April 12, 2024
April 12, 2024
We have had an eventful Winter and Spring. In the past three weeks alone we've had two major snowstorms, rain, sleet, sunshine, an earthquake and an eclipse! Now the daffodils have emerged from the snow and are just about to bloom. This is springtime in Vermont!
Our big news is that in June we will be completely transitioning our business to our website and so we will be closing the retail store here in Manchester. We love our Vermont home and aren't moving, but we're going to change our daily business routines. For some time we've been wrestling with our ability to feature all of our favorite things on the website and still run the bricks-and-mortar store, so we’re luckily now able to make this transition - watch for a website redesign and much more additional inventory available there. We will also hold “Pop Up” shows and events here in Manchester a couple of times a year. In the meantime, we’ll be sorting out 38 years of being in this big building and finding all sorts of odds and ends to sell - we've already turned up some interesting treasures from the attic(!). Please follow along on our social media accounts as we document this new journey.
It is difficult for us to express the gratitude we have for all the amazing experiences we've had while here. We tease about it, but every once in a while a Mom or Dad will bring their kids in and note how they remember when their own parents brought them in for the first time - how cool is that? We've met people from all over the world, seen girls and boys grow into women and men, laughed when meeting new babies and cried over those dear friends and clients we've lost. Our own children grew up here, just a short walk from school (that's them above in a 25 year old photo - they're now 31 and 27!!!). We've gotten to work with thousands of clients and hundreds of creative artists and craftspeople. In the 38 years since we opened we have become very close to many, many people whom we first met because they walked through this door. While it will be sad to close our physical doors, we are really excited to open new ones by expanding our online business.
We hope that you will visit if you are in the area in the next two months and celebrate this transition with us. We have endless gratitude for all of you for your friendship and support.
We've been running our business out of this building since 1986. It was originally a house which was built in the mid-1800's and located on the streetscape. Moved a few hundred feet back in the early 60's, it has been home to four different businesses, and will no doubt be a great home to the business that follows us. There are a series of old bedrooms upstairs that we've been using as storage for 38 years - lots of crazy things stashed away that we've been digging out.
So, what do we mean when we say we're moving everything online? Well, mostly it means we will extend the reach of our business to a larger, national audience. And it also means we'll spend more of our time traveling and seeking out new pieces to offer on our website. Of course, the quiet secret is that in our personal lives we will have the time to access scenery like this:
We hope that you will visit if you are in the area in the next two months and celebrate this transition with us. We have endless gratitude for all of you for your friendship and support.
Warmest Regards and with our deepest gratitude,
Betsy and Grant
September 02, 2023
9/2/2023
Time passes, and in Vermont we watch time pass by the seasons. This image - from early October of 2022 - will be repeated soon. Maybe at the very end of September, maybe a week or two in to October. It doesn't really matter exactly when, what matters is that we pay attention to the mountains, be aware when they offer us this stunning display, and pay homage to the seasons that have passed and those yet to come. Take some cool air, add the shorter days, and stir in a Robert Frost poem or two and you can have what we have - a love of our place and a celebration of our time in it.
Join us when you can - we'll be here.
Grant
October 01, 2022
September 01, 2022
April 22, 2022
Our latest announcements carry the tagline "Spring Starts on Mother's Day Weekend". Maybe you live where the trees have flowered out, or are going that way already, but it's not like that here in Vermont. Our yards are still pretty soft, heavy trucks are prohibited on many of the back roads, and the Blackflys haven't even made themselves a nuisance (bless their little hearts). Anyway, I'm starting to think we should change it all to "Summer starts on Mother's Day Weekend" and see what happens If you're familiar with northern New England, you're no doubt a bit dubious about the concept of starting summer on Mother's Day Weekend. Certainly, around here if you go ahead and plant your garden in early May, you're probably still going to regret it -there are overnight frosts and a few snow flurries to be endured. Yet we're an optimistic group, and "hope springs eternal" is our weather motto for the season!
So, the daffodils are now starting to bloom on the valley floor and at Long Ago & Far Away we're taking that as a sign that it's time for a Trunk Show of beautiful jewelry from our dear friend Artie Yellowhorse. Opening Friday of Mother's Day Weekend and running through Sunday, we'll be showcasing the entire spectrum of contemporary Navajo jewelry created by Artie and her family. The hours will be 10 - 5 daily, and if you can't make the trip in person, please be in touch by email or phone and we'll work with you remotely.
This has been a very good year for us so far and we're excited to unveil all of the newest pieces we've acquired over the winter and early spring. We'll be out on the road next week, and so our retail store will be closed from Tuesday 4/26 through Thursday 4/28.
Stay tuned, and keep your eye on our website!
We look forward to your next visit,
Yours,
Grant and Betsy Turner
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