Cottage Curios in Salem
Each e-mail from Becky boosted the time up that we would meet at Wallie World this morning so I could leave my PT there & we'd take her PT over to Salem. First it was 9:15, then 9, then 8:30, 8:15, finally: 8 am!
Since we're both morning people, this was no problem but it seems Peggy Shifflett, owner of Cottage Curios, had a group of 40...honest, 40!...wives of pediatric surgeons coming to her shop around 9-9:30 & she wanted to get three of us writers set up in her Red Room, where she displays books by local writers on shelves surrounding Christmas displays. Peggy's shop is a consignment shop; i.e., weavers, knitters, painters, writers, and other creative people she knows display their works for sale, with 15% going to Peggy.
Her taste is exquisite...I wanted to buy things as soon as my books started selling. I DID find a very old gold-trimmed covered casserole dish identical to one my grandmother used to have. I also found a beautiful antique-looking bracelet, but someone else bought it before I could make my mind up.
When the doctors' wives arrived, it was great. Each wore a name tag complete with city they were from: Nashville, TN; Georgia, Kentucky, everywhere imaginable. They were delighted with Peggy's shop and laughed a lot when Becky read from her 2nd Peevish Advice book and as I read from my When Men Move to the Basement. Apparently, even doctors move to the basement...one woman laughed & said her husband takes up space all over the house & SHE is the one who needs to find her own space! Dick Raymond was there from Roanoke, reading some of his poetry and promoting his military book. The women had just come from touring the Bedford War Memorial and were very impressed with that site. Dick also played his ukulele & sang a bit.
Meanwhile, Peggy had set chairs outside under a big tree, giving a talk about her own books, Mom's Family Pie: Memories of Food, Traditions & Family in Appalachia and her first book, The Red Flannel Rag: Memories of an Appalachian Childhood. That way, about 20 women were inside the house/shop, going from room to room, while another 20 were outside listening to Peggy's presentation.
Oh, and there was food...Baked Apple Dumplings made from a recipe in Peggy's Family Pie book were steaming up the kitchen, along with fresh hot coffee.
Just before we left, about noon, in came Ibby Greer and an old friend of hers, Diane. They had already had lunch, but steered us to a newly opened tea room on West Main Street in Salem Called "Petticoats & Petit Fours Tea Room." Lace-covered tables, cloth napkins, lovely teacups, well...it was certainly elegant. I had a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant with halved grapes flavoring the chicken, a salad of mixed greens, a white chocolate scone with pineapple cream (yes, I really needed that after my 10 am apple dumpling, yes indeedy) and iced tea. Ida B., of course, in keeping with the elegance, had a pot of Earl Gray tea and a slice of spinach quiche with her salad & scone.
I wanted to waddle back to Rocky Mount behind Becky's PT but she talked me out of it ....
Since we're both morning people, this was no problem but it seems Peggy Shifflett, owner of Cottage Curios, had a group of 40...honest, 40!...wives of pediatric surgeons coming to her shop around 9-9:30 & she wanted to get three of us writers set up in her Red Room, where she displays books by local writers on shelves surrounding Christmas displays. Peggy's shop is a consignment shop; i.e., weavers, knitters, painters, writers, and other creative people she knows display their works for sale, with 15% going to Peggy.
Her taste is exquisite...I wanted to buy things as soon as my books started selling. I DID find a very old gold-trimmed covered casserole dish identical to one my grandmother used to have. I also found a beautiful antique-looking bracelet, but someone else bought it before I could make my mind up.
When the doctors' wives arrived, it was great. Each wore a name tag complete with city they were from: Nashville, TN; Georgia, Kentucky, everywhere imaginable. They were delighted with Peggy's shop and laughed a lot when Becky read from her 2nd Peevish Advice book and as I read from my When Men Move to the Basement. Apparently, even doctors move to the basement...one woman laughed & said her husband takes up space all over the house & SHE is the one who needs to find her own space! Dick Raymond was there from Roanoke, reading some of his poetry and promoting his military book. The women had just come from touring the Bedford War Memorial and were very impressed with that site. Dick also played his ukulele & sang a bit.
Meanwhile, Peggy had set chairs outside under a big tree, giving a talk about her own books, Mom's Family Pie: Memories of Food, Traditions & Family in Appalachia and her first book, The Red Flannel Rag: Memories of an Appalachian Childhood. That way, about 20 women were inside the house/shop, going from room to room, while another 20 were outside listening to Peggy's presentation.
Oh, and there was food...Baked Apple Dumplings made from a recipe in Peggy's Family Pie book were steaming up the kitchen, along with fresh hot coffee.
Just before we left, about noon, in came Ibby Greer and an old friend of hers, Diane. They had already had lunch, but steered us to a newly opened tea room on West Main Street in Salem Called "Petticoats & Petit Fours Tea Room." Lace-covered tables, cloth napkins, lovely teacups, well...it was certainly elegant. I had a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant with halved grapes flavoring the chicken, a salad of mixed greens, a white chocolate scone with pineapple cream (yes, I really needed that after my 10 am apple dumpling, yes indeedy) and iced tea. Ida B., of course, in keeping with the elegance, had a pot of Earl Gray tea and a slice of spinach quiche with her salad & scone.
I wanted to waddle back to Rocky Mount behind Becky's PT but she talked me out of it ....
Labels: tea room
posted by Marion | 6:52 PM
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