Folks, I’m delighted to announce the Grand Opening of my new store in the Oak Park Arts District!!! Nature-themed gifts, local authors and artists, free community events, games and more.
Let me take a moment to just say how grateful I am to everyone who’s supported me over the last few years — from those who liked and shared my writing & art posts (help with visibility is SO important these days, to beat the algorithms), to those who purchased items for themselves or as gifts (I hope the recipients loved them!), and those who told friends and family about my work.
Some of you have been supporting me for many years (since the dawn of the internet!); some of you found me recently, at a local art fair, or when I started the incubator project at Berwyn Sprout, or when I moved into the bigger incubator shed at the Berwyn Shops. And a big shout-out to the Berwyn Development Corporation here — the incubators were SO helpful, and I learned a ton, from my customers, from the BDC, and from my fabulous fellow vendors.
It’s not easy to be a writer or an artist these days — recently, especially with the rise of AI, it’s felt harder than ever. We truly appreciate folks who seek out and support us. I’ve got a scar on my hand from resin sanding right now, and a burn from cooking as I develop a new recipe for the next cookbook — AI will never be able to show you its scars. 🙂
And personally, in these challenging times, I’ve just really appreciated the chance to talk about art and gardens and yarn and just be in community with you all. It gives me joy and strength, both badly needed these days. So, thank you.
The Grand Opening will be the last weekend in February, and I’ve planned a host of fun, free activities. Take a look at the schedule, and if something appeals, I hope you’ll stop by. I tried to give a range of the kinds of things we’ll be doing at the store — I’m going to attach the upcoming regular calendar here too, so you can check out things that aren’t happening at the Grand Opening, like co-writing and the SF/F book club!
We’re still working on a new website (it’ll be at www.serendibhousestudio.com), but for now, you can check this page for event listings: https://maryannemohanraj.com/serendib-house-events/
You can also sign up for our newsletter — there are two! One for local, one general:
https://maryannemohanraj.eo.page/local
https://maryannemohanraj.eo.page/general
For out-of-towners, I’m trying to get as much as I can listed in the online store — not sure it’ll all be up there by Grand Opening, but I’m adding new items every week, so do stop by and check it out: http://www.serendibshop.com .
(Locals, if you can’t make it out to the store during open hours, I’m happy to arrange porch pick-up, and may even be able to do home delivery — if you need that, ask — e-mail to mohanraj@mamohanraj.com or DM. If you’re COVID-cautious or otherwise need a private shopping time, please ask for that too. I’ll do my best to accommodate you.)
FEBRUARY CALENDAR:
Valentine’s Week Soft Open:
Thurs 2/12: 4-7
Fri 2/13: 10-1
Saturday 2/14: 12-4
Sunday 2/14: 12-4
Also Open:
Sat 2/21: 12-4
Sun 2/22: 12-4
We’re still finalizing regular hours, so stay tuned. 🙂
FREE REGULAR EVENTS:
Saturday mornings (2/14, 2/21, 2/28): Weekly Yarn Circle 9-11 (all are welcome, ages 18+) — Bring your yarn, your needles, your hooks — all textile folks welcome. Knitting, crochet, embroidery, weaving (small!), drop spindle spinning, needle-felting, etc. and so on. Beginners welcome.
First Sunday of the month (3/1), Garden Club Meet-up 9-11 a.m. (all are welcome): Seed / cuttings / perennial exchange, general garden talk. Bring your garden problems for us to discuss, your plant and design questions. Browse our garden books, have some tea, and talk about plants for a bit. Beginners welcome.
Fourth Sunday of the month (2/22), Co-writing 9-11 a.m. (all are welcome, ages 18+): Got a project you need to work on? Come and write in company. We’ll chat for the first 5-10 minutes, get settled, write quietly for 45 minutes, and repeat.
Fourth Sunday of the month (2/22), Book Club 5-7 p.m. (all are welcome, ages 18+) — for the first few sessions, Mary Anne will pick a book (or novella, or short story), then we’ll pick one jointly. Mostly SF/F, often political. The book for February is a novella, Becky Chambers’ A Psalm of the Wild Built. Monks, robots, tea, and a peaceful walk through the woods, plus bonus cli-fi (climate fiction).
GRAND OPENING WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Friday February 27 – Sunday March 1
Fri / Sat / Sun: raffle! Stop into the store to collect a free raffle ticket — we’ll draw three lucky winners to collect a raffle basket full of hand-made artisan delights.
Friday 2/27: (Store open 1 – 7)
2 – 2:30 p.m.: Storytime — Mary Anne will read some of her favorite picture books.
3 p.m.: Ribbon-Cutting
7-9 p.m.: monthly board game night (all are welcome, ages 14+)
Saturday 2/28: (Store open 9 – 6)
9 – 11 a.m.: Yarn circle — Join us for our weekly yarn circle!
12 – 2 p.m.: Mimosas and samosas: Kick off Saturday’s festivities with mango mimosas, non-alcoholic mango punch, and spicy samosas.
1 p.m.: First raffle drawing
3 – 4 p.m.: Free card-making workshop: Stop in for a little creative treat — we’ll have supplies on hand for making stamped and embossed cards. Kids welcome (with supervision).
5 – 6:30 p.m.: Meet the artists reception: We’re delighted to feature artwork by Jane Sirinek, Michael Doyle, and Stephanie Bailey. Stop by and meet the artists! Light refreshments will be served.
6 p.m.: Second raffle drawing
Sunday 3/1: (Store open 9 – 5)
9 – 11 a.m.: Monthly garden club meet-up and seed / cuttings / perennial exchange (all are welcome)
12 – 1 p.m.: Free flower preservation workshop — learn how to press, dehydrate, and use silica gel to preserve flowers
1 p.m.: Final raffle drawing
2 – 3 p.m.: Free UV resin / two-part epoxy resin talk — I’ll talk you through working with UV resin and two-part epoxy resin (this is NOT a hands-on workshop, but we’ll have lots of examples for you to look at)
4 – 5 p.m.: Poetry circle — bring a poem to share as we close out the weekend; it can be one you’ve written, or a favorite by someone else. Nature poems particularly encouraged.
Whew! Again, thanks, especially if you read through all that. 🙂 I figured better to do one long post, rather than spam with you with a bunch of short ones. 🙂
301 Harrison Street, Oak Park
Oak Park Arts District Business Association
