Stainless steel racks of delectable edibles, glass jars brimming with loose tea and whole-bean coffee, eclectic books and soft goods all contained in one little place. A small hand-written sign outside encourages customers to live, love, laugh local. The tidy, yet warm, shop beckons visitors to come in and have a look around.
One Good Woman, a coffee, tea and so-much-more store rests in the commercial shopping center of Camp Hill, though, ever unimposing, it’s tucked neatly in the back off of busy Market Street.
Owner Holly O’Connor always wanted to open a shop and took the plunge 18 years ago. When deciding what type of place to open, she asked herself “What do I like?” So, she set out to build a business focused on good tea and coffee, starting small.
“The first two years was delivery out of the back of my truck to businesses and in neighborhoods,” said O’Connor.
As the business grew and O’Connor was encouraged to open a storefront, she moved into the old Camp Hill borough hall garage and then to the present location at the corner of Market and S. 19th Street.
Today, the smell of coffee permeates the store, and an aisle of coffee greets customers directly inside the door—varieties such as dark Kenya and Ethiopian harrar. For those who prefer a more accentuated taste, there’s snickerdoodle, moon pie and toasted coconut coffee, as well as fair trade options for the socially conscious coffee drinker.
The small batch roasting process from a Baltimore roaster makes One Good Woman coffee special. According to O’Connor, small batch roasting prevents the bitterness that comes with large batch processes. One Good Woman’s coffee is roasted on Monday and arrives at the store on Tuesday. A number of Harrisburg businesses—Yellow Bird Café, Mount Hill Tavern, Harvest in the Broad Street Market and note. Bistro and Wine Bar—serve One Good Woman coffee.
Let’s not forget the tea, which lines the back wall of the store, just past the chalkboard wall scrawled with inspirational daily messages. There are white, green, oolong and black teas from which to choose, plus herbal and flavored teas. The shop doesn’t serve food or beverages, but customers can sample the coffee of the day for a small charge.
While coffee and tea remain the hallmarks of the store, it has grown into an amalgamation of unique items.
“It always has different, obscure stuff,” said Cate Hallman, who travels from Fishing Creek Valley to buy her coffee and tea at One Good Woman.
Some of these rarified items include gourmet food like linguine with squid ink, pumpkin chowder and Thai sweet potato chowder mixes; sauces, including Stonewall Kitchen brand dark chocolate sea salt caramel sauce and white chocolate fig sauce; and jams like peach raspberry jam. Savory spreads, including a roasted onion garlic jam and hot pepper jelly, line the shelves, as well.
Interesting textiles, tablet covers made from recycled fabrics, One Good Woman canvas bags and colorful scarves are scattered about the store.
Need a good book? One Good Woman’s got them too. Customers can consider titles including “In Dog Years I’m Dead,” “Soul Sisters” and “What Would You Do If You Ran the World?”
There’s no worry about finding just the right item. If you’re not sure what to buy, all you need to say is, “I like this, what else will I like?” said Hallman, and the staff will guide you to the perfect fit.
O’Connor credits her customers with the business’s success. She said that the best advice she’s ever received, given to her by her husband Joe, has never failed: “Listen to your customers, they will tell you what to do.”
She said that she continually finds new items for the shop based on customer input. A few years into the business, customers told O’Connor that they wanted gift baskets, and she obliged. With no gift basket-making experience, O’Connor and her mother, now deceased, began creating beautiful baskets filled with delicious products.
Most of all, she wants One Good Woman to be part of and in service to the community.
To that end, she hosts a “Meet Your Maker Series,” in which merchandise producers come to the store to meet the customers, paired with local artists who share their work. The Nov. 1 event, for example, includes a Stonewall Kitchen jam tasting with artist Karen Larsen from Crows Foot Farm Designs.
One Good Woman is a great place to shop, but it’s seemingly also a great place to work. O’Connor has high praise for her employees as customer service purveyors and as a part of the One Good Woman team. They feel the same about her. When asked what makes One Good Woman so special, Laurie, an eight-year employee who runs the warehouse, said the answer is “kind, wonderful people.”
“It’s a friendly place to work,” she added.
Brenda, a part-time employee, said she both works and shops at One Good Woman, adding that that’s where she did most of her Christmas shopping last year.
O’Connor said that patrons often compare the place to shops in Maine, which is a compliment for someone who enjoys spending time in that northern state.
Those who delight in the aroma of coffee, are looking to relax with premium coffee or tea, or find themselves wanting to brighten someone’s day with a distinct gift, might want to pay a visit.
“I try to offer really wonderful products at a great price point so that everyone can shop here,” said O’Connor.
One Good Woman is located at 1845 Market St., Camp Hill. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. For more information, please visit www.onegoodwoman.com or the shop’s Facebook page.
