Cultivating a Community: Meet a few unsung heroes beautifying Harrisburg with random acts of kindness

October 29, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

Abdel Karim Ouard

I met Abdel Karim Ouard at the Heart of the Hill Community Garden in Allison Hill in September. It was a sunny day, and teenagers were hanging out near a pull-up bar while other adults sat on benches talking.

Ouard walked just a few blocks down Derry Street from his house to meet me at the park and pointed out a building he owns adjacent to the garden. He also told me that this was his first time coming to the garden to sit.

Every other time, he’d visited to help clean and maintain the neighborhood garden, he said.

Originally from Morocco, Ouard immigrated to the United States and came to Harrisburg about 20 years ago, followed by his wife a few years after his arrival. The family was looking for a better life, he said. But he admits it hasn’t been easy. Ouard previously sold hotdogs at a food cart in downtown Harrisburg, but has recently opened a new food truck in Allison Hill.

“I like cooking for people and feeding people,” he said.

He’s been a busy man, working hard, long hours to provide for his family, he explained. But over the years, Ouard has been known to help around the neighborhood whenever he can. That has included participating in trash cleanups, painting fences, helping people in need of food and inviting neighbors to backyard cookouts. Often two days per week, Ouard volunteers at Fountain Gate Church’s food pantry on Derry Street.

It’s often the organizations, those who run nonprofits or movements, and their vocal leaders who we look to. We make the charismatic figures our heroes. All the while, people like Ouard fly under the radar, dedicatedly caring for their corners of Harrisburg.

And the thing is, many of these people don’t really care to be heroes—several people I reached out to for this story didn’t even want to be interviewed.

For Ouard, it’s more important what his family and neighbors think of him. It all stems back to a promise he made to his mother before she passed away last year.

“I promised her that I would help people,” he said. “I’m doing my best.”

Keith Edwards

Welcoming Environment

About three days per week, Keith Edwards crosses Forster Street, between Green and 2nd streets, but only halfway. For a few hours in the mornings, he plants himself in the narrow median, careful to keep his arms and legs inside the little island refuge, safe from the street’s speedy traffic. There was a close call with a truck’s side mirror once.

Although maintenance of the median falls under the city’s responsibility, Edwards has stepped in over the past year to pick up the slack.

Harrisburg Young Professionals used to take care of the median until the pandemic hit. Edwards picked up the baton and, for the past year, has taken it upon himself to weed, trim and plant in the island.

Edwards, a 72-year-old retiree, traces his service-mindedness back to grade school. He remembers learning the importance of civil service from his sixth-grade teachers. John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, in which he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country,” still sticks with him.

“I’m a child of the ‘60s,” he said.

Over the years, Edwards has helped with neighborhood gardens in Harrisburg and picks up trash around his downtown neighborhood, as well.

With the words of Kennedy still ringing in his head, Edwards said that he doesn’t just feel inclined to take care of his neighborhood, but obligated to.

Seeing the importance of a clean, well-kept street to welcome residents, commuters and visitors into the city, Edwards began dedicating time to the median on Forster Street.

“It would be great if, someday, we had blocks of trees and plants to welcome people into the city,” he said. “If nothing else, I hope it gives people a glimpse of what can be done.”

Bill Holland

Stand Out

Like Edwards, Allison Hill resident Bill Holland is a child of the 1960s, and his upbringing impacted the way he sees his responsibility to his community.

As a young man, he was involved in ROTC where he was taught the values of leadership and service to the community.

These days, he does that by cleaning up trash in the neighborhood and helping Tri County Community Action with beautification projects. He’s weeded and cleaned many local parks, and recently adopted a few of the new planters to maintain on Derry Street that were installed by Tri County and painted by Sprocket Mural Works.

“As I walked through the neighborhood, all the litter bothered me,” Holland said. “That’s why I started cleaning up. I feel like God has placed me here.”

Holland is known around the neighborhood not just for what he does, but for how he looks. Although he was in jeans when we talked, blinged out in a cross pinky ring and a praying hands gold chain, Holland said he is usually dressed much classier.

“I’m a shirt-and-tie guy, and I smoke a pipe,” he said. “So I stand out. I’ve been wearing suits since I was 7.”

He’s been known to wear this ensemble even when picking up trash, he said.

People may not be dressing to the nines like he is, but since Holland has been out cleaning, he’s noticed local homeowners following his example and picking up trash around their properties.

“I’m hoping I can show a different way,” he said. “It’s about having pride in where you live. I’ve been seeing change.”

Ouard, Edwards and Holland aren’t widely known Harrisburg celebrities, their names aren’t circulating on Facebook, and they aren’t making the news (until now). But to them, it’s the little day-to-day actions, the commitment to being a good neighbor that drives them. If they receive any attention, their only hope is that it inspires others to try to do good, too.

“When people look back, I want them to say that I wasn’t a great man, but a good man,” Holland said. “I would like to leave a legacy of helping people.”

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Soul’d Out Show: The Singer’s Lounge draws crowds, gives platform to budding R&B artists

October 29, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

Kalen Myers

There’s this moment in the new movie “Respect,” about soul queen Aretha Franklin, as she sits around the piano with her sisters.

In the film, Franklin starts singing, and her sisters come in with the background (“just a little bit”), and, all of the sudden, you know exactly which famous song is coming to life in front of you.

I felt all the magic of that moment when members of the Singer’s Lounge began rehearsing the backup vocals for that same song, “Respect,” in Airis Smallwood’s living room on a Monday night. They weren’t even singing the lead for the song, but the soft, soulful background notes were enough for me to realize there were some big voices in the room.

But that’s something that a lot of people have already discovered, because the Singer’s Lounge has been drawing crowds and making fans since 2016, when Smallwood decided it was about time Harrisburg had an R&B music scene.

“I felt like there was nothing for singers to do,” Smallwood said. “If you weren’t singing in church or karaoke, there was no in between, no real platform to get on stage.”

At the time, Smallwood mainly sang in church, accompanying up-and-coming gospel artists. She started pulling together a group including other local singers she knew. Soon, the Singer’s Lounge—a collective of local R&B, gospel and soul artists—formed and performed their first show to a packed house at River City Blues Club on Cameron Street.

The eight core members of the Singer’s Lounge primarily sing backup for their shows, typically held once a month on Sunday nights at H*MAC in Harrisburg. For the lead voice, they bring in local singers. The group helps each artist choose a song, rehearse with the band, and they even give lessons on stage presence.

“I like that it gives artists a platform to build an audience,” said Phebe West, known to Singer’s Lounge members as the “mom” of the group. “So, for somebody who lives on such-and-such street who nobody knows, because they’re performing at Singer’s Lounge, now there is an audience that gets to know them.”

Tight-Knit Talent

Smallwood attended college outside of Philadelphia and would often travel into the city for its music scene.

At the time, the Black Lily movement was popular in that city. It was a brand that promoted mainly female neo-soul singers from underrepresented and minority groups. They performed at the entertainment venue, The Five Spot, weekly. Smallwood remembers watching Marsha Ambrosius, who would later become one half of the R&B duo Floetry, perform. She loved the idea of seeing rising artists on stage.

“That’s something major cities had that we didn’t,” she said.

Smallwood designed the Singer’s Lounge off of her inspiration from the Black Lily. And if she learned one thing from those nights spent watching performers in Philly, it was that the crowd went crazy for cover songs.

Turns out, the Singer’s Lounge crowd feels the same way about hearing their favorite classics sung live. At their October show, which featured classic soul songs, audience members often cheered, swayed and gave standing ovations for their favorites.

Each Singer’s Lounge event is themed, and it’s not some loosely tied concept, Smallwood said—they go all out. Performers choose songs that fit with the theme. There’s been “Black Broadway,” “New Jack Swing,” “Mary J. Blige,” “That 90s Show” and, of course, their anniversary shows each year, among others. For those, the group dresses to the nines, with custom-made dresses and suits.

They’ve also performed at Dauphin County’s Jazz and Wine Festival and Cultural Fest.

All of their concerts are unique, with audience members never knowing exactly what they’re going to get. Smallwood said that she never publicizes the lineups for shows because she doesn’t want people only coming for certain names.

“When you come, you get what you get, but you’re never disappointed,” she said.

Smallwood knows everyone who sings in Harrisburg, she said, so each show is packed with talent.

Look no further than her team of singers, which includes Kalen Myers, Marqil Chandler, Phebe West, Jamelle Nova Noon, Georgette Brown, Jaren Tucker and Dominique Davidson.

As they rehearsed that Monday night at Smallwood’s, they practiced together, making critiques, joking and hitting notes.

Smallwood tells West her voice was “in the rafters” when she hit that high note, and West insists, “I swear that’s my note.”

Chandler tells Smallwood to hit the “who” harder in her backup of “Respect.”

“We aren’t afraid to tell each other when we’re wrong, or ‘hey, change that a little bit,’” Noon said. “We have a tight-knit group.”

While they do seek to constructively criticize each other, their praise and support of each other far outweighs it. At their October show, a few members of the group took the lead on songs, other members standing to the side, cheering and throwing their hands up.

They’ve seen each other grow as artists over the years, some releasing recorded music, others growing their fan base locally. They’ve also watched the indie R&B scene in Harrisburg widen as a result of their shows.

“Because of the Singer’s Lounge, it has inspired artists to put out our own music,” Tucker said. “I think you’ll find that people who are artists in this community have sung at the Singer’s Lounge or may have gotten their start at the Singer’s Lounge. For me personally, I’ve grown in confidence as an artist being a part of this group.”

Encore

In February 2020, the Singer’s Lounge held its anniversary show, not realizing it would be the last concert for months. When the pandemic hit, they put all events on hold.

It wasn’t until September of that year that they held an outdoor event with social distance circles marked on the grass for audience members in Reservoir Park in Harrisburg.

But now they’re getting back to normal, recently holding shows this past summer and fall.

When you attend a Singer’s Lounge event, it’s not just a concert, group members explained. There are hosts for the night, usually Jamar “Shooby” Barton and Gina Johnson, small business vendors and spaces for photo ops. Business manager Jennifer Smallwood helps coordinate all of this on the night of the event. Sometimes, politicians or community leaders will make appearances to speak, as well.

Many of their shows draw large crowds and pack venues.

“It’s really a who’s who of the African American community,” Smallwood said.

But she made sure to add that the Singer’s Lounge audience is often diverse, including people from all areas of the community.

“The Singer’s Lounge has really formed its own little community,” West said.

Smallwood sees the Singer’s Lounge growing in years to come, possibly touring and expanding to other cities. But for now, she’s invested in the R&B music scene in Harrisburg. The passion for indie music in the city is rising, and Singer’s Lounge has served as that stepping stone, she said.

“People assume that we don’t have the same caliber of talent when it’s just harder to find here,” Smallwood said. “I wanted to inspire a community of singers so we all know each other. Iron sharpens iron.”

The next Singer’s Lounge show is Nov. 21 at H*MAC, 1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit their Facebook page.

Photos courtesy of Jessica Hoffman.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Simple, Delicious: Get a head start on the big meal with this mashed potato recipe

October 29, 2021 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

I seem to have a lot of friends who insist that Thanksgiving dinner is the “easiest” meal to prepare. It’s just turkey, stuffing, some potatoes and maybe corn? Well, it’s not easy for me.

I usually spend weeks before the holiday, scouring cookbooks and magazines for new dishes and ways to spruce up the old standbys.

I usually begin with cranberry sauce, a Thanksgiving dinner staple I can’t do without. I’ve made it with cognac, orange, ginger, dried cherries and apples. And thinking more is always better, I often make two kinds, ensuring we can never eat it all. But it freezes well and can be served with pork and chicken dishes, too.

Then I usually venture into the “vegetable part” of the dinner, where I often succumb to making several types that are not family favorites or simply making more than we need. I know I am safe with broccoli (grandchildren like it!) and maybe green beans (with a few toasted sliced almonds). Peas are tricky (husband), and the Harvard beets were not a hit the year I made them (orange or no orange).

I always make pureed sweet potatoes with vanilla, cinnamon, pecans and cream. They are delicious but fare poorly when guests are choosing between them and extra stuffing. But not being content with the sweet potatoes, I seem to always add carrots—carrots with butter and maple syrup, carrots with ginger, carrots with sauteed shallots, or an Italian version with Marsala wine.

On the “stuffing front,” I’ve accepted the fact that my mother’s recipe is the best—just cubed country white bread, celery, onion, butter, chicken broth and lots of poultry seasoning. I am done experimenting with cornbread, chestnuts, apples, nuts and raisins. Mom’s traditional and plain version seems best for us. I make a lot.

No matter which dishes I end up making for the big Thanksgiving meal, I learned one thing early on. I don’t want to be mashing and whipping potatoes at the last minute. Years ago, I found a recipe for mashed potatoes with chive cream. I cut it out (from somewhere), and it is now covered in plastic and pulled out every year. There is nothing really that unique about it except for the addition of some chive-laced half and half. The most important thing for me is that it can be made a day before the big meal and gently warmed right before serving. It is a big timesaver for me and really good, too.

Mashed Potatoes with Chive Cream

Ingredients

5 pounds large russet or yellow gold potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
1¼ sticks unsalted butter
1½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup plus another 1/3 cup half and half
1 cup chopped fresh chives

Directions

Butter (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) a 13×9-inch baking dish (I use a pretty white floral one that goes from oven to table).
Cut potatoes into cubes and place them in a large pot of boiling salted water. Cover partially, and boil until tender and very soft (at least 20 minutes and even 30).
Drain the potatoes and place them back on the burner again for about 15 to 20 seconds to remove excess moisture.
Cool for a few minutes then place the potatoes in a very large bowl.
Add the butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mash thoroughly.
Bring 1 cup half and half and ½ cup of chives to a simmer in a small sauce pan.
Add to the potatoes in the bowl and stir vigorously with a large wooden spoon. (If you like your potatoes extra creamy, add more half and half to your liking. I keep tasting and add more salt if needed.)
Place the mixture into the prepared baking pan, and using the tip or edge of your wooden spoon, make swirls and “scallops” on the top.
Bake in a 350-degree oven until heated through and some of the peaks on top are tinged with brown.
Cover tightly and refrigerate until Thanksgiving day.

Remove the casserole a few hours before dinner and bring it to room temperature. When almost ready to serve, heat the remaining 1/3-cup half and half and the remaining ½-cup chives. Microwave the potatoes until hot, and then drizzle the heated half and half and chives into the nooks and crannies on the top surface of the casserole. It is then ready to serve, right from the baking dish.

Alternatively, and if you have the oven space, you can bake the potatoes for about an hour, before dinnertime. I like doing the baking the day before so that all is left is the heating.

I have been doing Thanksgiving potatoes like this for a very long time, and it is my favorite dish on the heavily laden table. The touch of nutmeg and oniony chives gives it an unexpected flavor.

I’ve gotten the Thanksgiving cooking magazines out already. I’ve been wondering if marshmallows on the sweet potatoes really would be OK.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Community Corner: Notable Events in November

October 29, 2021 | by Missy Smith

Bonsai Exhibit

Nov. 1-6: Explore “Bonsai: Living Art of the Susquehanna Bonsai Club,” at Hershey Gardens, 170 Hotel Rd, Hershey, in the Hoop House, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The annual exhibit features a variety of uniquely shaped trees, in addition to information on bonsai, what they are and how they are cultivated. www.HersheyGardens.org

Native History
Nov. 4: Join a naturalist for a walk along the Susquehanna River at Fort Hunter, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg, to discover the vast history of the Susquehanna River Valley and the native tribes that lived in the area, 1 to 3 p.m. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Dinner for a Cause
Nov. 4: Vision Resources of Central PA will host the 10th annual “Evening in the Shadows” at The Manor at Mountain View, 2201 Fishing Creek Valley Rd., Harrisburg, for a multi-course dinner and blindness awareness event, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $80. www.vrocp.org

Curiosity Kids
Nov. 4, 18: Young visitors in grades K-2 and families are invited to “Curiosity Kids” at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St., Harrisburg, 11:30 a.m. Kids can learn about lines and how artists use them to create art on Nov. 4, and they can explore pottery, while creating their own pinch pot, on Nov. 18. www.statemuseumpa.org

Mixers
Nov. 4, 18: Build new relationships with local business professionals at the West Shore Chamber of Commerce’s November evening networking mixers, 5 to 7 p.m., at Interiors Home, 3415 Simpson Ferry Rd., Camp Hill, on Nov. 4, and M & Z Carpets and Flooring 6029 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, on Nov. 18. The event is free and open to chamber members. www.wschamber.org

Autos & Ales
Nov. 5: Join the AACA Museum, 161 Museum Dr., Hershey, for Autos & Ales, with regional breweries, dozens of craft beers for sampling, live music, a catered dinner, and the event’s signature beer brewed by Snitz Creek Brewery, 6 to 10 p.m. Expanded food offerings included with admission. www.aacamuseum.org

Ladies’ Night
Nov. 5: Get together with friends for Ladies’ Night Out to have some fun exploring Newport’s downtown businesses and local eateries, while getting some holiday shopping done, 6 to 9 p.m. This year’s theme is “Black and White.” Dress in the theme colors to receive discounts at select locations. www.perrycountyarts.org

Art Show
Nov. 5, 6, 7: Paxtang Art Association will feature more than 2,000 pieces of original art in a variety of media created by artists of all ages at the Paxtang Firehouse, 3423 Derry St. A free reception will be held on Dec. 5, 6 to 8 p.m. Admission and parking are free. www.paxtangart.com

HBG Flea
Nov. 6: Shop the HBG Flea for local art, vintage treasures and curated curios, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in Strawberry Square, 320 Market St., Harrisburg. www.hbgflea.com

Job Expo
Nov. 9-10 & 16-17: The Commonwealth of PA hosts “Government That Works! PA Procurement Expo & Forum” at the PA Farm Show Complex, 2300 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg, with speaker Ron Jaworski, exhibits, demonstrations, educational sessions, networking opportunities, a job fair and more. www.paprocurementexpo.com

20 in Their 20s
Nov. 10: Join Harrisburg Young Professionals in honoring “20 in Their 20s,” a group of young people who already are doing amazing things. The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. at Hilton Harrisburg, 1 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg. The celebration will include food and drink stations along with a presentation to honor the nominees. www.hyp.org

Volunteer Work Day
Nov. 11: Head to Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, to help with continuing park and habitat enhancement projects, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Snacks, tools and work gloves will be provided. Bring a water bottle. Refreshments will be available. Assume the workday is cancelled if it’s raining. www.wildwoodlake.org

Craft Show
Nov. 12-13: Winters Heritage House Museum, 47 E. High St., Elizabethtown, hosts its annual Heritage Craft Show, featuring local artisans selling handmade gifts, jewelry, décor, apparel, foods and more. www.elizabethtownhistory.org

World Cinema
Nov. 12, 26: Join Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, for “Smoke Signals,” a film from the United States, on Nov. 12, and “LAMB,” from Ethiopia, on Nov. 26. Showings are at 2 and 7 p.m. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Potato Drop
Nov. 13: Grace United Methodist Church, 309 Herman Avenue, Lemoyne, will host a free potato drop, when volunteers will bag donated potatoes and give them to food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and other hunger ministry organizations. Families in need of food are encouraged to stop by from 8 to 10 a.m. for free potatoes. www.graceumlemoyne.org

Harrisburg Marathon
Nov. 13-14: Take the long run, make it shorter or just watch during the two-day Enders Insurance Harrisburg Marathon. On Nov. 13, the four-person relay serves as the warm-up for the full marathon on Nov. 14. Both runs take off from City Island, Harrisburg, and feature a course that includes city streets and paths along the Susquehanna River. www.ymcarun.com

Take a Hike

Nov. 17: Grab your hiking boots, family and friends for National Take a Hike Day at Detweiler Park or Fort Hunter Conservancy, 1 to 3 p.m. Take a hike with a naturalist or at your own pace on various terrain exploring the trails and wildlife. All ages are welcome. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

3rd in The Burg
Nov. 19: Enjoy the best of Harrisburg during 3rd in the Burg, the monthly arts and culture event at galleries, restaurants and art spaces throughout downtown and Midtown, 6 to 9 p.m. www.thirdintheburg.org

Holiday Parade
Nov. 20: Enjoy Harrisburg’s annual holiday parade with marching bands, giant parade balloons, dance performances, decorated floats, characters, Santa Claus, and more, at 12 p.m. After the parade, head to Strawberry Square to meet Santa and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies. www.harrisburgpa.gov

Odd Ones Bizarre
Nov. 27: The Millworks, 340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg, hosts its annual The Odd Ones Holiday Bizarre, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shop for unique, handcrafted items for the holiday season at this annual alternative arts and crafts event. www.millworksharrisburg.com

Festival of Trees
Nov. 27-Dec. 19: View Christmas trees decorated with handmade ornaments and trimmed by local garden clubs at the Fort Hunter Tavern House, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg, Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Trees will be up for raffle, and a selection of ornaments will be available for purchase. www.forthunter.org

Toy Train Exhibit
Nov. 27-Dec. 19: Keystone Model Railroad Historical Society returns to Fort Hunter Centennial Barn, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg, with a display of HO gauge trains that travel over a large layout representing communities in central PA, Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. www.forthunter.org

Light Show
Nov. 27-Jan. 1: Experience the Christmas Spirit Light Show at Clipper Magazine Stadium, 650 N. Prince St., Lancaster, for a festive drive-through light show, with hundreds of thousands of color-changing lights, synchronized to Christmas music. www.ChristmasSpiritLights.com

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Style to Dye For: Kids In Color makes a family business out of tie-dyeing one-of-a-kind pieces

October 29, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

Raina Yates never considered herself an artsy person.

But when she saw someone wearing a cool tie-dyed shirt, she thought, “I could do that.”

Raina bought a craft store tie-dye kit and gave it a shot. That’s when she knew she had found something she loved.

“I tie-dyed everything I could get my hands on,” she said.

Soon, her whole family was involved. Her husband Quincey began watching YouTube videos on tie-dyeing during his breaks at work. And, of course, they got their boys, Cameron, 8, and Julian, 4, in on the action.

“We think it’s the coolest thing—art you can wear,” Raina said.

About two years ago, the family started Kids In Color, a custom tie-dye streetwear business. Since then, they’ve sold their colorful shirts, hats and hoodies all over the city at festivals and pop-ups like the HBG Flea and Small Business Saturday.

Customers have a few options when it comes to getting their hands on a Kids In Color piece. They can purchase clothing that has already been hand-dyed or they can request custom pieces, choosing the colors and style they prefer. People can even bring in their own items, even stained shirts, to be revamped with tie-dye. Kids In Color especially loves upcycling thrifted and vintage clothing, Raina said.

One thing is for sure—whatever you get, it will be one of a kind.

For Raina, creating a unique work of art means splattering, dripping and squirting dye, mostly at random. It’s like therapy for her, she said.

“I try to incorporate what I’m feeling into it,” she said. “I try to put a piece of myself into my art.”

Quincey is often more methodical—scrunching, twisting, folding and rubber-banding shirts to create unique patterns.

The basement of the Yates’ home has become a tie-dye workshop, the kids helping with pieces too. Cameron’s been known to go to school with color-stained fingers, Quincey said.

“The reason this has worked and lasted for us is because we can all do it together,” Raina said.

The positive family aspect of the business is part of why Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co., loves working with Kids In Color.

For the past year, Kids In Color has dyed and bleached Elementary’s logo T-shirts.

“People love the tie-dye and the fact that they’re all distinctly different,” Grove said. “It’s been really tough to keep them in stock.”

She added that Raina and Quincey are some of the most passionate people she has ever met and that it’s been wonderful partnering with another small Harrisburg business.

“They would have to decide they didn’t want to tie-dye anymore for us to not work with them,” Grove said.

But according to Raina, she doesn’t see that happening anytime soon.

“Even if I never sold another piece, I would probably still keep tie-dying,” she said.

In addition to pop-up shops, Kids In Color has attended events and visited schools to hold workshops for kids on tie-dyeing. They also teach kids about entrepreneurship and making money through art. It’s a huge part of their mission—introducing kids to an art form that allows them to express themselves. They teach them a lesson they learned themselves—that art is more than just drawing or painting.

This all ties into the name of their business: Kids In Color. It’s a nod to their boys, who they refer to as the face of their brand, but it also refers to the childlike creativity that tie-dying requires.

“It’s that freedom of when you weren’t afraid to express yourself in whatever way feels right,” Quincey said.

To purchase or view Kids In Color’s custom tie-dyed pieces, visit www.shopkidsinc.com. For more information on upcoming pop-up sales, find them on Facebook. Photos courtesy of Cody Rager.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Taking Flight: For 50 years, Appalachian Audubon Society has answered the call of bird and wildlife conservation in Harrisburg

October 29, 2021 | by Rachel Curry

Birding at Wildwood

In 1972, the Appalachian Audubon Society (AAS) published its first-ever newsletter, one year after launching the Harrisburg-area chapter of the National Audubon Society.

The newsletter read, “What Appalachian Audubon needs right now is people—active people who will help in the many tasks of the organization.”

Now, 50 years since its founding, the organization faces similar challenges, like finding volunteers, reaching out to different groups of people, and getting the word out about bird and wildlife conservation in the Harrisburg area.

Ali Bowling serves as the current president of the all-volunteer chapter, and while she hasn’t been at the helm for long, her background in wildlife conservation and education proves it’s a natural fit. After all, she once managed 3,500 birds per year at a wildlife rehabilitation center.

“I did not care for birds when I started,” Bowling said, emphasizing how far she’s traveled. She now feels that birds are an underrated, vital part of our natural environment.

Despite its well-known penchant for the avian world, AAS is for more than just the birds. It’s for all wildlife.

“We definitely love our birds, but we believe in conservation for all,” Bowling said.

AAS spearheads many initiatives. It hosts a biannual native plant sale with Daikon Wilderness Greenhouse and an annual birdseed fundraiser with local Agway stores. A bird-friendly coffee sale takes place every month and online with Ragged Edge Coffee.

“It’s really all around education and how we can promote a good ecosystem for birds and other wildlife,” Bowling said.

That’s why AAS sponsors scholarships for kids to visit conservation education camps like Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine—so they can conduct field research and see conservation in action.

Plus, they host monthly chapter meetings with an educational speaker and go on regular birding field trips. Amid their environmental efforts, they work to foster community both in the city and in nature.

Diverse, Adventurous

From endangered great egrets that nest on an island in the Susquehanna River to peregrine falcons in the Rachel Carson building, Harrisburg is a ripe environment for bird watching.

It’s also accessible (because birds are everywhere), which is why AAS conducts urban birding walks in the city. The organization hopes activities like this will help attract a variety of people, especially youth.

For AAS, the results of conservation efforts are tangible. You can see this at Trout Run Nature Preserve, a 17-acre wetland area in Cumberland County.

Managed by Eli DePaulis, Trout Run was first protected to conserve a population of sedge wrens, a state-endangered bird species that has since left Trout Run. DePaulis hopes they may return one day.

“Managing people and their interactions with Trout Run is probably more challenging than managing the natural resources because it’s surrounded on all sides by housing developments,” DePaulis said.

From cold-water emergent wetlands along the stream channel to wet meadows that are solid enough to walk across, Trout Run is a diverse and adventurous landscape.

DePaulis, who went trout fishing with his grandfather as a kid, now manages the land by spraying invasive plant species, maintaining planted trees, reintroducing native plant species and cleaning up trash. He also fights vandalism, deer feeding and lawn waste dumping. He’s yet to encounter the invasive spotted lanternfly at Trout Run but says he will inject highly infested trees with systemic insecticide and scrape egg masses to help protect the ecosystem if need be.

AAS began actively managing Trout Run six years ago.

“Managing Trout Run is like curating a museum,” DePaulis said. “Most sites that are similar to Trout Run have been destroyed for agriculture or otherwise permanently degraded.”

AAS is a chapter of the National Audubon Society, but bird and wildlife enthusiasts around Harrisburg can become a local chapter member for $5 to $25 to help their own community. As for what’s to come, members can look forward to a nature walk at Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve in November, a waterfowl and shorebird watch at Barnegat Light State Park, N.J., in December, and winter birding at Wildwood Park in January.

Whether the activities take place in or around Harrisburg, AAS always keeps its city’s central feature, the Susquehanna River, in mind.

“We have to promote conservation heavily in order to keep that body of water healthy,” Bowling said.

Still, the organization’s efforts would be nothing without the people helping to make bird conservation happen. For Bowling and the rest of AAS, that’s a fact that has never gone over their heads—perhaps because they’re always looking up.

For more information on the Appalachian Audubon Society, visit www.appalachianaudubon.org or their Facebook page.

Stories on environmental topics are proudly sponsored by LCSWMA.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Beautiful, Sustainable: In Gettysburg, local + flowers means Locaflora

October 29, 2021 | by Shannon St. Armand

With giant, polka-dotted mushrooms, plants and flowers boldly painted on the storefront window, you can’t miss Rebecca Muller’s Gettysburg shop.

It brings a bit of life to a less traversed block of town.

“I think it has actually served us well to be tucked away and found by exactly our target customers,” said Muller of her location on Carlisle Street. “I like to say, ‘local flowers for local people.’”

Muller’s shop, Locaflora, is the only floral shop in the area that sources its flowers 100% locally.

“From within approximately 100 miles of Gettysburg,” said Muller, whose mission to create a sustainable flower shop began with her appreciation for farmers. “I believe that the most impactful thing about flowers is the people who grow them.”

In high school, Muller worked at a small, pick-your-own berry farm in nearby Biglerville that was just starting to grow its own flowers.

“I was really impressed by the way that flowers connected people to their grower,” she said. “It was just apparent to me that [customers] were coming because of [the farmers] as people.”

She also realized the tremendous difference between locally cultivated flowers and the flowers sold in grocery stores, 80% of which are imported and go through an extensive, chemicalized sterilization process to keep them on the shelves longer.

“Working for that farm gave me a much deeper appreciation for the process and the intention behind growing those flowers,” she said.

Though she did, at first, try out more commercial ways of sourcing flowers.

“It sucked the joy out of it,” she said.

Afterwards, she committed herself to making her small business one that respects both farmers and their flowers.

Unlike traditional floral shops, Locaflora uses no chemicals or floral foam, composts regularly, and reuses much of their glassware. The business involves very little waste, while helping to support local farmers and their families.

“I consider myself a sustainable florist,” Muller said. “We’re trying to value both people and planet ahead of money.”

After high school, Muller attended Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. HU, she said, “had a really big impact on who I became and what I wanted to do.”

“I loved the connection with multiple cultures,” she said. “I felt very much alive.”

She began providing wedding florals on the side while studying for her degree in biochemistry.

After graduating, Muller became a fellow at the Foundry in Harrisburg, whose task is to build “creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking” through STEAM projects in K-12 schools while enabling fellows to hone their own talents. It is a hub of intellectual and creative expertise.

“I was impressed by the people who took their ideas and made them happen,” she said. “Having a group of people who believed in me gave me the confidence to open my business,” which she did, officially, in November 2020.

But does Muller’s science background overlap at all with her current work? She believes that the shop would not exist without her science knowledge base.

“The scientific process is very similar to the design process,” she said. “Ideation based on research, testing, redoing it, and…once you’ve tried it, [seeing if it’s] at the stage you want it to be, and if it’s not, you try again.”

In addition to flowers, Locaflora offers plants and handmade gifts, such as planters and cards, which bring another interpersonal aspect to the shop.

“I know every single one of our makers,” she said. “I try to find people we identify with a lot.”

This might include craftspeople who source locally, who have a passion for sustainability, whose works tell local stories or who are intentional about inclusivity. Muller wants products that cater to customers who also value these things. She wants her shop to be a safe place for everyone—college students and locals alike.

“I have tried to be inclusive,” she said, “appealing to people who don’t feel like they have a floral shop to identify with.”

While the shop does weddings and other big events, Muller’s passion lies in the small, everyday moments that flowers can highlight.

“I’m very much an ordinary day kind of person,” she said. “In little moments of sadness or joy, flowers make a huge difference.”

Locaflora is located at 102 Carlisle St., Gettysburg. For more information, visit www.locafloradesign.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Rad Fads, to Be Had: Nostalgia is for sale at New Cumberland’s Retro & Rad

October 29, 2021 | by Karen Hendricks

Photo by Jelani Splawn

Walking inside one of New Cumberland’s newest shops actually feels like a step back in time.

“That’s what people say all the time,” said Kelly Donnelly, owner of Retro & Rad. “I describe it as happiness—a lot of good memories.”

Located at 308 Market St., the small shop is big on pop culture. Inside, you’ll find video games, action figures, vintage toys and collectibles—” a little bit of everything,” Donnelly said. “I’ve been collecting video games the last 10 years—that’s kind of where it got started.”

Her video game hobby led to a side business on eBay, then a booth at American Daydream Antiques & Miscellanea in York. Everything was doing so well online and at the booth that she left her full-time job working with children with behavioral issues—something she describes as “very rewarding but taxing.”

“I thought I’d open a shop if I could find the right brick and mortar [location], and I was lucky to find this retail space,” Donnelly said.

She opened Retro & Rad’s doors earlier this year, on April 1—no kidding. The shop, although neatly organized, is an explosion of pop culture and color.

Lava lamps and a Strawberry Shortcake dollhouse decorate the shop window. Action figures from the ‘80s and ‘90s are carefully catalogued, labeled and bagged, ready for action once again: Star Wars and Disney characters, superheroes including Batman and He-Man, Scooby Doo and the gang, Sesame Street friends, even the pretty pastel Care Bears.

Video games, like books on shelves, are organized for gaming systems from Atari to Xbox, Nintendo and Wii. There’s a shelf of Troll dolls, their neon hair fluffed out in all colors imaginable. Bright plastic lunch boxes are lined up for fans of Mickey Mouse, Cabbage Patch Kids, Captain Planet and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Need a pair of Power Ranger sunglasses? A toy Ghostbusters vehicle? Remember the dancing California raisins? Furby?

“The ‘80s and ‘90s were the best eras to be a kid in,” said Donnelly. “You had some of the coolest characters, movies, TV shows, video games—it was very brightly colored, well made, fun looking, with well-done artwork.”

Just to be clear, Donnelly, age 30, was born in 1991. But, wearing a brightly colored ‘80s jacket (green and purple; one sleeve a hot pink, the other a bright yellow, finished in blue cuffs), she identifies with those decades because she grew up playing with her extended family’s hand-me-down toys.

Catching a Rad Wave, Dude

And Donnelly isn’t the only one riding a wave of nostalgia.

She said it’s a hot topic of conversation among collectors and experts right now—and there are a number of factors leading to nostalgia’s surge in popularity.

First, Donnelly noted, we’ve all been stuck inside a lot more than usual, driving demand for entertainment, movies and games.

“Nostalgia has always been key. When times are tough, everybody wants to be happy,” she said. “As in, I want to get that same feeling like when I was 6 playing Super Mario—everybody’s chasing that.”

While video game collectors search for specific games and systems, the hobby has attracted a lot of new followers because it’s affordable and accessible, Donnelly said.

Retro & Rad carries items with price points for everyone, from $1 slap bracelets and 10-cent trading cards to video cartridges for $2 to $3 or the extremely rare $160 Nintendo find.

It’s All About Recycling, No Duh

As inventory comes in (Donnelly buys or trades for cash), she posts pictures on Retro & Rad’s Facebook and Instagram pages. She also keeps a running list of customers by the cash register so she can notify them when she spots their wish list items.

Recycling old toys is totally awesome, to borrow an ‘80s phrase.

“It makes me feel better when people bring me stuff, instead of it going to a landfill,” Donnelly said. “People talk about toys they used to have, that probably got thrown out. Even if video game consoles or controllers get broken, I have someone who can fix them.”

She also continues to maintain her booth at American Daydream Antiques & Miscellanea, where nostalgia permeates all aspects of life, from kitchen to décor items—a framed Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring a cigarette-dripping David Bowie, Bohemian rattan furniture, a sparkling set of once-again hot hobnail glasses ready for a kitschy kitchen, even an old local license plate from the Red Lion Fire Department.

Retro & Rad is into community interaction, too. Once a month, Donnelly fills a bin with free toys for customers, there’s chalk for kids of all ages to decorate the sidewalk, and she regularly collects donations for local nonprofits.

One of the most exciting things to happen since Retro & Rad opened its doors is a partnership with The Nacelle Company.

“It’s a cool little partnership—we are one of 40 shops across the country that will be carrying their products,” Donnelly said. “Honestly, I have no idea how they found me.”

The Nacelle Company is purchasing intellectual property rights to old toys in order to remake them, spurred by the success of their popular Netflix documentary series “The Toys That Made Us,” which is in its third season.

Everything old is new again—a concept that’s driving Donnelly and Retro & Rad.

“It’s awesome to say I sell toys for a living,” said Donnelly. “And making people happy is the best part.”

Retro & Rad is located at 308 Market St., New Cumberland, with an online presence on both Facebook and Instagram.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

The Big Short: As the holidays near, local businesses struggle with, adapt to a broken global supply chain

October 29, 2021 | by M. Diane McCormick

“Topless” cold drink from Elementary Coffee Co.

Cup, meet lid.

Or not. The world’s supply shortage has oozed down to the lowliest essentials at your friendly, albeit slightly frazzled, local business. As the holiday shopping season nears, watch for imaginative workarounds.

“We’ve had to get super creative,” said Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co. in Harrisburg. “For a long time, we couldn’t get cold cup lids. So, on our Twitter posts, we said, ‘Yeah, we’re going topless, and please bear with us.’ People loved that.”

Local business owners are an overworked but agile sort. They tend to tell the same story, managing fairly well in COVID’s first wave, but getting hobnailed by the second.

Diane Krulac, owner of Brittle Bark in Mechanicsburg and Cocoa Creek Chocolates in Camp Hill, first called her bevy of suppliers in March 2020.

“Everybody felt we would be OK, but it slowly degraded,” she said. “By far, it has been the worst impact this year.”

For Krulac, there are the chocolate slowdowns caused by barriers of shipping across borders and the Atlantic Ocean. And then there is packaging. Krulac’s boxes hold truffles in quantities from a few to a few dozen. One supplier has delivered them for years.

“All of a sudden, he’s out of stock and doesn’t know when he’s going to make them,” Krulac said.

What the Heck?

When nationalist trends of, ahem, four or five years ago drove supply chains from global to domestic, the U.S. economy had time to adapt, said Penn State Smeal College of Business economist Fariborz Ghadar. Then came the COVID tsunami. Manufacturers shut down or restricted operations. Customers kept available supplies for themselves.

Things smoothed out, but then COVID returned. The same shortages bedeviling computer chips began haunting supplies of boxes, packaging, whatever. Plus, aging workers in the logistics and other high-risk sectors “basically said, ‘The hell with it, I’m retiring now,’” Ghadar said.

Take away port workers to unload containers and truck drivers to haul the goods, and let the logjam begin.

“To top that off, the big guys have more power to get first in line,” said Ghadar. “If you’re Amazon, you have priority in the eyes of the manufacturer. If you’re poor Joe and Nancy who’s got a shop, you have no priority.”

Those conglomerates further aggravated the supply chain by preordering for the holiday shopping season. Krulac, for one, followed a supplier’s advice to “order big” this fall.

“It puts you at the head of the line,” she said. “That’s just the packaging. That’s not even the chocolate. I order much earlier in anticipation of waiting, and that’s worked really well, too.”

A Stinking Lid

Grove has built her business on a philosophy of sustainability.

She seeks out higher-end, compostable or recyclable to-go supplies. When her regular line of cold cups, lids and combos petered out, she found a substitute—at about four times the price. To fill the gap, she was ordering two boxes at a time, “which lasts about a week and a half.”

“Oh, my goodness, we’re already struggling for funds,” she would think. “This is going to run us into the ground.”

Talking with her team, they agreed to impose a 35-cent cup charge, while encouraging customers to bring reusable cups because, after all, “COVID’s not really spread that way.”

In Linglestown, St. Thomas Roasters also struggles to find matching lids and, in the words of owner Geof Smith, “gosh-darn cups.”

“The customers have been very understanding,” Smith said. “They all get it. Whatever job they do is probably affected. But you want to put a stinking lid on somebody’s drink cup so they don’t spill it on their lap in the car.”

Coffee supplies have been only minimally problematic for Smith, but in packaging, food and shipping, he confronts one snafu after another. Unsealed packages of gluten-free cookies that had to be returned. Sara Lee running out of cinnamon buns. The shipment of products mistakenly sent to Florida, turning a two-day delivery timeline into two weeks.

“And then, two shipments later, they sent it to Maryland,” he said. He attributes that little “fubar” to untrained newbies called up to fill staffing shortages.

And here in the age of store signs declaring, “Due to a shortage of . . .”, Smith posted a sign of his own, along the lines of, “If you’re staying in the shop, please don’t take a lid. We’d like to give the lids to people in their cars.”

Not every small business is feeling the pinch, so far. You can still get your sugar fix with a red velvet or Georgia peach cobbler cupcake in a jar from Alisha Perry, aka That Cupcake Lady. She finds her ingredients online or at local grocery and restaurant supply stores.

“I’m grateful that I’m not in that boat,” she said.

Night Owls

The search for alternatives, plus the brain-wracking accounting needed to avoid price hikes for customers, drain time that small business owners can’t delegate to their nonexistent underlings.

“It’s a huge mess of energy that gets expended,” said Grove.

Krulac’s husband wondered why she was on the computer until midnight. Her challenge, she said, is finding supplies that mirror those pictured on her website, for online orders. A change in packaging would require new photos. Even a search for 1-inch red ribbon demanded finding a supplier with a quality product.

“Invariably, and I’m sure it happened to other businesses like me, you don’t have a relationship with those suppliers,” she said. “You’re not buying in volume because you don’t know what your volume might be, because you might not be getting your original stuff from your original people.”

It’s all for the customers.

“You don’t want to disappoint them,” Krulac said. “They’re going through this whole pandemic, too. They want some normalcy. They want a good-quality product in a beautiful box for the price they’ve been paying all along. They want everything to be the way it was. We’ve tried to do that and have been pretty close to accomplishing that.”

Early Birds

Ghadar sees an end in spring 2022, when businesses adjust to their workforce challenges and the ports clear up. But he has advice for 2021’s holiday shoppers.

“Do your Christmas shopping early, and get whatever is there,” he said. “If you want something, you better not wait for a price change. If you don’t like this color, and you want another color—well, that other color is just not going to come.”

Krulac recently bought 50 cases of chocolate, saving more than $1,000, and prompting groupthink on finding storage in every nook and cranny. She is now committed to building her arsenal of supplier relationships.

“Absolutely!” she said. “Absolutely! We have great relationships with multiple suppliers that we never had before. That’s good because we have a backup. Every single thing we use, I now have a backup, and that took hours and hours of time, but that’s OK, because I have a backup.”

Grove, of the topless cold cups, sees a societal wake-up call. In this idyll, consumers bring their own cups, and businesses dream up incentives for BYO cups and bags.

“Maybe it’s getting people to plan more about what to do with their day, ideally,” she said. “It’s hard. It’s a struggle like everything else. In a world based on single-use products, it’s not easy to change that mentality overnight.”

In the meantime, she’s smiling through.

“Now,” she said, “there are shortages in hot cups.”

Learn More
To find out more about the businesses in this story, visit the following websites:

Brittle Bark Co.: www.brittlebark.com

Cocoa Creek Chocolates: www.cocoacreekchocolates.com

The Cupcake Lady: www.thatcupcakelady.com

Elementary Coffee Co.: www.elementarycoffee.co

St. Thomas Roasters: www.stthomasroasters.com

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Small Town Tradition: Rhoads is a taste of old school shopping, with modern touches

October 29, 2021 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Products for sale at Rhoads

“We’re really five stores under one roof.”

So says Dave Lutz, long-time proprietor of Rhoads Hallmark & Gift Shop in Hummelstown, who owns the business with wife Jeanne.

“We have a Hallmark Gold Crown shop, a gift shop, a women’s fashion boutique, a kitchen shop and a candle shop,” he said, explaining further.

Lutz bought the business in 1973, which many in the Dauphin County borough consider a local landmark. In total, Rhoads comprises 16,000 square feet of mercantile cornucopia on two floors and a cozy customer lounge.

“We move a lot of merchandise,” Lutz noted. “We don’t let our merchandise get stale. If it doesn’t move, we clear it out upstairs at 50% to 75% off.”

Currently, Nora Fleming serving dishes, which feature changeable design elements, are among the “hottest items,” Lutz noted. Another “amazing” food brand is Stonewall Kitchen, which features a wide selection of jams, relishes, mixes and dressings, he said.

Rebecca Yearick of Mechanicsburg recalled that she once shopped around “for the longest time” to buy an “old-fashioned” ice bucket for a party but just couldn’t find it. Then she spotted it, of course, at Rhoads—and it even came in brass.

You may say that Rhoads specializes in “old school” products, things once widely available in local shops but that have become increasingly difficult to find.

For instance, Yearick also favors Rhoads items like address books, recipe card boxes and Hallmark items. She further buys sauces, jams and mixes in the Rhoads kitchen shop, as well as ornaments.

In the women’s boutique, Rhoads sells jewelry, scarves and hats of recycled materials through an exclusive deal with Brighton Jewelry, among many other items.

“They have women’s clothing brands not found in other department stores and at affordable prices,” Yearick said.

For Meghan Carpenter of Hershey, Rhoads is a family affair.

She grew up perusing Rhoads merchandise while accompanying her mother and late grandmother on shopping trips. Today, she and mother Jill still are Rhoads regulars, particularly for the store’s Hallmark Keepsake Ornament series.

“They have such a unique selection (at Rhoads),” Meghan said. “I love going there especially to buy baby gifts that you won’t find anywhere else, like their prayer animals and mother-and-baby figurines.”

And then there’s the small-town feel that Meghan said that she senses whenever she visits.

The credit for that welcoming atmosphere goes, in part, to Rhoads’ roster of 16 employees, many who have been there for 25 years or more.

“Everyone who works there is so friendly,” she said. “They’re all so willing to take the time to recommend things that you’re looking for.”

All Rewarding

Rhoads’ roots in the Hummelstown community trace back to 1931 when Wesley Sanford established his drugstore there. In 1953, Simon Rhoads purchased the business and renamed it Rhoads Pharmacy. He later redesigned the building’s storefront, remodeled the pharmacy and added a gift shop.

In 1973, Rhoads sold the business to a young couple, Dave and Jeanne Lutz.

Dave had worked as a pharmacist under Rhoads before purchasing the business outright. Since then, they’ve remodeled the store five times, expanding it by purchasing adjoining properties on both sides.

In 2018, Dave Lutz sold the pharmacy operations to CVS, as the corporate chain opened a Hummelstown store blocks away on East Main Street.

“(CVS) came to me,” Lutz noted, after which he retired as a pharmacist.

After the sale, the business name was changed to Rhoads Hallmark and Gift Shop. Today, Dave continues overseeing the overall store while Jeanne supervises merchandise purchases by the store’s department heads.

For years, the Lutzes attended six national trade shows each year to scout for the store’s one-of-kind merchandise, traveling regularly to events in Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia.

Then came the pandemic. In 2020, all trade shows were cancelled. Dave Lutz has only gone to one show so far in 2021, the only one to reopen, he stated. In the interim, most merchandise is purchased through online vendors.

Meanwhile, the store was forced to close for eight weeks from March to May 2020 due to Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic orders. However, Dave Lutz said that business has since recovered.

“Sometimes, it’s been even better,” he said. “Forty percent of our annual revenue comes through the last three months of the year.”

As the business heads towards 50 years under his ownership, Lutz is proud of what they’ve accomplished.

“It’s all rewarding,” he said. “We’ve established one of the most popular shops in central Pennsylvania.”

Rhoads Hallmark & Gift Shop is located at 17 W. Main St., Hummelstown. For more information, call 717-566-2525 or visit www.rhoadsgifts.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like