I heard some news the other day about one of our village’s newest businesses, Revelle’s Home Decor, and it’s kind of a good news/bad news situation.
The GOOD news is that business is good for Revelle’s. The BAD news is that means they’ve already outgrown their new place on East Main Street.
Revelle’s Home Decor only opened two months ago at 5 East Main, right next to the (also brand new) M.O. Pasta. I stopped in there several times and always had a wonderful chat with owner Peggy Revelle, who clearly was looking forward to becoming an integral part of the local business scene and participating in Village events.
So the loss of Revelle’s is really a loss for the village. But, as I said, this is good news for the family-owned business. Clearly, business has been so good that they’ve already realized they need more space for all the things they want to do, including featuring more new furniture and local crafters and vendors. Peggy also said their paint parties have really taken off, and they need a lot more space for them.
Revelle’s has already found a new space in Ontario at 1864 Rt. 104 East, less than a mile east of Ontario Center Rd.
In anticipation of the move, Revelle’s Home Decor’s Webster Village store is now closed. But in just a few weeks — sometime in August — you can visit their much bigger shop in Ontario, just 10 minutes down Rt. 104.
In the meantime, another business is already planning to move into the empty Revelle’s space, so stay tuned for news about that.
Summer is officially upon us, and Webster has teed up a whole schedule of live music, festivals and special events.
But first, this important community event: The Webster Health Education Network (WHEN) is sponsoring a drug take-back event on Saturday June 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Webster Wastewater Treatment Facility , 226 Phillips Rd. This is your chance to safely dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medications. Only pills will be accepted; please no liquids or sharps.
And since we’re talking about doing good things for our community, here’s Webster HOPE’s Home’s June Wish List:
canned pineapple
canned beets
dish soap
laundry detergent
cooking oil
ketchup, mayonnaise
shampoos and conditioner
diapers (size 4 and 5)
Webster HOPE is located at 1450 Ridge Rd., and open Monday from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.
Schutt’s Apple Mill‘s Summer Celebration returns on Saturday July 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.
This is a great family-friendly event complete with a food truck, ice cream, a bounce house, magic show, animals, face painting, wagon rides and lots more.
There’s a charge for some of the activities, but there’s lots of free stuff for everyone.
Schutt’s is located at 1063 Plank Rd.
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The Summer Concert Series at Cherry Ridge is in full swing. The next concert is scheduled for Tuesday July 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., featuring Eight Days a Week. The concerts are held outside, and the grounds open up at 5 p.m. with food available for purchase. So bring your lawn chair and enjoy some beautiful music.
On August 8, the GateSwingers Big Band will perform, also beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The Friday Night Gazebo Concert series in the Village of Webster is coming together. Here’s the schedule:
July 7: The Red Hot and Blue Band
July 21: Celtic Cross
July 28: Eight Days a Week
The concerts run from 7 to 9 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park on North Ave. in the village, and are free. Bring a lawn chair and blanket and a cooler if you’d like! Information about more concerts as they’re added can be found at websterbid.com
These concerts benefit local nonprofit organizations through free-will donations. The first one will feature Allegro, and proceeds will benefit the Webster Hope Food Pantry. The rest of the summer features:
July 19: Ruby Shooz
July 26: Prime Time Brass
Aug. 2: Dady and Ryan
Aug. 9: 8 Days a Week
There’s no admission charge, but each week the church collects a free-will offering benefiting that week’s chosen non-profit organization.
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On July 22, mark your calendars for the Summer Splash Family Event from 3 to 5 p.m. at First Responders Splash Park, on Chiyoda Drive next door to the Rec Center. If you’ve never been to this spray park before, you owe your children a chance to check it out because it’s good for hours of water fun. The event will include a bubble foam machine and Rich the Magic Man, plus FREE Snowie Ice sponsored by Gleason Orthodontics.
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The 50th annual Waterfront Art Festival returns on Saturday and Sunday July 29 and 30 at Charles E. Sexton Park (formerly North Ponds). It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and features quality fine art and crafts stretching all along the park’s beautiful, shaded pathways.
There’s live music, food vendors, free alcohol tastings, dozens of local artisans and plenty of free parking. Admission is only $5, with children 12 and under free.
Looking ahead to August, mark your calendars for the Webster Jazz Fest, scheduled for Friday and Saturday August 18 and 19. More information to come about that, but you can check out details in the meantime as they’re posted at websterbid.com.
The Village of Webster will welcome another new business in July, when Uncle Buck’s Catering Companyopens at 9 South Ave., in the former Carl’s Pizza Kitchen location.
The new restaurant, which owners Geoff and Carrie Buckert call their “scratch kitchen,” is the culmination of a whirlwind year for the young couple.
A little more than a year ago, on Mother’s Day 2022, the Buckerts bought a food truck. They already had a well-established and very successful catering operation, and a food truck seemed like a natural next step. Their thinking was that they’d run the truck part-time, and do a little catering on the side.
But life had other plans.
They quickly realized how fast their businesses were growing and how much more they wanted to do. In a blink of an eye, the catering and food truck business became Geoff’s full-time job, and Carrie found a job as a school nurse so she could have summers off.
Then Geoff heard that the Carl’s Pizza Kitchen location on South Ave. would soon be available. Business was booming, so opening their own scratch kitchen, kind of a nerve center for the operation, just seemed like a natural next step.
Which is how, just about a month ago — again on Mother’s Day — they signed the lease for their first scratch kitchen.
There’s still a lot of painting and cleaning to do, but Geoff and Carrie are trying to have their restaurant open by the middle of July, hopefully in time for the Firemen’s Carnival and parade. When they do, customers will find the food truck menu they’ve come to know and love, featuring specialty sandwiches and all the sides (and their famous Boardwalk Fries). But now with a brick-and-mortar kitchen, the menu can expand to include things like fish fries and soups, all made from scratch, fresh to-order, with their own homemade stocks and sauces.
The kitchen will be open for take-out and limited inside and outside dining. In the meantime, the food truck and catering company will continue full-speed ahead.
Geoff and Carrie, both Webster Thomas grads and current Webster residents, are thrilled to be setting up their scratch kitchen in the village.
“The biggest thing,” Geoff said, “is being where we grew up and where we have our family. That’s why we like it so much about being here. And it’s ours. It’s not anyone else’s.”
When they open in July, let’s be sure to stop in and let them know we’re happy they’re here, too. Stay tuned for more information about their opening date, but in the meantime you can visit their Facebook page or website to stay up to date.
One of the most colorful signs of summer in Webster is the return of the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market to Webster Towne Center Plaza on Holt Rd.
The market opened for the season on Saturday June 10, and will be set up every Saturday at the plaza from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October, rain or shine.
If you’ve never been to this market you should start making it a regular Saturday morning stop. Varying with the season, you’ll find baked goods, pies, meats, poultry, goat cheese and goat cheese products, flavored nuts, herbs, spice blends, honey, maple syrup, cider, soap and body care products, plants and cut flowers, jewelry, crafts and of course a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
The very popular Evening in the Park Market will also return in July to Charles Sexton Park (formerly known as North Ponds) on Wednesday evenings.
Starting July 19, the market will be set up at the park from 4 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday through August 30. These events will also have food trucks and live entertainment, in addition to the vendors, so remember to pack your quad chairs!
Denise Baller (“Miss Denise”), the enthusiastic, fun-loving owner of Dancing With Denise, was very excited to share news with me about the school’s recently concluded 38th season, which featured all kinds of special events and special people.
The recap she sent to me began,
When the season starts, I’m always grateful for the new classes, new students, new parents joining our dance family and excited to see returning families with students who walk into the studio a little taller and a little wiser. This year was especially happy because the waiting room reopened and everything went back to normal.
The year progressed with learning, laughter and fun and the seasons and special events around Halloween and Christmas filled the studio with excitement and joy! Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet returned for auditions and the performance was amazing.
Recital practice began in January and the resulting performances were “heartwarming,” Denise reported. She especially loved her “buddies” classes and the “Gramma Dance,” where grandmothers danced with their granddaughters.
In September, Dancing With Denise’s 39th dance season will begin, and everything starts over. But the arrival of summer does not mean that Denise is slowing down. She’s got camps planned, a summer series in the park, birthday parties, yoga, Zumba, Fun Nights, and even a class teaching wedding couples to be confident for their first dance as man and wife.
Dancing With Denise is at 1077 Gravel Rd. Check out their Facebook page and website for more information.
Holy cow, have I gotten a huge response from the blog I recently wrote about the Hegedorn’s ceiling tiles.
If you’re not familiar with this story (which is hard to believe), the gist of it is this: 32 years ago, students at Klem North Elementary School painted ceiling tiles which have been hanging above the registers at Hegedorn’s Market since around 1991. But rather than toss them in a dumpster when the store closes at the end of this month, the folks at Hegedorn’s are making an effort to return them to the students who painted them.
The blog has received dozens of comments and hundreds of “likes” and has been shared almost 70 times. I’ve heard from former students all over the state and the country who remember painting tiles, and are interested in getting them back — or at least seeing photos of them.
Hegedorn’s Produce Manager Fred Palmer has been taking the lead in removing the panels, and had originally planned to put them all on display above the produce case so customers would notice them and maybe recognize one.
Well, since the blog has received so much attention, putting them on display has not been necessary. Instead, people are being asked to call Hegedorn’s (585-671-4450), and the service desk is keeping a list of everyone who’s interested in retrieving their tile. Fred is planning to start making phone calls sometime this coming week.
In the meantime, all of the panels have been removed and are being kept in the back room of the store’s produce department. Fred was kind enough to let me spread them all out and take photos of them. It might help even more former students recognize their work, and it might be fun just to remember what all their classmates did.
Click here to see the entire gallery of panels, plus a few miscellaneous photos. I think I was able to photograph them all, but I see that I cut the name off of one of them. If you recognize the one with the Pepsi bottle, corn and carrots, please let me know!
P.S. If you happen to get your panel back, please snap a photo of you with it, so I can feature them in a future follow-up blog. And wouldn’t it be fun to also have your 4th or 5th grade photo along with it …????
P.P.S. Channel 10 and Channel 13 are both planning do stories about the ceiling tiles, so I’ll let you know when I hear more about that.
At the end of this month, when Hegedorn’s Market closes for good, Webster will be losing one of its oldest and most valued businesses. Fortunately, however, plans are in the works to preserve some of the most colorful pieces of Hegedorn’s long history.
For more than three decades, 32 hand-painted ceiling panels have decorated the length of the checkout area, entertaining any shopper (who happened to look up) with pictures of flying food items, snacks and beverages.
The panels, each measuring 2 x 4 feet, were created during the 1990/91 school year by teams of fourth and fifth grade students from Klem North Elementary School. Carrie Frank was a fourth grader that year, and her father Matt was Hegedorn’s Maintenance Manager. It was Matt who first approached art teacher Jack Morse about the unusual, grocery-themed art project.
Carrie remembers the assignment well: to take a product with a label and create it “flying in the sky” above the registers. Matt installed the completed tiles in the ceiling, and the art classes took field trips to the store to see them in place.
Carrie remembers, “It was a great experience as children growing up, every week going shopping and seeing our tiles at check out.”
Now, even though Hegedorn’s is closing, Carrie and her classmates are getting a chance to rekindle those memories and take their panels home.
Fred Palmer, Hegedorn’s current produce manager, has taken on the time-consuming task of removing the panels, and the more difficult challenge of tracking down the original artists. Even though the job means climbing up and down a very tall stepladder and dodging paying customers, Fred knows how important it is.
Pointing at one of the three panels he’d already removed, he said, “This is a piece of history. I’d hate to have it thrown into a dumpster and just be lost. It’s a connection to these kids.”
“It’s the sentimental value more than anything,” he added. “It’s priceless.”
The students signed the back of the panels, so Fred is going to make a list, then display all of the panels along the top of the produce case with name cards. That way, any former student who comes into the store can claim their artwork.
Hegedorn’s last day of operation is Sunday June 25, but Fred hopes to have all of the panels removed well before then.
Carrie Frank’s panel was one of the first to be retrieved. She lives out of town now, but will be back in town soon to reclaim her panel, complete with its flying Campbell’s Soup can. And she’s already got plans for it; she’s going to put it in her kids’ tree fort.
Which means that at least one of the Hegedorn’s tiles will fly again, for the next generation of young artists.
The Village of Webster’s business scene just keeps getting better, with the opening of another new shop on East Main St.
Oh Bella Co, located at 24 East Main, is a charming shop featuring clothing items and accessories especially for young women, but really perfect for most any age.
Owner Isabella Proietti is excited to bring her store to the village, after operating an online shop for five years.
“I’ve always wanted to open a retail shop,” she said. “I like the personal connections you can make. Online for clothing is a little hard because no one can feel the material and try it on. … Although I’ve done well online, I think it would be awesome to have a space, have people come in, talk to them,” she added.
A lifelong Webster resident, Isabella is especially excited to have found what she calls “the perfect space” right on Main Street.
Isabella describes her offerings as
kind of based on my style. I love traveling. I’ve been to different boutiques in Boston and Florida. So it’s a weird mix of beach vibe with a city Boston-girl vibe. I have both of those styles so I’m going to mix them. Cute and comfortable, based on what I look for when I go to the store, with lots of different options, for all ages.
Even though the storefront has been vacant for several years, she and her very helpful family members didn’t have to do too much to fix it up. Just some painting, updating the restroom and installing the changing areas. This week she’s been working hard to get all of the clothing racks set up and her merchandise tagged and ready to go.
That will officially happen this Saturday morning June 3 when Oh Bella has its grand opening celebration — complete with ribbon cutting ceremony — beginning at 10 a.m. The rest of the day, shoppers can browse Oh Bella’s charming selection of clothing and accessories, and grab some delicious desserts and treats made by @OliviaBrynCakes while you shop. Madison Sophia Jewelry will also be on hand with a selection of her beautiful jewelry items.
Take a moment to stop in on Saturday to welcome Oh Bella to the village!
The first Village of Webster Wine Walk for 2023 is coming up fast. It’s scheduled for Saturday June 3 from 4 to 7:00 p.m.
This is always a great time to get together with friends and stroll the streets of the Village of Webster, popping into businesses and sampling so. much. wine. Tickets are $15 each (plus Eventbrite’s $2.85 mark-up) and available only online. You’ll need to register ahead of time (click here), then bring your digital ticket (or paper copy) to the BACK entrance of JoJo Bistro beginning at 3:30 p.m. to sign in. You’ll get a bracelet and a wine glass and a map to guide you on your tour. (Pick up your glass before 5:30.) DO NOT FORGET YOUR ID. It is REQUIRED.
Some of the stops will include Barry’s Old School Irish, Brimont Bistro, The Coach Sports Bar, Woodland Silkscreen and Embroidery/OHHH, LORDEE! Sauces, and Finns Automotive. This is a great chance to visit several of the village’s newest businesses as well!
The Gazebo Concerts are held from 7 to 9 p.m. and are free.
There’s a Family Games Night tentatively scheduled for August 11, but that may change.
The Webster Jazz Fest is scheduled for August 18 and 19, with “Jazz in the Pubs” on Friday from 6 to 10 p.m., and Jazz in the Street” on Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m.
The Webster Fireman’s Field will be hopping in September, with a Fireman’s Field Evening/Coach’s ALS Fundraiser on Sept. 9; the Oktoberfest Sept. 15 to 17; the Zach Brown Tribute Band on Sept. 21; and an all-day cornhole tournament on Sept. 23 (actually, I think this national tournament will run for two weekends, but more info to come about that later).
This year’s Beer Walk is scheduled for Saturday, October 14.
Two brand new events have been added to the calendar this year as well: the Webster Village Bed Race will take over Main Street on Saturday Sept. 16, and a Health Fair is also in the works, but the date for that has not been set.
And of course, watch for blogs about the Trick or Treat Trail in October and Webster’s Winter Wonderland in December.
Whew. I hope you had your calendar out.
More information about all these events, when it becomes available, can be found at websterbid.com.
There are a lot of fine businesses in Webster. But every once in a while one stands out to me, usually because of the strong commitment they’ve made to support our community.
Such is the case for Rosy Glow Maternity, a small, woman-owned shop catering exclusively to expectant and brand-new mothers. Located in Sunrise Plaza across the street from Delta Sonic in Ridge Rd., Rosy Glow is owned by Kari Tetzlaff, a mother of five herself. It’s not a big place, but it’s comfortably stocked with a wide variety of fashionable, reasonably-priced clothing for women in all stages of pregnancy, plus a nice selection of self-care products, like sitz baths, nursing ware, nipple balms and post-partum products all made by women-owned, local small businesses.
Kari opened the shop almost two years ago. She was pregnant with her now three-year old, and was a little stressed out; Motherhood Maternity, her go-to maternity shop, had just closed their retail locations.
“We were moving here to Webster from the city, I was pregnant, and starting a new job. I was, ‘Now where do I go? How do I get myself dressed for this brand new job?'”
Fortunately, some of her new neighbors were able to help, giving her their unused maternity clothes. So at least she then had enough clothes to get dressed, but started to wonder, how can everyone else get dressed? “I don’t recommend moving when you’re really pregnant, but if you have to, you don’t always luck out having neighbors like that.”
That’s how the idea got started in her head, she said. But it wasn’t until COVID hit and she almost immediately lost her new job, that she decided she needed something to do with her free time. The answer was seemed clear: she’d open a maternity shop where all expectant moms can find the clothing and products they need for reasonable prices.
Starting a brand new business in the middle of the COVID shutdown was a risky proposition, she admitted. But, dealing with pregnancy doesn’t offer a whole lot of options like working via Zoom or ordering out from restaurants.
“You can go nowhere to get anything, but you’re still pregnant,” she said. “You still have to go to some prenatal appointments. You still have to go get blood work done, you still have to make it to the hospital to deliver your baby, go to the pediatrician after. Those are still non-negotiable. And what do you wear if you have nothing to wear?”
With Rosy Glow, Kari is trying to answer that question for all of the expectant and “newly-minted” moms out there who have few places to turn for comfortable clothes. She’s able to keep her prices low by selling only pre-loved items, carefully selected and purchased from women who no longer need them.
That approach presented its own challenges during COVID when new mothers were naturally uncomfortable letting her into their homes to pick up their items. So she invited women to drop them off at the shop or leave them on her doorstep. She also remembers spending many hours bundled up against the winter while sorting through items in cold garages.
But selling maternity clothes and products is just a part of Kari’s mission with Rosy Glow. She spends as much time as necessary with each customer, getting to know her, her situation, and the kind of support she needs. She’ll offer information about their birthing options. She’ll listen as they talk about their aches and pains and difficulties they’ve faced with their pregnancy. She’ll gently warn them about issues that might lie ahead, then offer encouragement that they’ll be able to overcome them. If they need more professional support, they only need to turn around to peruse the business cards tacked to the “resource board” near the checkout desk.
Every aspect of Kari’s business is focused on removing as much stress from a woman’s pregnancy as she can. Her philosophy is, “It should not be a struggle to get dressed.” For women who might have financial concerns, there’s an entire rack of free, take-what-you-need clothes in the front vestibule. She has a browse-and-borrow library stocked with books about pregnancy, birth, how to become a doula, and more. Her “Red Carpet” rental collection of gowns and fancy dresses is very popular.
“I really feel that I’m here to serve moms.”
I met Kari at the Blue Star Mothers Military Baby Shower a few weeks ago, where she was volunteering her time to connect with and support young mothers. She continues to support the Blue Star Mothers, donating the entire proceeds to them from a selection of clothes in her shop.
That’s the kind of commitment to community I’m talking about.
Rosy Glow Maternity is located in Sunrise Plaza, 1778 Empire Blvd., across the street from Delta Sonic. Find out more on her Facebook page and website and on Instagram (@rosyglowmaternity).
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
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