The Rosemary House - Then and Now

The Rosemary House opened its doors in 1968 with some sparse inventory, handmade crafts, and items from the garden all lovingly placed on metal shelving units ordered from the Sears and Roebuck Catalog and assembled by dear old dad. When the shop first opened, it was the front room only. This early photo is from 1971 where the shelves are full and the shop is beginning to overflow into the second room.

1975

Hand crafted pine cone wreaths and herbal wreaths were made by mom. Local artists handiwork lined the shelves as well such as hand carved springerle cookie molds by local artist D.D.Dillon. Craft kits were put together to make Do-It-Yourself Pot Pourri or Pomander Balls. Baggies and Bows. Everything was packaged in a baggie and gaily tied with bows! You'll find that our herbs are still packaged with baggies and bows 50 years later!

Over the years we have worked to replace all of the metal shelving with vintage antique display units and all of the original peg board is now the more display friendly slat wall. 

Our wooden shelving pieces have a varied history - this piece was originally in a hat shop and the shelves are all felt lined. Our front piece was in a pharmacy/soda shop and has zinc lined cabinets once used to keep the ice cream cool. We have an old one horse open sleigh we use as a display piece and another multi-drawer unit that was once used to store patterns but has been re-purposed to hold herbs.