Shopping With Kelly

Every January we have the considerable job of heading to the Grand Poobah of retail markets; the Atlanta Market. It is an eight day shopping extravaganza, with over 8,000 gift and home brands! We search for new artists, latest product trends in home décor, tabletop, toy, jewelry, and stationery. It is three 20 story buildings that bring a large variety of different categories all in one place. Sure it may be easier to buy for the store a different way— but meeting the artists in person, seeing their wares firsthand, and feeling the quality, is extremely important to us in selecting what we have to offer our customers.

Here are a few of my favorite finds!

For many of us, nothing pairs better with a book than tea. Tea has been very important in the history of America and Oliver Pluff & Company from Charleston, South Carolina is preserving the tradition of time-honored teas and early American coffee blends. The tradition of tea and coffee spans American history in its entirety. Their teas and coffees honor this history through flavors, ingredients, and more.

A veteran-owned small business, Oliver Pluff & Co. respects the story of early America and the teas, toddies, and coffee the founders enjoyed. As the company website states, "History and the beverages we produce, are meant to be shared. We hope you enjoy Oliver Pluff products as much as we enjoy making them for you!”

The Colonial Bohea blend is a black tea with a smokey flavor. It was so popular in colonial times that "Bohea" became the common word for all tea. In fact, the majority of tea destroyed during tea tax protests in revolutionary America was Colonial Bohea. Each tin of tea comes with a historical picture and story. So when Poor Richard’s Almanac doesn’t inspire your morality, perhaps a lovely cup of Bohea would help.