06/01/2026
Nostalgia. Man, it can really make you love a place. This is a long one but worth the read.
It can trigger your senses and can take you somewhere you once cherished. Maybe you see your Mawmaw’s furnishings, or it can bring back the smell of her kitchen.
My recent trip to a couple of weekends ago did just that. I took my daughter and MIL so we could try lunch and check out the Olive Oil labels I got to help design for the store.
First, this store has enchanted me for years. Deb’s eye for design is unmatched. She finds unique furniture, some of it she paints, some is left as antiques, she merchandises the store and choses every piece to the point where you feel like home, she invites people for classes, she brings the community together.
It is joy to browse and you feel like home.
Now, the restaurant. Loved it. I knew I would. From the kind hellos as you walk in from smiling faces when you walk in the door to the mismatched plates and silverware and the very stacked and delicious sandwiches, you felt cared for. It did not feel intentional, it felt welcoming and just as comfortable as the main store.
The olive oil. This is why I was here and seeing it in person, I never knew there could be so many flavors of it. Plus the truffle oils and loads of other delicious cooking elixirs ready to bring home and better your nightly meal.
This is what small businesses in America are about. Loving something so much and sharing it with everyone around. Deb might sell food and antiques, but at the root of it she also gives you a gift. One of memories through sight and smell.
As we got lunch my 16 year daughter was immediately drawn to the large display of dollhouse miniatures. I saw the memory of her own house in her face when she stood there smiling and looking.
Good memories will stop you in your tracks and Deb has a gift to bring them back.
