisburg Pike) to accommodate more vendors and upcycled furniture. “It needs some love,” Amy notes of the new location. “I want it to look more modern and industrial than the old store, so there is a lot to do aesthetically.”

With her eye for design and a love for the Scandinavian Farmhouse style, Amy can somehow breathe new life into lackluster antiques or drab secondhand pieces. Her own home is filled with upcycled items from many digging and thrifting ventures. For example, a pearl-gray vanity in a seating area is an amalgam of wood scraps transformed into a stylish storage space and bar. The island in her kitchen is made from reclaimed oak from a local lumber yard.

Such strategies date to when Amy and her husband, Jeremy, bought their first home. They couldn’t afford to decorate, so they thrifted a lot of the furniture and décor. Even years later, Amy continues the thrifting lifestyle in her Landisville home that she shares with Jeremy, their 10-year-old son, a nosey black cat named Kit Kat and their 16-year-old pup, Bentley.

“It’s rare that I will buy something brand new,” Amy says, whether it’s for her own home or one of her client’s homes. She has mastered the art of digging. “It can be time consuming, but the hunt is the fun part,” Amy remarks. She can find pieces anywhere: roadside pick-ups, hand-me-downs, thrift stores, auctions, estate sales, customer drop-offs or even rummaging through trash. “The workers at the transfer station have already told me not to climb on the trash piles,” Amy laughs.

Amy is not only a maker; she is a resurrector, gifting a renaissance to each item or room she works her magic on. Amy loves what she does. She admits that being her own boss can be hard, but it is worth it to be able to do what “makes my heart melt.” To Amy, there is no such thing as regrets or mistakes in her line of work. “It can always be redone,” she says.

For more information, visit alwaysneverdone.com.

Read more about local makers markets here!

Own a large barn. Launch a food truck. Write a book. Buy a vintage truck and transform it into a maker’s truck. Be featured on HGTV. Support nonprofits. Blessings for our families. These are some of the goals and aspirations that comprise what Kristi Kreider and Nikki Stauffer call their “dream board.” It hangs on a wall in the office/workshop of their makers studio.

Kristi Kreider never considered herself to be artistic or creative. As a high school student, she was all about sports, especially field hockey. Married to Jake Kreider, she happily became a stay-at-home mom of three.

Nikki, however, has always been creative, but exploring her talents was not always easy. She, too, is a stay-at-home mom to two children and often provides childcare for friends and family. She also became her husband Jeremy’s right-hand woman, overseeing the office work for his spouting company. She has even been a driver for Grubhub.

Kristi and Nikki’s paths crossed in 2018.

The Honeysuckle story actually dates back to 2015. In need of bookshelves for their daughter’s room, Jake created a pair out of discarded pallets. Kristi was so impressed that she posted a picture to Facebook, and within 24 hours they had received 300 inquires and orders. The couple spent the summer creating bookshelves the old-fashioned way, aided only by a hacksaw, chisel and hammer. Oh, and Kristi was pregnant. And, Jake had a full-time job. “We’d work until 1 a.m. during the week and all weekend,” she recalls.

Once that task was accomplished, Jake’s sister asked if they could create a sign for her daughter’s room. “That’s when I fell in love with painting,” Kristi says of the message she hand-painted on the sign. A new venture took wing, with Jake crafting signs from salvaged wood and Kristi hand-painting them with messages that convey hope, encouragement, humor and the word of God. “We sort of stumbled into becoming makers,” Kristi remarks, adding that Jake inherited his woodworking skills from his father, who was “very handy” with tools.

The furniture and decorative items the two were creating meshed perfectly with the modern farmhouse look that Chip and Joanna Gaines made famous on their HGTV show, Fixer Upper, and put Waco, Texas, on the map as the home-decorating capital of the United States, because of their Magnolia Home empire. While Baby Boomers have heeded Martha Stewart’s every word since she burst onto the scene, it seems the Gen-Xers and Millennials are on team Gaines. Peruse the displays at makers markets from coast-to-coast, and you’ll see Joanna Gaines’ influence everywhere.

The success of Honeysuckle Shop was immediate. The Kreiders outgrew their home and moved to a farmette near Manheim that provided Jake with a spacious workshop. It allowed Kristi to begin offering workshops and classes in her studio. Still, by the summer of 2018, Kristi was feeling overwhelmed. Creating merchandise and overseeing its shipment was keeping her on her toes. Add to that the fact that Jake was the general manager of an auto dealership in Lebanon County, and it was becoming obvious they needed help. “I began praying,” Kristi states. “I asked God to send me someone who has the same passion and vision I have.”

In October, Kristi’s prayers were answered when Nikki took a class at Honeysuckle Shop. (She also happened to be one of the shop’s most devoted customers.) During the class, Kristi mentioned she needed help in the shipping department, and Nikki offered her services. Kristi invited her to come back for a chat, and Nikki offered to bring lunch. She showed up with take-out from Chipotle, which unbeknownst to her is Kristi’s favorite restaurant. “She got here at 11 a.m., and we talked non-stop until 1 p.m.,” Kristi recalls. “Meeting with her, I realized we shared the same vision but brought different talents to the table.”

The idea of forging a partnership materialized and by January (2019), a contract made it official. The Kreiders and Stauffers would join forces.

Nikki made an instantaneous impact thanks to her welcome sign that showcased a vintage Ford truck. For spring, it features a turquoise truck whose bed is filled with flowers. “It went viral,” Kristi reports, noting that the sign generated an initial order for 400. Nikki went to work, and the sign evolved into a summer theme with an American flag. This fall, the sign will take on an autumnal hue, and the truck will be filled with pumpkins. For the holidays, a Christmas tree will fill the bed of the truck.

The two portray their partnership as a “learning process,” with Kristi pointing out that “it’s like working with the equivalent of a spouse” because of the time they spend with each other. The fact that two couples are involved only adds to the mix of personalities. Add five kids between them, and life gets hectic.

Kristi and Nikki credit supportive grandparents, sharing household chores with their husbands and scheduling date nights for bringing sanity to their busy lives.

Thanks to the partnership, Honeysuckle Shop has been able to expand. “We’re learning how to be better – in everything we do,” Kristi notes. The two make it a practice to listen to motivational podcasts. They have increased the amount of custom work they accept. They’ve developed a unique wedding keepsake that has proven to be popular. They’ve also begun to dabble in retail. In Lancaster, Honeysuckle Shop products can be purchased at Gather Home Boutique in Conestoga. As for online orders, outside of Lancaster County, their biggest customer base is found in California.

They’ve also begun working with other makers, whose jewelry, home accessories, self-care items, greeting cards and more can be ordered through Honeysuckle’s website.

Their biggest endeavor is the pop-up events Honeysuckle hosts. “We’ve done several here,” Kristi explains. “We were shocked at how many people came.” The overwhelming response made them realize the Kreiders’ property could not accommodate the pop-ups, and they began searching for a new location. Last spring, they hosted a pop-up at the Hertzog Homestead in Ephrata that included 22 vendors, food trucks and music. “Six-hundred people showed up,” says Nikki. Success prompted them to partner with Kristen and Scott Hertzog to hold pop-up events at the farm on a quarterly basis. “Each one will be different,” Kristi says. The next one will be held October 4-5.

The future is also shaping up nicely. Honeysuckle will continue to host workshops and private parties. It will also continue participating in local makers markets such as those hosted by Creatively Lancaster. Honeysuckle will also be operating a 400-square-foot space at the Prussian Street Arcade in Manheim. Located at 49 West Main Street, the 10,000-square-foot space will be able to accommodate up to 100 vendors, makers, designers, etc. It is slated to open this fall.

Nikki and Kristi are also excited to be attending the RISE Business Conference in Charleston, South Carolina, in November. The conference, which is tailored to small business owners, is being presented by the Hollis Co., whose co-owner is Rachel Hollis, a motivational speaker, author (Girl, Stop Apologizing), blogger and influencer.

Of course, visiting Waco is on their radar, as is Laurel, Mississippi (population 20,000), which is home to the Laurel Mercantile Co., a store that specializes in “heirloom wares and durable goods.” It’s owned by Erin and Ben Napier (and two other couples), whose HGTV show, Home Town, showcases their home-restoration projects. Like Waco, Laurel’s downtown has become rejuvenated thanks to Laurel Mercantile, whose success has prompted artists, makers, brewers and restaurateurs to take over properties that were candidates for adaptive reuse. Hmm … could Manheim be the next such town?

For more information, visit honeysuckleshop11.com or Facebook.

Read more about local makers markets here!

Americans are obsessed with clean-smelling homes. They are also looking for ways to de-stress. Who knew that something as simple as a candle would be the solution for both scenarios? If a study by the research firm NPD Group is any indication, a lot of Americans are attuned to that fact – 80% of Americans regularly use some sort of scent in their homes. The National Candle Association (NCA) puts annual spending on candles at $3.2 billion!

Today it’s difficult to go shopping and not find candles beckoning with their alluring names, decorative containers and fragrances that can instantly transport you to your favorite beach, garden, mountaintop or even grandma’s kitchen. With the strike of a match, it can be spring, summer, fall or winter in your home. Research has shown that nothing evokes memories like the sense of smell.

Once a staple of the holiday season, candles are now available year-round at high-end boutiques and home-accessory shops, as well as department, discount, hardware, drug and grocery stores, not to mention spas, craft fairs, makers markets and souvenir shops. There are even specialty shops devoted solely to candles.

The NCA reports that October through December continues to be prime time for candle sales – nearly 70% of annual sales are made during that time period. Not only are home dwellers trying to capture the essence of fall (pumpkin spice) and the holidays (gingerbread, pine and bayberry to name a few) through fragrance, but they’ve discovered candles make great gifts, as they have become an integral part of the growing self-care-products industry, as well as the hygge craze that is synonymous with creating a sense of coziness and well-being in one’s home. Candles have even reached pop-culture status. In 2016, Saturday Night Live hilariously paid homage to the power of a candle – as the ultimate prize for re-gifting – with a skit, The Christmas Candle.

Several Christmases ago, Katie and Eric Roering received a candle as a gift. “We burned it, and by the end of the day, we both had headaches and didn’t feel well,” Katie recalls. All they could attribute their out-of-sorts feelings to was the candle.

The unsettling occurrence prompted Eric to do some research. He discovered that the quality of candles varies widely – there are no industry standards – with cost being a good indicator of their makeup. For example, paraffin candles are made from a non-renewable wax that is a byproduct of petroleum, coal and oil shale. Such candles can be problematic for those with asthma, allergies and chemical sensitivity. (If a candle doesn’t state its makeup, more than likely it’s made from paraffin.) Paraffin is often responsible for the black soot that forms around the top of the candle’s container.

For those in search of a natural product, beeswax and soy fit the bill. As by-products of mother nature (bees and soybean oil), they are non-toxic and clean-burning. (As for the cost element, paraffin sells for $1 to $2 per pound, while beeswax costs $4 to $5 per pound.)

Natural elements are important to the Roerings. “We’re committed to living a healthy lifestyle,” Katie explains. “We eat clean, exercise and use only non-toxic cleaning products in our home. We didn’t like the fact that we were burning candles that don’t complement our lifestyle.”

That dedication prompted Eric to begin formulating a beeswax candle that met their standards and expectations. Discovering that beeswax was too hard and didn’t hold fragrance very well, he added coconut oil to his formula. He also added another natural element by using a wooden wick, which provides “ambiance and a nice crackle – it’s just something different,” he notes. (Some candle wicks can contain zinc.)

Eric so enjoyed the process that he became a hobbyist, formulating and pouring candles in his basement. “We gave them away as gifts to family and friends,” Katie recalls. The positive feedback encouraged the couple to consider taking candle-making to the next level.

Katie and Eric are no strangers to entrepreneurism or the corporate world. A graduate of Linden Hall and Millersville University, Katie was one of the founders of The Complete Canine Center in Landisville, where she served as the director of training. (In 2016, she was recognized as Lancaster’s Young Woman Entrepreneur.) Eric, who is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, arrived in Lancaster to work in the world of chocolate – as a cocoa trader for Cargill and later as a procurement manager for Godiva and pladis global. He is now a procurement manager for Armstrong World Industries. Their engagement in 2016 made Katie realize she needed a better work/life balance, so she sold her share of The Complete Canine Center. Prior to their marriage in March 2017, she launched a business that focuses on web design and social media management, which she continues to operate.

Eric’s background in accounting and procurement and Katie’s marketing experience meshed perfectly, allowing them to successfully launch their candle venture, which is named in honor of Eric’s great-grandfather who hailed from Italy. “His last name was Fontana, but when he arrived in the United States, it was changed to Fontaine,” Eric explains.

They incorporated in 2018. Last November, the company began operating out of a 3,500 square-foot warehouse in Mount Joy. Katie’s mother, Judy Errigo, has joined the company. “My parents supported us from the beginning,” Katie says of Judy, and her late father, Chip. “My dad had a good feeling about it and was on-board from day one.” They also credit their Score mentor, Jeff Eberts, for his help. In Katie’s opinion, “Lancaster County has a lot of resources” for those looking to start a business. “It takes hard work and a bit of luck,” she says. “I think we’re hitting the market at just the right time. People want healthy products for their homes. I think they also appreciate our transparency.”

Of course, fragrance is what draws customers to candles. Fontana’s fragrances originally came courtesy of pre-mixed oils that were purchased through vendors. Currently, the Roerings are in the process of reformulating scents; going forward Fontana will utilize 100% natural and chemical-free essential oils for its candles. They hope to have the process fully completed by next spring.

Collections are released twice a year – in the spring and in the fall. Nine fragrances are staples of each collection, with six seasonal scents bringing the total to 15. “We aim to pour 3,500 candles each season,” Katie says.

Marketing and sales are achieved through a mix of brick-and-mortar locations, a website, social media and makers markets such as Creatively Lancaster. “The community of makers we have in Lancaster County is amazing,” Katie remarks. “Everyone is very supportive of each other. There’s enough business for all of us to be successful.”

As for brick-and-mortar outlets, Fontana Candles are available locally at more than a dozen locations, as well as in shops located in Bethlehem, the Philadelphia area, Cape May, Stowe, Vermont, and Houston, Texas. “Getting into Hershey Entertainment & Resorts was big,” Katie says.

Of course, the company’s website and social media are a “huge part of the business.” Fontana makes it a practice to work with influencers, and she notes that “Instagram makes cold-calling easier.”

The impact of social media prompted them to rebrand with a new logo and product labels that deliver a “high-end, more natural” image. Wholesale gift shows are on their radar.

“You can get a candle anywhere,” Katie remarks. “The fact that people seek out ours is encouraging.”

For more information, visit fontanacandlecompany.com.

Read more about local makers markets here!

Lancaster’s reputation as an creative community is rooted in colonial needleworkers, Plain clockmakers and Amish quilters. The tradition has been carried on by the artists, jewelers, cabinetmakers and craftspeople who followed in their footsteps. Now, makers are putting their stamp on Lancaster.

Creatively Lancaster

In 2015, Stephanie Fleetman and Christine Miller launched [re]chic, through which they create handcrafted goods and original designs, much of which entails upcycled elements. Like other makers, the two often hit the road to display their creations at shows and markets. They found themselves wishing Lancaster had markets that could showcase the talents of local makers.

They turned those what-ifs into action when they founded Creatively Lancaster, which provides makers with venues that foster “creative collaboration.” As they explain on their website, it is their observation that “communities are stronger when creative energies come together to fuel one another.” Speaking of fuel, many of their events entail food trucks, brews and other treats that keep shoppers shopping.

Creatively Lancaster is an ambitious undertaking, as makers markets are held on a monthly basis at venues such as Clipper Magazine Stadium, Tellus 360 and now Park City Center, where a Holiday Preview Market will be held October 12 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) in the Sears wing of the mall. Holiday Makers Markets will return to the Sears wing on November 30 and December 7, 14 and 21 (9 a.m.-4 p.m.). You can expect to see the work of makers, creators, artists, hobbyists, crafters, bakers and more at the markets.

Creatively Lancaster also collaborates with Cork Factory Hotel’s Unveiled bridal venture to present a Bridal Market that features unique handmade items for weddings.

Visit creativelylancaster.com for details.

Pop-Up Event at Hertzog Homestead

Honeysuckle Shop will bring its fall event to the farm that is owned by Kristen and Scott Hertzog on October 4-5. Nearly two-dozen vendors will be on hand, as will food trucks and musical entertainment. Friday’s VIP event (tickets are $5) will benefit the North Star Initiative, which dedicates itself to helping survivors of human trafficking. Friday’s hours are 5-9 p.m. On Saturday, admission is free. Hours are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 470 W. Metzler Rd., Ephrata. For more information, visit honeysuckleshop11.com or Facebook.

Local Makers Market

The Shops@Rockvale has been sponsoring a Local Makers Market event on select Saturdays for the past year. Thirty vendors typically take part. Dates for the remainder of 2019 include October 5, November 2 and December 7. Hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Visit shoprockvale.com for more information.

Nissley Vineyards

Last spring, Nissley held a craft show in support of the launch of its Kiss line of canned wines. In the past year, Nissley has also sponsored terrarium-making workshops and other creative ventures. Recognizing the popularity of all-things vintage, it will be holding a Harvest Fest & Vintage Market event, October 18 and 19. Sue Whitley, the author of Junk Market, will be on-hand to present floral design, woodworking and tablescape demonstrations. In addition to vendors whose specialties are vintage, the event will feature food trucks, live entertainment, a fashion show, a grape stomp and more. Tickets are required; visit nissleywine.com for details.