CELEBRATING LANCASTER COUNTY'S PEOPLE, SCENERY,

HERITAGE, STYLE & POINT OF VIEW SINCE 1987.

Drawing Connections with Salina Almanzar

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Lancaster City resident Salina Almanzar’s stacked portfolio of multifaceted work is rooted in drawing connections. From connecting with her neighbors, her family and their history, and Latinx heritage to connecting with educators, kids and the community at large, her work is bridging gaps and connecting communities with a unique artistic flair.

Salina Almanzar leads an Art Pop event at Culliton Park. Photo by Michelle Johnsen.

Born and partially raised in the Bronx, New York, Salina calls Lancaster home and has spent most of her life in the southeast area of the city. When talking about Lancaster, she explains, “The deep sense of community and collaboration [here] is really important to me in my community-based art practice. That ease of connecting with neighbors and even city council members or the mayor makes it such a different experience than if I was an artist in a big city.”

The Artist at Work

Make no bones about it, Salina is putting the work in. Professionally speaking, she wears quite a few hats, all the while pursuing her personal artwork. She is not only the youngest, but she is also the first Puerto Rican woman to be elected to the School District of Lancaster’s school board. She is also a studio tech at Franklin & Marshall College, a job she has held since she was a student wrapping up her bachelor’s degree. “I graduated in 2013 with a BA in Studio Art and English Lit and basically never left! It’s been such a blessing,” she says of her work with F&M, where she often helps with programming and outreach, connecting city neighborhoods with the college.

Salina balances work with play while demonstrating a weaving technique with neighborhood kids at Culliton Park. Photo by Sarah Code Kroll.

Salina’s education in the arts didn’t stop there. She went on to receive her master’s degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University with a thesis on “examining creative placekeeping in the Latinx community here in Lancaster.” She maintains a position as an adjunct professor at the university as well.

Putting that knowledge and experience to work, she has also been working as a teaching artist in community through Lancaster Public Art (LPA) for two years. True to form, LPA “focuses on equity, livability and excellence to promote neighborhood connectivity, create meaningful collaborations and magnify Lancaster’s distinct sense of place” as its mission. Additionally, Salina receives support from Lancaster County Community Foundation (LCCF), the Baldwin Fellowship, and serves on several local committees including (but not limited to) the South Central PA Partners for the Arts and the Latino Empowerment Project.

Much of Salina’s work has been focused in the southern end of the city and the neighborhoods in which she was raised. Through LPA, she has co-created a mural on the side of the Water Street Mission building entitled “This Neighborhood is …” Right across the street from the mural – at the newly renamed Culliton Park – she has also hosted Art Pop events and free art and craft workshops through LPA’s PACE program. “The work in Culliton Park has been challenging because of the history of trauma on Water Street. So many folks I interact with have heavy burdens, and it’s amazing to see how a listening ear and some paint can shift attitudes,” she says of her time there. “I see folks living in transition in the park or battling addiction alongside some of the most adorable and enthusiastic kids ever. There’s a part of me that wants to help everyone, but I know I can’t,” she explains.

Salina and her “fiancé/art partner in crime,” Osmyn Josef Oree, pose in front of their Water Street installation. Neighbors were invited to answer the fill-in-the-blank question “This neighborhood is ___” as well as sit for portraits by the artists. The results were included in the mural. Photo by Michelle Johnsen.

With plenty of work on her plate, Salina is far from being in it alone. In addition to the love and support of her family, “my fiancé and art partner in crime, Osmyn Josef Oree, works closely with me as a photographer and collaborator,” she points out. “Last year, our mural project on the Water Street Mission was recognized by Americans for the Arts as one of the top 50 public art projects in the nation,” she continues. The couple plans to tie the knot next year.

Their mural project included a lot of community engagement. Neighbors and park regulars contributed to the subject matter and were asked to sit for portraits that would become part of the building’s façade. “The most rewarding thing is seeing folks’ faces light up when they see their work on display or their faces reflected in a mural,” she says of the work on Water Street.

alina works on one of the mixed media portraits of local residents for the “This Neighborhood is …” mural project on the façade of the Water Street Mission building. Photo by Michelle Johnsen.

Another enterprise coming to fruition for Salina is the opening of Café Pa’lante, the proposal for which she just received the third-place ranking in the Great Social Enterprise Pitch (a Central PA business plan competition that emphasizes social and environmental impact). A Latinx café and cultural space, Café Pa’lante will utilize traditional brewing methods and cooking. The café will also serve as a place for education and community in the heart of Southeast Lancaster City. “This has been a dream of mine for quite some time, so I’m eager to get started!” Salina says of the project.

Getting Personal

In keeping with her professional work, much of Salina’s personal artwork draws life from connecting with her culture and community. “I feel so humbled and rewarded when I see folks recognize themselves in my work. A lot of my work has to do with finding my identity and exploring the history of my family, as well as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic; so often, these stories are left out of mainstream retellings of history,” she explains.

Salina was recently named a Baldwin Leadership Fellow through LCCF and with that title plans to begin a project she has been aching to do. “I will be documenting the stories of Puerto Ricans in Lancaster, asking folks to talk about how they got here, how they make it their home, and what they want to see in their future,” she explains.

Salina’s personal work reflects the mapping of her connection with her family’s history, Latinidad culture and Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage, through collage and mixed media. She often sources material from her family momentos and photos.

Art & Life

As a Latinx Lancaster transplant, Salina’s work often explores the intersections of identity and finding one’s place. “Lancaster City and County are so rooted in generational histories of belonging and, when you’re a transplant, you can sort of feel like an outsider. Much of my personal art practice is rooted in understanding Latinidad as it exists in these in-between spaces,” she explains.
Salina’s take on the role art plays in the community is, “Art is the language we use to communicate who we are, what we value and who we want to be as a community. I think public art projects are great ways to bring communities together. Art allows us to connect across differences.”

For more of Salina’s work, visit salinaalmanzarart.com.

The Space of a Restaurant

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Architect Ben Samberg can feel the pulse of an idea. A certain je ne sais quoi speaks to him through dimensions, aesthetics and history (or lack thereof) of a particular space. In his own words, architects “create in a sea of limitations where each enterprise is a new experiment.” This is why he loves what he does.

Ben Samberg in the space that was formerly home to Coe Camera on North Prince Street. Next month it will become The Double C, a restaurant being launched by Sean Cavanaugh and Michael Carson, the chefs behind John J. Jeffries.

When I sat down to talk with Ben about his latest design – a new endeavor by chefs Sean Cavanaugh and Michael Carson of John J. Jeffries – The Double C restaurant was physically far from completion despite a door-opening deadline that was only a few months away in December. Feeding off the chefs’ idea of an upscale taqueria and tequila bar – his only direction was to make the space “cool” – Ben launched into a Día de los Muertos vibe.

He also immediately homed in on the heavy timber exposed by gutting the former Coe Camera Shop on North Prince Street. As the 3,800-square-foot space opened up, Ben began to envision well-crafted finishes created by metal experts, as well as custom leather booths. Old steel beams found abandoned in the basement would become hostess stations, while tabletops created from locally sourced timber would best be described as surgical (not reclaimed). Think flesh, bone, wood and metal in a welcoming juxtaposition.

“The space is really messed up in a beautiful way. There is a lot of texture. As I started to work on the project, I began to play up on some of the moody, bordello feel that is a bit – dare I say – ‘hip’ right now, like real vespertilian kind of stuff,” says Ben in the small, book-filled office of Lancaster Architectural Works right up the street from the restaurant.

For Ben, it is best when a client “sort-of knows” what they want, and he can lend his own vision to a project. While designing Rock Lititz’s Pod 2, his drive was to create a false narrative, to turn a new, metal building into a character of its own. He started by incorporating old crane parts he found at a nearby construction site. Consider the large bench at Gravie Kitchen + Commons inside Pod 2. It is made from the continuous track of a decommissioned crane. “That thing weighed like 5,000 pounds,” says Ben.

“I’ve gone in afterwards just to see how people interact with the space. I’ve overheard people asking, ‘What did this building used to be.’ Dude, it’s a brand-new building! It didn’t used-to-be anything,” says Ben excitedly. “That to me is the false narrative I was looking for. Design, especially with restaurants, is not like the days of yore, like TGI Fridays where you throw a bunch of stuff on the wall. It has everything to do with how the space is carved. I want people to interact with the structure even if they don’t know they are doing it.”

Although Ben has spearheaded projects like Pod 2, the Dickin Memorial Animal Hospital in Endicott, New York, and multiple residences in several states, he has a deep appreciation and desire for designing restaurants.

“There’s this willing suspension of disbelief when you enter a restaurant. You can eat the same thing you buy at a restaurant in a white box, but it won’t taste the same. The restaurant is that third space between customer and food; how a conversation is generated – sparked sometimes by the surroundings – changes the taste of the food. You’ll do things in a restaurant you wouldn’t normally do because of the vibe,” says Ben.

Over the past few years, he has been working closely with Omar Alsaadi and Mouhanad Kabbani, owners of Pita Chip, which Ben affectionately and with all respect calls the “Chipotle of shawarma” with food he describes as “out of control” good. The handheld, Middle Eastern to-go food from the small and growing chain based in Philadelphia sounds amazing as he describes it.

“It has everything to do with how the space is carved. I want people to interact with the structure even if they don’t know they are doing it.”

For their endeavor, Alsaadi and Kabbani wanted the feel of being out on the street brought inside a restaurant. “So, I literally pushed the boundaries of the space,” says Ben. Literally. He bought a shipping container, disassembled it, and reconstructed and retrofitted the massive metal structure inside the Pita Chip on the campus of Drexel University; he added 200-year old chestnut and a 15-foot city streetscape mural to complete the design. “I love putting a lot of heavy steel in restaurants and then softening it with wood. That’s kinda’ my thing. It feels right – crispy-and-chill in a relationship with soft, inanimate warmth. Then, if the food is really good, it just marries perfectly.”

Ben is married to English teacher Desiree Samberg, and the couple lives just outside of Lancaster City with their two boys, Sam and Remy. He’s a Lancaster native. After graduating from Lancaster Country Day School, Ben accepted a full scholarship to Temple University to study architecture, a time dotted with spats of self-exploration. He lived and studied briefly in Japan where he gained much of his “material culture” through wabi-sabi, which is Anglicized to mean the art of imperfection combined with acceptance and understanding of aesthetic sensibility. “It’s an earthen-borne architectural language where the material itself, even though it is inanimate, still has a spirit. Depending on how you put two materials together can change that spirit,” Ben explains.

At one point he dropped out of Temple to become a photographer and was accepted at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design in Washington D.C. But, architecture called him back. He graduated with honors, moved to Chicago to study furniture making, and eventually came back to Lancaster County. He knew he needed to gain hands-on knowledge about the business of architecture and went to work for several local firms.

“I could see the Lancaster art scene was starting to get hot. This was around ’06-07. All of a sudden, I’m helping build the convention center,” he recalls. “And, I knew I wanted to have my own practice.”

After a brief stint building and designing for Tait Towers, Ben started Lancaster Architectural Works. Soon he was running his own firm and a construction company. His first restaurant – Gran Sabor Latino – is located at 120 N. Franklin Street in Lancaster.

He’s scaled back to a one-man show, but as we talk, his phone is ringing nonstop. He’s in demand. While most of his work takes him to Philly and New York, Lancastrians will get a better glimpse of Ben’s style when The Double C opens in December.

For more information, visit lancasterarchitecturalworks.com.

Flashy and Fierce Meet Country Cottage: Fashion Designer Stevie Boi Visits Lancaster County

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The glam meter went off the charts when fashion designer Stevie Boi came to stay in Pete and Carol Heth’s FairView cottage. Part of what attracted Stevie Boi’s team to the Heth farm was the cottage’s well-appointed kitchen.

Rural location. Check. Foodie paradise. Check. A fab kitchen. Check. Lancaster County provides the perfect backdrop for fashion designer Stevie Boi’s latest project that celebrates food and cooking.

Carol and Pete Heth routinely welcome travelers from all over the country to their cottage-getaways in rural West Hempfield Township. Their country-farm setting, homemade blueberry scones and fresh eggs (provided by the resident chickens) garner rave reviews. They’ve even been tagged the Chip and Joanna Gaines of Lancaster County for their unique remodeling projects that have converted structures on their 6-1/2-acre farm into themed Airbnbs that include the Mod Pod (mid-century modern), the Birdhouse (French vibe) and FairView (featuring a cook’s kitchen). Their latest project is the Glamper, a restored 1975 Airstream that’s been converted into a quirky, fun guesthouse.

Stevie’s interest in cooking began at age 7. Now, he intends to share his Southern roots with his followers. Here, he prepares his signature omelet as the camera rolls.

Meanwhile, in nearby Havre de Grace, Maryland, a young fashion designer named Stevie Boi was searching for a site to launch his latest project, Stevie Boi Eats – a series of cooking videos for his loyal social media followers who already know him as the designer of luxe sunglasses, as well as a world traveler, blogger and edgy style trendsetter.

The matchmaker? GlampingHub.com.

As an online booking service for unique accommodations, it’s the go-to website for those seeking uncommon, back-to-nature destinations like log cabins, cottages, treehouses and camper vans. GlampingHub.com’s Jessica Armstrong found the perfect spot in the Heths’ property: a beautifully decorated cottage that boasts a commercial-grade gas range in a spacious kitchen. “We wanted to find an accommodation listed on glampinghub.com that was more than suitable and also had a lovely story and importantly, a stunning kitchen, as most of his filming would be in the kitchen,” recalls Jessica. “I found Carol’s property on our site, shared it with his team, and we thought it would make such a great fit.”

The fit was superb. We joined Stevie Boi while he was taking a break between tapings, lounging on the hanging bed in FairView cottage’s screened porch and sipping wine on a glorious late-summer-in-Lancaster-County afternoon. The designer of glammed-up, luxury sunglasses was far away from his cosmopolitan life of New York Fashion Week premieres (his next destination) and whirlwind multi-city international tours.

The youngest son of military-career parents, Stevie Boi (aka Steven Cordell Strawder) was born in Augusta, Georgia, but gained the worldly influence of European culture through his family’s travels and posts in Italy and Germany.

Stevie Boi relaxes on the cottage’s floating bed, surrounded by trees and farmland.

He left his government job as a military contract specialist when his need to create, design and express himself called to him. Fame came somewhat by accident, when he designed his own protective eyewear with some fabric and glue, posted the results to his website, and received thousands of requests from interested buyers. The DIY project inspired the beginning of SBShades, a now-extensive collection of glitzy, futuristic sunglasses that will cost you $300 to $500 to indulge your inner fashionista. Clients include a who’s-who from the worlds of fashion and entertainment. His breakthrough came in 2012 when his eyewear appeared on the cover of Vogue.

Now 30, the social media-savvy Stevie Boi has expanded his influence, having published a memoir about his nascent fashion-designer career, Shade Built My Empire. He recounts how “$20, determination, hard work and fearlessness” made Stevie Boi a brand name among luxury accessories, including how he hit the occasional pothole along his personal road to success. He intends that his story of successes and overcoming obstacles “empowers the trendy professional to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams with a dash of fierceness.”

Having scored the cover of Vogue with his edgy, unisex sunglasses in 2012, Stevie Boi’s designs have shaded some of the world’s most famous eyes, including those of Beyonce, Jay-Z, Madonna, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry. Check out the selection online at stevieboi.com.

His time in Lancaster County added to a new chapter in the Stevie Boi empire – online cooking videos. He is also working on a cookbook, Season to Taste. He is not a neophyte to cooking – he’s been an avid cook since he was 7. In the summer of 2018, he collaborated with Philly-based Little Baby’s Ice Cream to create the specialty flavor, PINK.

With a mother of African descent, Stevie intends to share a unique cultural cuisine from his roots of Gullah Geechee, a lineage that connects to some of the first Africans who arrived in the Southeastern U.S. through the slave trade. A unique culture emerged that today is reflected in the Gullah Geechee’s art, crafts (the famous sweetgrass baskets), music, food and Creole-style language. Congress recognized the significance of Gullah Geechee culture and established the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which extends from Pender County, North Carolina, south to St. Johns County, Florida.

The requisite selfie: left to right, Jill Brown, Stevie Boi and Nick Gould.

Gullah Geechee cuisine is especially influential in the Charleston area and South Carolina’s Lowcountry. “I want to show people my roots,” said Stevie Boi, as he donned an apron for the next taping of his cooking video series, explaining that the Lowcountry cuisine “includes food like red rice with tomato sauce and white wine, and chicken breasts with bell peppers and jalapeno.” Creole and Cajun influences may come to mind, but Gullah Geechee’s hearty main dishes are a separate savory cuisine that often includes rice, local seafood, okra, tomatoes, braised vegetables and stewed greens.

As Stevie prepared to demonstrate the making of his special omelet, he revealed his “secret ingredient” – adobo seasoning. “I have a Southern approach to everything I make,” he shared, “from collard greens to schnitzel, mac-and-cheese to pepper relish.” His grocery run to the local Musser’s Market was a highlight of his visit, exclaiming, “They were so nice!”

The local chicks were fascinated by Stevie Boi’s style.

The Heths’ fancy-feathered chickens, burros and resident emu, Ferrari, kept Stevie Boi entertained and on-guard as they curiously checked out their new guest from the pasture next to the cottage’s front yard. It was just another day in Lancaster County, and a healthy dose of nature for the tres chic Stevie Boi.

Stevie Boi’s cooking videos will appear on Stevie Boi Eats, online at stevieboi.com.

For information about the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, visit gullahgeecheecorridor.org.

30 Years

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Thirty years. Time certainly flies. I started Lancaster County Magazine’s Best of Lancaster readers’ survey on a whim. I always enjoyed the Best of issues published by city pubs such as Philadelphia, Washingtonian, Baltimore and Richmond Surroundings magazines and thought, “Why not Lancaster?”

So, in 1990, I devised a ballot and had it inserted into the June issue. To my relief, completed ballots began arriving in the mail. I spent the summer tabulating the results the old-fashioned way – recording votes with hash marks on legal pads.

Of course, now it’s mostly done online, which makes tabulating the votes much easier and faster. We also still receive a fair share of hand-written ballots that are delivered via snail mail.

 

Choosing a cover for November has always been challenging yet fun. In 1990, we asked the county commissioners – Jim Huber, Robert Brenneman and Brad Fischer — to pose with some products provided by winners of the survey. It sounded good on paper, but when we looked at the pictures, they looked like three guys posing with a conglomeration of stuff. Fortunately, photographer Allan Holm thought to take some photos with just one product – a can of Hammond’s Pretzels. However, the picture was still missing something.

For those of you who weren’t around in 1990 or had forgotten the trio, the commissioners were notorious for not agreeing … on anything. I looked at the picture we chose and thought “bubbles” – as in comic captions. The bubbles satisfied the missing element.

The commissioners had no idea what the cover looked like until magazines were delivered to their office. I heard through the grapevine that at first they were upset, but then saw the humor in it. It’s still one of my favorite covers.

 

In 1996, we asked WGAL’s Kim Lemon, Susan Shapiro and Mary Saladna to pose with PennDOT’s Charles Enoch for the November cover. The premise was Lancastrians were living in fear of what the winter of 1996-‘97 would hold. The previous winter could best be described as every bad word you can think of rolled into one. Enoch and the crew from WGAL were the bearers of bad news day in and day out throughout the winter of ’95-’96.

As for the cover, the idea was for the “Fab Four” to dress to the nines and have snow drift down from above. Allan Holm ordered the faux snow from a supply house in New York. On the day before the shoot, it still had not arrived. What were we going to do? Dump detergent powder on them?

Fortunately, Allan tracked down our snow at FedEx on the morning of the shoot. Then, staff member Julie Cramer climbed a very tall ladder and proceeded to dump the entire bag on Kim Lemon, who had spent the morning at the salon. Fortunately, she was a good sport about it. We carefully picked the mound of flakes out of Kim’s hair, returned them to the bag and tried again, this time successfully. Julie kept her job.

 

Another November cover (2002) featured Brad Rutter, who started his mastery of trivia as a member of Manheim Township’s Quiz Bowl team and went on to become one of the most successful contestants to appear on Jeopardy!. When we photographed him, he had just won the game show’s Million Dollar Tournament.

For the cover, we asked Brad to print “What is the Best of Lancaster?” on a board. Joanne Thomas (the art director at the time) filled in the background of the picture with the answers to the question, i.e., the names of winners.

Seventeen years later, I still have the board in my garage. I’ve often thought of donating it to a charity auction, but because I didn’t think to have Brad sign it, its value is probably nil. For now, it will stay in my garage.

 

For the magazine’s 30th anniversary in 2016, we asked the wonder dog, Libre, to pose for our cover. We were thrilled to have Darren Modricker of Willow Street Pictures agree to photograph the Boston terrier who had been adopted by Janine Guido, the founder of Speranza Animal Rescue in Mechanicsburg, and the woman who literally willed the dog to live (with a lot of help from Dr. Ivan Pryor of Dillsburg Veterinary Center) following his rescue (by Dextin Orme and Jennifer Nields) from a backyard breeder in Southern Lancaster County.

The reaction to that cover was mind-boggling. Dog lovers who had followed Libre’s story – from across the country and as far away as Italy – called to order a copy of the magazine. Libre, of course, went on to become a canine Superman. Because of him, Pennsylvania’s dog laws have vastly improved.

 

As for this year’s cover, it was so much fun to catch up with the Myers family (see page 44). But, it didn’t come without its hiccups. The only time the eight siblings and cousins would be together was Labor Day weekend. Oh, no! I would be in North Carolina (and couldn’t change my plans), while Nick Gould had planned to go camping with his kids. But, being the trouper he is, Nick said that if Saturday morning would suit the family, he would postpone his departure time. Briana Webster Hess cleared her schedule to sub for me. We went to the farm a week ahead of time and chose a location, as well as one to use in case of rain.

I worried about the photo shoot all during my 12-hour trip back to Lancaster that Saturday. I was assured via texts and emails that all went well. I love my people! They’re the best!

Top 10 To-Dos for October 2019

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1 October 5 | Central Market Harvest Breakfast

Lancaster Central Market

This tasty event provides a festive way to kick off the harvest season. Delicious breakfast items will be served in the market alleys. View a lovely array of flowers and harvest décor. Children’s events, activities and live music round out the fun-filled morning. 23 N. Market St. 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Information: 717-735-6890 or centralmarketlancaster.com.

 

2 October 5-6 | Lancaster City ArtWalk

Downtown Galleries

Presented by Lancaster City Art Galleries, visitors can discover the city through art. This self-guided tour of the downtown galleries features special exhibits, meet-the-artist events, children’s activities and live demonstrations. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, 12-4 p.m. Information: lancastercityartgalleries.com/lancaster-artwalk.

 

3 October 11-12 | Apple Dumpling Sales

Historic Ephrata Cloister

A fall favorite, these Pennsylvania Dutch treats will help to raise money to support the Back to the Cloister Fund, which assists in returning original artifacts to the museum. Pre-orders can be placed for five or more dumplings. Free delivery for orders of 20 dumplings or more. 632 W. Main St., Ephrata. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: 717-733-6600 or ephratacloister.org.

 

4 October 19 | Wine Heart Gala 2019

Lancaster Country Club

Join Lancaster General Health for the perfect pairing – exceptional wine and sumptuous food. The 21st Annual Wine Heart Gala, which benefits the Heart & Vascular Institute, is an important effort that makes many of the cardiovascular community-based programs and patient-support services possible, including equipping first responders and local organizations with life-saving AED devices. Take part in an auction of vintage wines and Wine Spectator’s Top 2018 Wine Raffle. 1466 New Holland Pike. 6:30-10:30 p.m. Information: 717-544-5513 or lghealth.org/wineheartgala.

 

5 October 4-26 | Jekyll & Hyde

Prima Theatre

When the world is out of control, what lengths would you go to change everything for the better? As Dr. Jekyll attempts to solve humanity’s most challenging dilemmas, his passionate drive is met with internal and societal friction. The scientist’s experiments spiral out of control, strengthening his notorious alter ego – Mr. Hyde. Featuring an electrifying score, Jekyll & Hyde is an evocative, pulse-pounding tale. 941 Wheatland Ave. Information: 717-327-5124 or primalancaster.org.

 

6 October 12 | Tailwagger’s Trick-or-Treat

Buchanan Park

Enjoy a day of family-friendly fun, entertainment, food vendors, children’s activities and more! Take part in the costume contests. Delight in delicious food and chill in the wine/beer garden. Peruse the vendor and specialty goods booths. Pose in the Halloween-themed photo booth. It’s sure to be a howling good time! 901 Buchanan Ave. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Information: 610-750-6100, ext. 211, or humanepa.org.

 

7 October 25, 26 & 31 | Calling All Spirits

Lancaster Marionette Theatre

Express yourself and come in costume to see Artistic Director Robert Brock don his high heels to bring Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Mae West and Bette Midler to the stage of the Lancaster Marionette Theatre. In Brock’s uncanny impression of Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium, she will read the audience and call up the spirit of her fellow Long Island resident, Little Edie of Grey Gardens fame.

The legendary Billie Holiday is expected to materialize in marionette form during this Halloween spectacle. Brock’s latest dame, Bette Davis playing Baby Jane Hudson, will end the spirited evening battling with her sister, Blanche, and attempting her long overdue comeback to the stage. 126 N. Water St. 7 p.m. Information: lmt.yapsody.com.

 

8 October 3-November 17 | Blooms & Bamboo

Longwood Gardens

Autumn is here, and with it comes a debut exhibit, Blooms & Bamboo: Chrysanthemum and Ikebana Sogetsu Artistry. Prepare to be wowed by towering bamboo art forms and enchanting arrangements by international artists.

Autumn also brings a painted landscape of ever-changing color, with pumpkins artistically displayed, and creative chrysanthemums meticulously grown into gorgeous forms throughout the Conservatory. The Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum – a single plant bearing more than 1,000 perfect blooms on a single stem – makes its dazzling debut October 24. Also, the outdoor Garden Railway reflects the season in an imaginative way. 1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square. Information: 610-388-1000 or longwoodgardens.org.

 

9 October 24 | Rock Lititz “Shock the Block”

Rock Lititz

Trick-or-treaters of all ages are invited to a night of treats and family-friendly Halloween thrills. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 at eventbrite.com (search for “Shock the Block”). Tickets purchased day-of at the door are $12. Children under 2 are admitted free. Admission benefits the Warwick Education Foundation. 201 Rock Lititz Blvd., Lititz. 5:30-8 p.m. Information: 717-626-0338 or rocklititz.com.

 

10 October 26 | A Taste of Science

Lancaster Science Factory

Enjoy an extra special Halloween edition of ‘A Taste of Science’ to benefit Lancaster Science Factory. This spooktacular night will feature delicious food and drink by local restaurants, music and dancing, costumed fun, and more – all set against the backdrop of a newly expanded Science Factory. New for this year, the host and mistress of ceremonies will be the bride of Frankenstein, Kahmor Vixenn! For your dancing pleasure, DJ Smiles will be spinning the scientific and spooky tunes. Go all out for your chance to win the costume contest or craft your own Halloween mask or costume in the Maker Space. Wear your costume over to Tellus360 where you can receive $5 off admission to their Halloween Party with your Taste of Science proof of attendance! This year the theme is spooky science, and that includes the food! Sample delicious small plates from the best local restaurants at eight stations throughout the Hall of Science. The Baker’s Table, The Commons Company, Quip’s Pub, Four54 Grill, TFB Hospitality – Per Diem at the Rock Lititz Hotel, American Bar & Grill, The Horse Inn open bar. Enjoy beer, wine and cocktails! Raffle and 50/50. Enter the raffle to win local experiences, treats and treasures. Only 250 tickets are available for this event. Early-bird specials and ticket bundles are available until October 7. 454 New Holland Ave. 6 p.m. Information: 717-509-6363 or lancastersciencefactory.org.

 

Fun on the Farm

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The colors are changing, and temperatures are dipping. Autumn is officially here. I’ve got a great destination to find some family fun and celebrate the harvest season. 

You may have had a friend recommend shopping at Oregon Dairy for their selection of quality foods. That was the vision of Mr. and Mrs. Earl D. Hurst when they purchased their bucolic farmstead in 1952. Their dream was to provide their friends and neighbors with delicious products right from their farm. After raising 10 children, the Hursts acted on their dream and opened their dairy store in 1974. Since then, it has grown to include a full-scale supermarket, bakery, restaurant and ice cream shop. Oregon Dairy also remains a family-owned, functioning farm. Maintaining that connection to the original farm inspired Oregon Dairy to create a corn maze.

Since its inception in 2010, the corn maze has contributed to the growth of other fall-related activities. A daytime trip to the farm also includes activities such as pumpkin picking, the high-powered Punkin’ Chuck’r, hayrides, the Straw Mound Playground, Tire Minion Playground, Barrel Train Rides, Bounce Pad and, one of our personal favorites, the new Corn/Gourd Launcher. The Oregon Dairy Food Trailer is stocked with some delicious treats in case you get hungry.

As for the corn maze, the popularity of the flashlight maze prompted an extension of hours. Wednesday through Sunday evenings, you can bring your own flashlight and see if you can brave the maze in the dark. Fair warning: the corn maze can be tough to navigate in the dark, not to mention it’s a little spooky. Fortunately, the maze is also open during the day, Friday through Sunday.

For the runners out there, be sure to mark your calendar for Saturday, October 12, and register for the Corn Pickin’ 5k. The race starts (8 a.m.) and ends at the Corn Maze Barn, crossing scenic farmland, winding through the Landis Homes community and taking a final lap through the corn maze. This is considered a trail-running race and will be held rain or shine. Be sure to bring your younger runners for the kids’ dash afterward. The proceeds from the races will go toward assisting residents of Landis Homes.

For details, visit oregondairy.com.



Lampeter Café: A Casual Atmosphere Accompanied by a Slice of History

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It was a five-year journey from the time Keith and Lisa Reinhart purchased the brick house at the corner of Village and Lampeter roads to the fall of 2017, when Lampeter Café opened for business.

Clockwise from top: Lampeter Café’s Signature Mac & Cheese, Caesar Wedge Salad, and a combo of Tomato Soup (with grilled-cheese croûtons) and quiche. Many of the menu items are compatible with gluten-free or vegetarian lifestyles.

“We had driven through the intersection for years and loved both the brick house [now Lampeter Café] and the stone house [that sits catty-corner to it]. I often thought the brick house would make a great café,” Lisa says. “When we saw that the property was for sale, we purchased it. It took some time before we opened, but I’m glad we had that time. Through the process, we changed our minds a few times, but we ended up with something great.”

The building, which dates to 1760, has seen its share of uses over the centuries. It’s served as a livery and a tavern. It was also a place of business for wainwrights and blacksmiths. An auto-repair shop once operated on the site.

Keith and Lisa are the owners of Fillmore Container, a supplier of glass jars, closures and accessories. Lisa ‘s background is biology, while Keith’s is business. “When I was in college in Philly, I found a lot of small coffee shops where you could have coffee and some space to study. I had worked in restaurants in high school and college, so when we talked about revitalizing the brick house, I thought about offering the fast, casual type of restaurant I had experienced in Philly. Plus, we had a friend, Freda, who makes terrific food and does catering. I thought we could offer her food,” Lisa explains.

Dating to 1760, the brick building in Lampeter has served many purposes over the years. Lisa and Keith Reinhart’s efforts to renovate the property and transform it into a café and gathering place were recognized by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County in 2017.

When the couple began renovations, the brick house had been nearly gutted, but the summer kitchen and its walk-in fireplace remained, as did several other fireplaces. While a stone barn had been torn down, its footprint endured.

Working with Calabrese Good Architects, the couple expanded the original building with an addition that utilized the footprint of the barn. The addition houses a first-floor kitchen, while the second floor holds meeting space that’s known as The Upper Room (capacity is about 40). The summer kitchen provides a place for small groups (under a dozen) to meet. A brick terrace was also added; it connects the parking lot to the café and The Livery, an event venue that is designed to look like a stable and provides space for up to 70 guests.

The café offers a wide range of menu items as well as an impressive array of coffee and other beverages.

“We wanted to make the café look and feel old but have it be manageable in terms of today’s technology, maintenance and cleaning. We took our design cues from the existing fireplace surrounds,” Lisa notes. “As a biology major, I’m pretty ecologically minded. So, we’ve repurposed a lot of materials,” she continues. For example, all of the tables in the café are made from flooring found in the original building. Stone for the exterior of the addition was repurposed from a barn. Walnut trees that were on an adjacent property that was purchased for parking were used to create tables in The Livery. Fir trees that were also on that property were used for paneling in that space.

The Reinharts’ efforts were recognized by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, which presented them with a Community Revitalization Award in 2017.

The café also hosts the Fun Art Club, which is under the direction of Creatives, by Michelle.

Lampeter Café seats 70 to 80, with outdoor space for 20 to 30. There’s no table service at the café – orders are placed at a counter. “We didn’t set out to be a restaurant; we set out to be a café,” Lisa notes. That means good coffee and comfort food made from scratch. A deed restriction prohibits the café from selling sandwiches, but Lisa says it’s not an issue. “It made us think outside the box and create our own things, and we knew Freda’s fantastic soups would be a hit,” she says.

Lampeter Café has become known for its quiches and Freda’s Famous Soups, both of which change regularly. Because flour is not used as a thickener, a majority of the soups are gluten-free. The selection also includes a good share of vegetarian choices. Local corn provides the makings for two popular soups, corn chowder and chicken corn soup. Grilled cheese croûtons are a signature addition to soups. Freda’s soups can also be purchased by the quart to-go.

The menu also includes “deconstructed” meals such as a Reuben on Rye that’s designed to be eaten with a fork. There are also wraps, salads and quesadillas, as well as entrées such as Mac & Cheese and the Mac Stack (mac & cheese topped with boneless wings), and a number of brisket-based dishes.

Breakfast items are available until 11 a.m., but quiche is available all day. Popular breakfast items include Annie’s Hash – a breakfast casserole – and Pioneer Skillet (the café is in the Lampeter-Strasburg school district, and the pioneer is their mascot).

Desserts range from ice cream to crème brûlée. There is also a children’s menu.

Coffee beans are courtesy of Lancaster County Coffee Roasters, while milk products are from Malplehoff Dairy. Kauffman’s Apple Cider is a fall favorite. Humankind Water products are also served.

The café supports several community organizations including COBYS Family Services, LS Together, Feed My Starving Children and North Star Initiative.

Lampeter Café, 1702 Lampeter Road, Lancaster. Hours are Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. (kitchen closes at 7 p.m.). Hours change periodically; check the website or Facebook for updates. Menu items are available for take-out. Call 717-455-7774 or visit lampeter.cafe or Facebook.

Always Never Done … One Man’s Trash is Another Woman’s Treasure

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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.

Amy and Jeremy Geib transformed their home near Landisville – circa the 1980s – to reflect modern-day trends and Amy’s talent for decorating and upcycling furniture. The kitchen makeover was part of a Jeffrey Court One-Room Challenge. Instead of replacing the cabinetry, Amy worked with CabinetNow to simply replace the doors and drawer fronts. She then painted the cabinetry using a two-tone approach. She also installed a new backsplash, using subway tile. The granite-look counter tops are Formica – the edging adds an upscale finish. She and Jeremy built the island using reclaimed oak from a local lumber yard.

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.

The open-concept first floor contains the kitchen, a dining room, a breakfast nook and this seating area that features finds – including the upcycled storage cabinet/bar – and the wood wall which, on a whim, Amy later painted black.

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.

In need of an additional seating area, the Geibs added a family room to the rear of the house. It’s furnished with comfortable upholstery and upcycled storage pieces.

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.

The open-concept first floor includes a dining room, a sitting area, a breakfast nook, the kitchen and a family-room addition.

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.”

The dining room is furnished with family pieces that Amy modernized with new chairs, contemporary lighting and a Scandinavian farmhouse rug.

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.

Amy also makes it a practice to “shop” her home. The cabinet, which had been located in the kitchen, needed a new home when the addition was built. She moved it to the dining room.

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.

Accessories help to modernize an old buffet.

“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.

The Metamorphosis of a Bathroom:
Over the summer, Amy was a contestant in a Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge, for which she chose to renovate a second-floor bathroom. She took the room down to the studs and got to work. While she wanted a glass enclosure for the tub, she came up with a more cost-efficient shower curtain (from Wayfair) that hangs from a track on the ceiling.
The vanity was crafted from a piece that was in the shop. She sanded it, added hairpin legs and topped it with a sink and counter. Wanting to add a luxe touch, Amy chose gold plumbing fixtures and accessories (the mirror is from Walmart).
As for the tile accents, she used products from Jeffrey Court’s River Mosaic Collection for the tub surround and floor.
The ceiling is painted a deep green, which extends 8 inches down the walls.
Amy names Nicole Curtis of DIY’s Rehab Addict as her inspirational muse.

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!

Honeysuckle Shop: God’s Grace, Hard Work and Lots of Coffee = Success

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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.

Jake and Kristi Kreider (left) joined forces with Nikki and Jeremy Stauffer (right) earlier this year to take Honeysuckle Shop to a new level.

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.

Kristi fell in love with painting when she worked with Jake to create a sign for their niece’s bedroom.

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.

Nikki works on a holiday motif.

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.”

The couples’ five children are their motivation for creating a successful business.

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.”

Kristi and Nikki collaborate on projects in their studio.

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.

Jake at work in the woodshop.

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.

The vintage Ford truck has become a signature motif of Honeysuckle Shop.

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.

Kristi puts the finishing touches on a sign.

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.

Honeysuckle Shop’s display at the spring pop-up event held at the Hertzog Homestead in Ephrata. The fall event will be held October 4-5. Photo by Brett Kreider.

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!

Fontana Candle Company: Success by Candlelight

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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!

Eric and Katie Roering went from making candles in their basement as a hobby to launching the Fontana Candle Company in 2018. Their corporate and entrepreneurial backgrounds have helped to grow the company – their products are available locally, online and in stores in Bethlehem, the Philly area, Stowe, Vermont, and Houston, Texas.

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.

Fontana’s logo and labels were redesigned to create more of a high-end and natural image for social media and online shoppers.

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.

Fontana’s wooden wick helps to establish a “something different” element in the wide world of candles. According to Eric, the wick provides the candles with “ambiance and a nice crackle.”

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.

Seasonal and familiar aromas provide Fontana candles with their distinctive scents. Fall is distinguished by scents such as Pumpkin Harvest and Spiced Apple Cider, while winter brings Gingerbread Cookie and Hot Chocolate. The candles are made with beeswax and coconut oil. By next spring, all the scents will be derived from 100% natural and chemical-free essential oils.

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!

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