Category Archives: store

clothing, Karen Tashkovski, store

300 Reasons to Smile

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If you are searching for a way to be in alignment with your source energy, then go to Skaneateles, New York.

The Skaneateles Curbstone Festival is currently underway. This is a sidewalk sale involving over forty merchants on W. Genesee, Jordan and Fennell Streets. The festival continues tomorrow, (July 21, 2023) from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm and again on Saturday, (July 22, 2023) from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Today was a wonderful day of browsing shops and chatting with vendors.

I finally got the opportunity to visit Skaneateles 300. I follow them on Instagram and absolutely love the way owner Geraldean Lantier merchandises. Each season she comes up with a theme that unifies items to create a cohesive look for the store. This coincides with current trends in fashion.

For summer, she has filled the store with silky florals and colorful embroideries as well as beaded purses with positive text messages or Greek evil eye motif alluding to an island hopping vacation vibe.

Brands include local companies as well as international designers, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in this area (Brazilian and British designers share space with Free People and Farm Rio). The boutique caters to women but she said, many mothers shop with their teenaged daughters and find things that suit their respective personal styles.

Ms. Lantier has a keen eye for fashion. I really enjoyed meeting her!

In addition to women’s apparel, the store carries home goods: soaps, candles and gifty stuff. So many beautiful things!

Skaneateles 300 is located at 2 West Genesee Street, Skaneateles, New York 13152. You can find them at www.skaneateles300.com. Currently, there is no on-line shopping experience but check back in a few months and that will change. Call (315)685-1133 for more information including hours of operation.

antiques, art gallery, furniture, Karen Tashkovski, store

Antique Wonderland

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Soflea has added a second location for antique shopping fun. Antiques at Railway Commons is located at the corner of Burnet Avenue and Catherine Street, at 400 Burnet Avenue, Syracuse, NY. They are open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM every day!

Soflea is a play on her name – Sophia Tashkovski, who has a specific eye when it comes to her found object finds. Her shop contains an array of vintage denim clothing and patterned shirts, bar carts, glassware, pottery, brass goods and so much more in the category of chic bric-a-brac treasures, Oh, and Adirondack-style furniture and Americana accessories that would look great as camp decor or in a rustic family room.

Her prices are very reasonable, I think. I bought this little sheepskin rug (below). Pablo loves it!

There are several other vendors in the store. Their areas are delineated by bookshelves and larger pieces of furniture, Each vendor uses different price tags so that the cashier can document sales.

An art gallery is housed upstairs, as well, run by Peter Svoboda. His former location was in Shoppingtown Mall in Dewitt.

You will love this place!

Sophie is my sister, so that is how I found out about it. But this old building has always been in my dreams. It is called Railway Commons because there is an old railway station platform on the Erie Blvd side of the building, elevated to run parallel with 690West. Life-size plaster figures have been posed to greet highway cars for as long as I can remember and I have secretly always wished to stand on that platform. I mean, it is a part of Syracuse history!

Wish granted, as I was fortunate enough to receive a tour of the facility. When I walked out on the platform, my legs were shaking and for a minute I swear I had time -traveled, which, as you know, is a recurring theme in my mind. This is not part of the deal, just so you know – so please don’t visit and expect to go up there, although there is another rooftop space that soon will be available to rent out for parties. It has a grill and other stuff – very NYC vibe-ish, and that was super cool too.

I know. You’re welcome. <3

art for sale, art museum, museum, store

The Thirty Dollar Ridlon

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Jim Ridlon has donated these amazing prints to the Everson Museum of Art. They are located in the museum gift shoppe – for sale – and they are priced between $30 and $50. They are embossed. I’m not sure if this is true but the young man at the sales desk said he’d created them when he was a student and since he is not known for etchings or prints he decided to price them low.

I mean, they are a steal, really. They are created on a thick archival paper, probably Arches, not sure. You’d have to get them framed, but wow!

This is incredibly cool.

art teacher, found object, interior decorating, Karen Tashkovski, still life, store

Sweet Salvage Gift Shoppe

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This is a house turned into a store full of treasures both inside and outside. It is Sweet Salvage Gift Shoppe, 6483 E. Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, NY 13078. Proprietor Kathy Hastings certainly has the gift of merchandising. She’s created a series of vignettes in each room of the house, combining old and new products for that rustic charm that speaks of nostalgia, as though you could take something home and claim it as your own personal heirloom.

Outside, you can find a multitude of objects for your yard – tables, birdhouses, birdbaths and objects d’arte for the garden.

Her eye for placement is impeccable! I love this store!

This is the perfect place to photograph a grouping to use in a still life assignment at school (and maybe it will be!). It’s all about the layering, the texture and the repetition of elements, I think.

There are several of these affirmation blocks (above). This place is filled with positivity!

And you can even find a bathroom sink! Yes, it is for sale!

They are open Monday-Friday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM and Saturday-Sunday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. For inquiries call (315) 492-1266 or email info@ssalvage.com.

They are also on Facebook. I’ve been following them for years and I finally stopped in for a visit! So fun! <3

art, art for sale, Arts & Crafts, bracelets, food, furniture, jewelry, retail, shopping, store, vintage

Marketplace on James

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Marketplace on James is a new store at 2802 James Street in the Eastwood section of Syracuse, New York, 13206. It is the former Tip a Few bar now transformed into an artisan gallery, a tattoo parlor and a food place.

My good friends and Eastwood residents Bob and Marie Leogrande have begun a new venture making and selling their homemade pastas and sausage rolls. They use family recipes and all natural ingredients. Everything is packaged fresh and ready to eat! The Leograndes are also available for catering private parties (big and small) and will be in the store for occasional pop-up lunches!

Picking up a few of Marlene Roeder’s Zen inspired coloring books is worth the visit to Marketplace on James. They are really lovely – everyone of all ages can enjoy them because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love coloring?

Yesterday was the grand opening of Marketplace on James complete with a visit from the mayor and media coverage. There are about fifty individual vendors represented. I believe they pay a monthly fee to house their crafts under one roof.

I was there briefly and took these snapshots. It is a bit overwhelming when you first walk in because there is so much eclectic merchandise. New folk art style paintings, antique repurposed furniture, handmade jewelry and a lot of gift-type thingys are situated on different retail fixtures and tables. There didn’t seem to be a clear view of individual areas the way the space is divided at The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseeds.

But it is whimsical and fun, if you enjoy gift shopping/browsing. This place is the brainchild of owner/operator Eileen Porto. Her mission – to bring community and small businesses together under one roof.

Marketplace will be open Monday-Wednesdays 7:00 am – 6:00 pm, Friday & Saturday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm and Sundays noon – 6:00 pm. Vendors will replenish stock periodically, so there will always be new goods to see.

The kitchen is new/updated and will have something aromatic available daily, including free samples of products from these fabulous local vendors.

There is only street parking available – no parking lot, but there are businesses on both sides of James Street in that area with parking lots – coffee shops, restaurants, hair salons, banks, etc. If you’ve never done it, you could make a day of it and explore Eastwood! There is an adorable deck around the corner to sit and have a coffee and maybe do a photo shoot by the wall mural – and an amazing plant shoppe that will make you say – this is so cool! (Or at least, it did me, lol). Enjoy!!! (for more information, call 315-928-6724) <3

antiques, collectibles, found object, Karen Tashkovski, shopping, store

Owego!

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Owego is amazing! Quaint nineteenth century store fronts house restaurants, art galleries, jewelry stores and antique shoppes (including a visitor’s center) that border the Susquehanna River in Owego, New York.

It is a beautiful place to spend a sunny summer afternoon, browsing, having smoothies and exploring, which is exactly what we did on Wednesday.

My friend Joyce and I stopped in to the Early Owego Antique Center. It is the old J.J. Newberry Co. building – two floors filled with vignettes decorated by more than ninety individual dealers. I have been a huge fan for a while now – loving everything they post on social media. I think I may have one of those top fan badges.

It was pretty much sensory overload. I was overwhelmed. I mean, so much to discover! So fun! Loved it! I really need to get back there again because now that I have had a chance to look at the pictures, I see things in the background that I didn’t notice when I was there, you know? Antique hunting is all about that thrill of finding something from your past, finding something you didn’t know you needed. Or maybe it is about manifesting something that is in your vortex – something you put there a long time ago and voila! There it is right in front of you!

I found a Wheaton glass bottle on the second floor in a back corner of the store. It is something I had been Google-ing for a while- it was like – what the heck was it doing there? So cool! And when I brought it to the register, I even got a discount on the price!

I highly recommend you take a trip out there. Owego, NY is west of Binghamton. It is a ninety minute drive from Syracuse.

Early Owego Antique Center is located at 43-45 Lake Street (P.O. Box 8) Owego, New York 13827. They are open 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily (closed on Tuesdays though). Call (607) 223-4723 for more information.

art for sale, bracelets, ceramics, design, furniture, hearts, interior decorating, Karen Tashkovski, leather, painting, photography, places, products, retail, store

On the Fringe

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I am currently in a post St. Valentine’s Day love affair with the home goods/home decorating/interior design firm and store Fringed Benefits. It is a manifestation of clever, inspirational design and good taste.

The brainchild of Interior Designer Amy Burns, who has established herself in the business locally for over twenty-years, and her partners Michelle O’Connor (business) and Kate Burns (designer), this venture is a stunning array of home decoration brilliance.

The store is located in the plaza adjacent to Wegman’s DeWitt (6825 E. Genesee Street, Fayetteville, New York 13066). It is closed on Sundays but operates every other day of the week. (Check their website for more information)

The venue is set up like a one-bedroom studio apartment with living-room, bedroom, office and dining-room decor supplemented by areas of small accessories, art, floral arrangements, gifts, candles and plenty of pillow options.

Retailer Glory took me on a tour including the back room, which is Burns’ design studio and offers personal assistance in home decorating including selecting fabrics and wallpapers. Glory’s enthusiasm for the products and budding business acumen made me want to make a purchase. It was a wooden heart ornament (pictured below) that I will cherish.

I had been a Facebook “Top Fan” of this place, but had never wandered in until today. It is an amazing store! You must go to there. Bonus if you tell them I sent you. <3