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Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Judi Kassab and if I had been born in 1928, this is what I would have looked like when I was six! But at the time of this writing it’s 2008 and I’m a 48 year old grown up who is lucky enough to play store! It all started in 2004 while trapped in the midst of a 26-year-old stale government job. If I had to sit in that 5-foot by 5-foot cubicle one more day I would have stood up on my government issued chair on wheels and screamed “Let me out of here!” But luckily I was not nearly agile enough for that and I was too busy dreaming of opening a unique little shop in my quaint little hometown of Pine Grove, Pennsylvania. There was only one storefront left in Pine Grove and it was coming on the auction block. Next to it sat a big beautiful old house with great bones, a grand staircase, gleaming hardwood floors and a vintage kitchen with the original white cupboards that only someone who is a lousy cook but a great decorator would fall in love with. (I guess that would be me.) Well, we won the property. And they even threw in the big blue barrels that were catching the rain pouring in through the roof of the store. Not to worry. It had great bones too!
It was a long and hard process to turn the old Electric Shop of Pine Grove into Crabapple Cottage and I could never have done it without the help of my husband, Tony (talk about being lucky!) Without complaint, he sanded, painted, stained, pounded, sawed, sweated and transformed the building into what it is today. Just one step into Crabapple Cottage you know it was created by the hands of two people who have joy in their heart and a zero balance in their checkbook! Then came the fun part of playing store. A lifelong collection of vintage dishes fills the antique display cases. Vintage linens and doilies are billowing out of the drawers of vintage dressers. Jewelry is glistening in the vintage mirrors. Candles and potpourri are in the air. Faux flower arrangements are looking pretty. Vintage kitchen items are waiting to be discovered. New and old prints are looking for a new wall to call home. An old green wagon is looking for a new garden. An old pink washtub is looking for some vintage clothes to soak. Cupboards are full of old bowls and crocks. Tables are decorated for the season. Shelves are overflowing with decorating ideas. Coffee is brewing. Cookies are enticing. Just how many wonderful things can you pack in a little shop?
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