Home Decor

Summertime - refresh and recharge

Jessica Crawford
Cotton & Co.

(7/2021) Summertime in retail is generally a slower season, but it’s a great excuse for us to do some seasonal cleaning, and rearranging of the shop. We’re gearing up for some exciting changes and additions over at Cotton & Co, in Keymar, this Summer. Some of which have already begun, and some are in the works through the rest of 2021. We love a reason to reinvent and refresh.

We’ve recently expanded our women’s clothing and accessories selection, thanks to our vendor Molly’s Meanderings. She owns a brick and mortar shop in downtown Frederick, but also supplies our shop with a beautiful sampling of the products she carries at her own store. She recently expanded her presence into a larger space by bringing in fresh, new product lines, seasonal attire, a few fragrance lines, and an incredible array of trendy and classic accessories and handbags. Her products are great for a treat-yourself-situation or as gifts.

We’ve also reinvented and moved our children’s space. Our customers are young and old, we offer items in the shop for all ages, including the littlest ones. We’re going to be focusing on supporting and displaying wares from multiple artisans in the community that produce handmade children’s goods. You’ll find that space now located on our first floor, near the street-front. It will be evolving and expanding over the Summer months as we bring in new merchandise and child-centric consignors.

Our second story has gone through an over-haul as well. We’ve done some space rearranging, and some of our vendors have swapped spaces to enlarge their presence. Our handmade macrame vendor, The Knotty Hippie, has doubled her space and product line in the shop. She’ll be putting her Summertime focus into handmade plant hangers. These are perfect for indoor houseplants, which are a massive trend right now. And also covered porches, patios and all-seasons room. Her style tends to be naturalistic, using earth-tone colors that complement the bright, natural, lush green of a houseplant.

We also carry a wide selection of seasonal and year-round favorites from our local, wood-wick, 100% soy, candle maker. Her candles are perfect for home and gifting, and offer a beautiful, subtle crackle ambiance as they gently burn. She was sharing a space with our local potter, but the two businesses decided they were also ready to upgrade and enlarge their presence in the shop. So each has ventured into their own spaces. Our candle maker is now not only offering her candles in three standard sizes and wax melts. But also specialty ceramic vessels. In addition to the actual candle themselves, she’s expanding into accessories, such as gorgeous and unique wax melt warmers to compliment her handmade products. And fancy matches too! Her handmade candles are not only great for your home, but also housewarming, birthday, and just because gifts too!

While upstairs completely transformed in June, we haven’t forgotten about our downstairs spaces. These changes will be trickling in over the Summer and into the Fall even. Our earthy inspired jewelry and crystals vendor will be expanding into a larger, more cohesive space. And will be offering more of an herbal apothecary too.

We’re also working on a seasonal showroom, that will change themes monthly. Each month, will feature a collaboration from the artisan and vintage vendors storewide, with different themes based on the season and month. We’re planning a seaside/coastal showroom for July and fading into a back-to-school showroom for August.

In addition to all of our artisan and specialty vendors storewide, we also have a tremendous vintage selection, from a variety of vendors. They each have their own identity and style and specialize in their own era and look. The vendor team is fantastic at updating their spaces multiple times a month, bringing in new inventory, swapping out seasonal items and overall refreshing their spaces.

Summer is definitely here. It’s been absolutely gorgeous too. And we have so much in stock to help you complete those spaces in your home, own outdoor entertaining and parties, gifts for all occasions and celebrations, and just a way to get out of the house for a bit.

And did you know that we offer private shopping events? Reserve the shop for your own private event, bring your friends and family, and reconnect after a year and more of feeling disconnected from our loved ones. Enjoy our outdoor firepit area too! We offer this to parties of ten or more, with a group spending minimum of $250. They’ve been such a great way to socialize in a safe manor during the pandemic. Just send a message to us through Instagram or facebook to reserve your private shopping event.

And to end on something delicious. Our employee and mailing list manager, Shannon, blogger behind The Untamed Optimist on Instagram, developed and created this delicious Summer Recipe for Hot Corn Dip, utilizing Chipotle Chicken Dust from JO Spice, available for purchase in our Maryland General Store. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 2 tbsp. chipotle chicken dust
• 1 tsp. fajita seasoning
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese blend (4-cheese, parmesan, cheddar, Colby jack, etc.)
• 1 cup corn (fresh off the cob or canned)

Instructions: Place the pad of butter in a cast-iron skillet on low heat. When melted, add corn and let it sit on one side for a minute before stirring. Once the corn has cooked for about 2 minutes, add the flour and stir. It will bond with the butter, so add the milk shortly after and stir to combine. Add the sour cream to the corn mix, along with your seasonings. Once the mixture is smooth, add your cheese blend. It is important to continuously stir while on the heat or it is prone to burning. Take off the heat once the mixture is completely melted and there is no separation between the cheese and sour cream. Pour into a heat-safe dish and serve with chips, crackers, or on toast with crab soup!

This recipe is so versatile as it could be served on toast, crackers, chips, or even baked potato! I love how the bold chipotle flavor pairs with the corn while not being too strong.