changes in the air

this post is bittersweet for me.



it is about a wonderful place i have mentioned before many times, the shop bananaberry. the owner, kelli, has become a great friend of mine and i am not sure if she REALLY knows how special she is and how special her store was. unfortunately bananaberry is closing.



i stumbled onto bananberry when i had an hour to kill while emily was in ballet class next door, it was love at first site. kelli had the most gorgeous and unique toys and handmade kids clothes, tons of stuff made by local crafters. there was a photo studio focused on family and kids, guitar and piano lesson studios, kids were coming in and out with instruments, really unique. this was all new to me, this marketplace type shop, i had just had elizabeth and was in a post baby fog, not sure if i was coming or going. week after week i found myself hanging out shopping and chatting and just soaking up the atmosphere. kelli is so fun and enthusiastic, she really loves unique things and i found myself looking forward to ballet class so i could talk with her. sometimes there were half a dozen people trying to talk with her, she is just that cool!

somewhere along the line she expanded the store, adding a yarn shop and kids art classes, always increasing handmade things from local artists. my mom and i learned to knit at a beginning knit class and emily spent last summer taking art classes. her toy section always had the neatest stuff, often retro or modern in design. i loved buying gifts there because it was always well received and different.

when i finally had the nerve to sell some of my own creations, it was all because of kelli, she made me feel good and confident to try something new. she put my owls in her shop and enthusiastically promoted them, emailing me whenever one sold. it was soooo exciting and it meant a lot to me. it felt like a collaborative effort and fun too.

unfortunately the store has to close, but the essence of bananaberry will live on in me and all the people who loved going there. i hope to be a part of kelli's next project and i can't wait to see what she comes up with!