new in town

We have a whole new vista in our new location on Main Street, and one store we see across the street is F. Oliver's. Every day something new is happening to the exterior of the store and we've heard wonderful reports about their fresh olive oils and balsamic vinegars. We've been sending our customers over there and they, in return, have been sending their customers to us. But neither I nor Penelope, the owner of F. Oliver's, have visited the other's store.

I fixed that today when I stopped in on my way to JOOLZ to do some bookwork. There was a guy painting the front step a wonderful, rustic red and I asked if he was the landlord. Nope - he was the hard-working husband of the owner. Since he had painted himself out of the front door, he took me around the back and introduced me to Penelope. What a delightful, energetic woman....and with such vision.

The interior of the store features an old brick wall, wide-plank hardwood floors, and schoolhouse lights hanging from the gorgeous tin ceiling, together with painted walls of mustard yellow and an earthy green. Gleaming stainless steel containers, called fustis and made in Italy, are displayed on great looking tables and counters. Even the sunflowers in the windows bring a little bit of Italy to the shop. The overall ambiance is fresh, clean, cheerful and welcoming. Next time, when I'm not rushing off to do work (when will that be??), I'll take time to learn more about Penelope's oils and vinegars and do a tasting.

From the classy black awning featuring their logo, to the newly painted front step, Penelope and Eric have pooled their talents to make F. Oliver's a visual show-stopper on Main Street. You owe it to yourself to check it out....inside and out.