Today's Treasures

Well, it has certainly been a long time since we've posted anything on here!

Let's just say that it has been a busy and eventful summer, and there hasn't been a lot of time to sit with a cup of tea and chat with our friends.

Why don't we take a few minutes and see if we can't just catch up on a handful of things....

I promise that I'll try to do better now that summer is a distant memory and the crisp cool days of autumn are here -- there always seems to be time for a chat and a cuppa in the fall.

At the beginning of June, Stratford was buzzing with the news that Justin Bieber was visiting his home town.

Usually, this sort of news doesn't cause much of a stir -- we often don't even know that he's been to Stratford until after he's quietly come and gone -- but this time he brought his girlfriend Selena Gomez with him.

I heard the rumours first in the morning when a few girls came into the shop and said that The Biebs was at the local golf course...to be honest, I didn't really think much about it.

Then came the hysterical phone call from my friend Sue (who up until ten seconds ago, didn't seem remotely interested in the pop star) ....."Justin Bieber is standing outside of Boomers!!" Boomers, for those of you who don't know, is the BEST burger and fry joint this side of....well...anywhere, really.  "He  just had icecream next door and I'm standing outside and he's right here five feet away from meeeeeee!!! I'm taking his picture--I'm sending it to you!"

Exibit A:

The Biebs enjoys an icecream while Sue snaps his photo (while talking to me).

Justin and Selena were in town for a few days....a few days of chaos and mayhem.

Girls were chasing cars down the street ("You know that he's not in that car, right?"  "Yeah, I know. But just in case"). There was a never ending parade of pre-tweens, tweens, teens, wanna-be teens and in-betweens coming into the store to ask if he had been in. Of course, if he had, we would never tell.....

We found out later that Justin and Selena had enjoyed brunch next door at Features. Apparently, their car picked them up right behind our store in the parking lot. I spied this photo that was taken as they were leaving Features to get to their car....note the top of Cathy's Silver Durango in the picture. I wonder if she could charge a fee to let girls have their picture taken with her car...........

Exhibit B:

Biebs and Selena leave Features.                                                              Photo courtesy of socialitelife.com

Hmmm...speaking of snapping photos, have I mentioned the life-sized Justin Bieber cut-out that we just got in today? My friend, Gabby, was wonderful enough to pick up Justin Bieber and stuff him into her car while she was State-side with her kids.

We are looking forward to some fun photo-ops!!

Thanks, Gabs!

Exhibit C -- what "our" Bieber looks like:

Let's face it. This is Stratford, and without the Bard, this wouldn't be the amazing little town that it is!

April 23 is widely accepted as the day that William was born. Of course, there is no birth record for the wordsmith, but he was baptized on the 26th of April 1564, and in those days of high infant mortality, it was tradition to baptize a baby three days after birth, once the parents were kinda-sorta sure that the little tyke would survive (as a sidebar, Will coincidentally died on the date of his birth, at the age of 52).

Well, here we are nearly 500 years later, and what better way to celebrate a fella's 447th birthday than with a party?!!

Our fabulous Shakespeare Party tee!!

Cathy and I decided that we would serve free cupcakes to all of our customers for the day, and Cathy (bless her heart) baked up about 200 of the little treats, and made them look pretty enough that even the Bard himself would have approved! We had people lining up for the tiny cakes--apparently there are a lot of sugar fiends in this town! We also gave away Shakespeare masks, and had a draw for one of our fabulous Shakespeare party tees (another one of our great original designs!). Cathy was kept pretty busy, as I was in and out of the shop, celebrating the event out and about with people who were enjoying the beautiful day!

The local BIA, of which I am a board member, has joined in my enthusiasm for turning the Bard's birthday into a huge downtown celebration! We decided to start small this year, and build the event into something special--I'm aiming to make Bill's 500th a BIG day!! The wonderful people at the Stratford Festival Theatre's costume warehouse let us borrow some costumes for the day, from a past production of Camelot (well, I borrowed a beeeutiful dress, forgetting, of course, that the women who perform at the Festival are all a size OO....Yeah. Let's just say that I made my own costume...). Three of us roamed the city handing out balloons, bidding everyone a happy birthday, and the ever-talented Mark Fletcher entertained folks as a wandering minstrel using period instruments.

I am in the company of Chris and Mark...two very handsome knaves, indeed!! ~photo courtesy of Terry Manzo

It was a wonderful day, and I can't wait to see how this event grows over the years!

You would think that after being in the retail biz for over eight years, we would have learned by now to go with our "gut" about introducing new treasures into the store. The truth is, however, it's often a guessing game when it comes to knowing whether something is going to "speak to" our customers or not. Yes, we make educated guesses, but more often than not we bring in items that we think are interesting, and hope that our customers agree with us.

The first time we saw the Beardo, it was in an article in the local paper. Our initial reaction was, "Huh, that is sooo cute! And just crazy enough to work! And it's perfect that the creator, Jeff Phillips, is from Stratford! We should definitely have these in the shop." But the piece said that the Beardo was only available online, things were busy at the shop, and and we just kind of let the idea fade into the background....and, if I'm being totally honest...well, it's a toque. With a BEARD. My gut says heck yes, but my head....not so sure.

Creator, Jeff Phillips models a Beardo.

A few months later, I was watching the late local evening news, when what to my weary eyes appeared...but a man in a crazy knitted toque and beard! The next day, Cathy and I had a chat to revisit the idea. "Hmm...Beardo...it's a toque. With a beard. That's crazy. We definitely need some!!" We were not so sure, however, that Jeff would let us have any, because again the news report said that they were only available online. But, hey, we're in Stratford--Jeff's hometown-- all fingers and toes were crossed that he would share with us! Off I went to email Beardo creator Jeff Phillips to see if we could get some crazy bearded hats in our store -- which wasn't an easy task with all of my fingers crossed like that...

It's Stratford...actors will love the Beardo!!

The next day I received a reply (well, really, I received the reply the day before I sent it, because Jeff is on Aussie time--I hear that toilets flush in the opposite direction there...but I digress). The reply read,"We love the idea of having your store carry them!" YAY!

So, we now carry the wondrous, crazy Beardo. And they're a hit! Of course they are, they're awesome! So much so, that Jeff can hardly keep up. He actually had to borrow three of the Beardos that we had in stock because they were to be featured on the Marilyn Denis show, and he didn't have any hats to send them. We kind of like the idea that "our" hats were on national television! (Not to mention the, uh, "nice gentlemen" that modeled the Beardos for Marilyn's show -- I wonder if we can get them to model them in our store as well...)

Some fine gentlemen wear "our" Beardos on Marilyn Denis!

We love the Beardo, and we can't wait to see what new styles Jeff has under his, er, hat. I hear that there's a ginger and perhaps a white one in the works.

So, I suppose that the lesson here is that the next time we have a "gut" feeling about a product, Cathy and I will trust it. We should know that by now -- we have rarely been wrong about trying something new in the shop. We often hear from visitors and locals alike that they love the variety of treasures that we offer. So, as long as there are fun, inventive entrepreneurs like Jeff Phillips out there, our little piece of the world will never be boring!

...now, I wonder if he'll just let us borrow those models................

"It all started with a sock"....and "yes, alcohol was involved"...

The story goes that one night Tony Pook and Kevin McCotter were enjoying a few "beverages" with friends. Tony was feeling fine, and his mouth was doing overtime, when a friend threw a work sock at him, and told him to "put a sock in it". Tony put the sock on his head, and wore it as a hat -- a great (albeit rather tipsy) idea was born...

  Tony and Kevin model Pook gear.

Fast forward a few years, when we saw the Pook display at the local Christmas Craft sale. We loved the Pook Toques, but it was the Dukes (mitts) that really got our attention! They were kookie, they were local, they were soft and warm, and they were awesome (the product as well as the fellas!)--we knew that we had to have some Pook product in the shop. We made that first phone-call to Tony, and told him that we'd take a few toques and dukes. He warned us that "a few" would not be enough -- of course, we'd heard that before from other suppliers whose "few" were still collecting dust on the shelves...

Let's just say that the Pook Toques and Dukes were a hit! We've since added Loops (awesome scarves with pockets, handy for warming hands or holding a bevvy--how Canadian is THAT!?), Pookie Toques for the wee stylin' ones and Boots (lined socks--soooooo warm and "toesty"!!).

We always include a style sheet--thirty ways to wear a Pook! Yes, really!

Pooks have come a long way in a few short years, and many celebs have been caught stylin' the Pook! Even the OTHER local celebrity, Justin Bieber, has had a lesson on how to wear his Toque:

...and what's even better is that now it comes in PINK! How cool -- yet warm -- is that!?

If Justin Bieber and work sock gear don't do it for ya', the guys have even come up with a line of hats and accoutrement made from hockey socks. The Hockey Sockeys come in many team colours, and we think that they're great -- as do many of the celebs who have been caught modeling them!

Ron McLean shows off his team Canada Hockey Sockey!

We love our Pook loot, and we're proud to carry them in our shop! And let me tell you, coming from a girl whose hands and feet are freezing cold in July -- they're not only cute, they're HOT!

It's amazing what brilliantly crazy ideas can occur to friends who have enjoyed a few "beverages" together (our idea for the Bieber shirt was developed after Cathy and I enjoyed a glass or two of chardonnay). We are grateful that these friends took their wacky idea and ran with it.

As most of you know, Treasures' focus is to showcase locally produced items and share the best of everything local with our clientele. Because Stratford is situated in the heart of Mennonite and Amish country, and because of Cathy's Mennonite background, many of the treasures that we find happen to be produced by locals in the Mennonite community.

We have always stocked Aunt Mae's jams and jellies. They are produced by a local Mennonite family business, and the quality of the yummy confection is wonderful enough that I don't even bother to make my own any more! We have regular customers who travel to our shop from other towns just to stock up on our jam--we even have one couple from the States who share the their Aunt Mae's with friends...when the jars are licked clean, the friends ship them back to the couple as a 'subtle' hint that more jam is needed! A few times a year, the couple makes the trek to the area, and always stop in at Treasures for their case of Aunt Mae's!

This summer, we added Kountry Kitchen Cupboard pickles and relishes to our collection of heaven in a jar. Owner Nancy Gingrich takes local produce, and turns it into shiny jars of crunchy, crispy, yummy and sometimes sweet pickles, relishes, sauces and salsas that are a must have in every kitchen. Zucchini relish is a personal favourite--the perfect compliment to top burgers and sandwiches. And don't get me started on the hot pepper jelly! A dollop on something as simple as crackers and cheese, is like a little crunchy, savory, sassy mouthful of heaven!

We have also always carried locally harvested maple syrup. Our supplier is a local Mennonite family, and when stocks are low, we happily head off to their beautiful farm where their sugar bush is located, and the syrup canning and packaging is done. Visiting the Martin's farm is like taking a step back in time...we are always greeted by the horses chomping happily on hay or nibbling on the apples that have fallen from a nearby tree.

We like the fact that the syrup is vacuum-packed in square tins...our customers who are traveling like the idea that the cans are not fragile, and are sealed so that no 'sticky accidents' will occur in their luggage on the trip home!

...oh, yeah, and it's yummy, too!!

A few years ago, an attractive, tall blond woman rather shyly walked into our shop carrying a book under her arm. Her name was Vesna Bailey, and she said that she had written the book as a gift for her son who was leaving for university and wondered if we might be able to sell it in our shop. I opened the cover of "Notes to My Son (Before You Go)", and began to read. I think that I made it through the first three pages before my eyes welled up, and I managed to wipe away the first tear before it ran down my cheek. Notes to My Son was one of the loveliest books that I had ever read. Punctuated with striking black and white images, it contains heart-felt words of wisdom that as mothers, we want our children to take with them through life's journey...as it says on the back cover, "Vesna Bailey has captured those last-minute words that are meant to last a lifetime". Needless to say, we said yes to the book, and Vesna and Treasures have had a rather special connection ever since (we still are one of the only shops in the world that have signed copies of Vesna's books!).

Soon after we started to sell the book, clients were asking for a "daughter" version. The book is so wonderful, that everyone wanted to have a book that they could share with the young women in their lives. Thankfully, Vesna wrote a book for her own daughter, and "Notes to My Daughter (Before You Go)" was born. As is generally true to our sex, "Notes to My Daughter" is a more verbose book, and every bit as beautiful as the original!

The popularity of both books is wonderful, but not surprising. They are wonderful books, and Vesna is a charming, talented and caring woman. She has been donating a portion of the proceeds from book sales to the United Nations World Food Program, which is world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.

About a month ago, we got an email from Vesna with some exciting news: "My books are taking me to Washington!!"

"On October 5, 2010  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be presented with The George McGovern Leadership Award for her leadership in addressing global hunger. Because of the amount of money I have been able to donate from book sales to the World Food Program I received an invitation to the Award Ceremony and Reception!!! ... and yes, security has already cleared my passport! ... and I know which door to use at the U.S. Department of State!"

Well, Vesna did, indeed head off to Washington, and according to her email, 

"...it was an amazing, exciting, and inspiring experience for me! ... and now you can tell your customers that Secretary Clinton received copies of the books as a congratulatory gift from me for her receiving the George McGovern Leadership Award for her leadership in the fight against world hunger. AND, I also gave a copy of Notes To My Daughter to Chelsea Clinton  - a belated wedding gift!"

Yes, an actual trail made of chocolate!! Well, I guess it’s more like following the chocolate brick road…Can you imagine, holding in the palm of your hands, eight lovely tickets which allow you to gorge on chocolate for three whole days?! A MUST for serious chocolate lovers, for a measly $20, Stratford’s Chocolate Trail is an absolute treat! There are 16 participants throughout the core, each one offering a piece of heaven to the lucky ticket holder. At TREASURES we are pleased to have teamed up with Jenny, of Jenny’s Peanut Brittle, to make our own signature brittle that has an abundance of almonds and chewy cranberries throughout! If that weren’t yummy enough, the generous, crunchy, sweet, chewy confection is then coated with some of the best milk chocolate these taste buds have ever had the pleasure of meeting!

What a wonderful way to explore the downtown, chat with a few merchants, and reward yourself at every turn. The tickets are available at the Stratford Tourism Office on Downie Street--eight tickets for twenty bucks, which are valid for three days from time of purchase. Oh! And now you can buy them as a gifty for a very special fellow chocoholic! Certificates are good for eight days--the best prezzie EVER! (hint, hint). Now, off we go for that chocolate martini….care to join us??