New Direction

Hey everyone,

I'll skip the preamble and tell you about this new direction. We've decided to close the doors to Gather at the end of the year. 

Okay...deep breath...that was harder to write than I thought it would be.

First, we are not going out of business. Let me say that again so I get your attention: WE ARE NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. We're just finding a new way to do business. There were a lot of reasons to have a storefront when I first opened Gather almost a year and a half ago (I can't believe it's been that long). Honestly, most of those reasons no longer apply. 

The biggest reason I decided to close the doors now is because things are going relatively well. I know that sounds so ridiculous, but listen to my logic. We have no debt. We are normally able to keep a store full of inventory. I always have requests for custom paint jobs, and a long list of items people are hoping I will find. I never wanted to get to a point with the store where we were struggling to stay afloat, find business, or find product. This store isn't like your typical retail store - I can't call up a distributor and ask for more product. I have to go find the product, hope I'm able to buy the product, fix the product, clean the product, possibly repaint the product, and price the product. Then cross my fingers that it sells quickly. 

So, while this sounds like a good situation to be in (and it is, believe me, I know how lucky we are!), it is a LOT of work. A lot. More than I ever knew I was taking on. I sort of jumped into this with both feet, hoping I would someday be able to quit my full-time job, and make Gather my full-time job. 

I want this to continue to be fun. Gather hasn't really ever felt like a "job" to me, possibly because I love it so much. I know if I continue on at this pace, I won't always love it. That's something I won't allow to happen, so I'm choosing to make this decision now, rather than being forced to down the road. 

What does this mean for our customers? Well, first off, I hope you'll come see us while we're still open! We will be participating in the Rural Route Rust Sale at Bloom Where You're Planted on November 2nd & 3rd. If we have enough inventory, we'll be open again one more time in November. If not, that will be the last time you can see us this year. In 2014, I'll be looking for markets to participate in around the area...I visit a lot of them, and there are a lot of great ones I'd love to be a part of. I have a few in mind that have asked me to participate in the past, so I'm hoping to say yes to them this year. 

We'll also still be around in social media form. I'll keep the Gather Facebook page, and I'll still post finds on our Instagram feed (along with lots of other parts of my life), and inspiration on my Pinterest boards. Those are the best ways to keep up with what we're doing and where we'll be. Chances are, I'll also start some sort of mailing list so I can keep our customers informed about upcoming events.

Where can you shop for vintage finds? If you ever need a recommendation, just let me know. I have a pretty good idea of some awesome shops and sellers in the Western Iowa/Eastern Nebraska area. Here are a few of my favorites:
Bloom Where You're Planted (Avoca)
Carole's Flowers, Gifts & Vintages Finds (Weeping Water)
Simply Bungalow (Lincoln)
The Whistle Stop (Elkhorn)

And a few of my favorite events:
Junkstock (April & October, in Omaha)
Rural Route Rust (April & November, in Avoca, Nebraska)
Shopkeeper & Friends (June & October, in Elkhorn, Nebraska)
Junk Jubilee (April, June & November, in Lincoln & Des Moines)
Spring & Autumn Markets at Simply Bungalow (in Lincoln)
Dirt Road Rust & Dust Days at HomeGrown Junk (in Missouri Valley, Iowa)

Finally, a note to you: Whoever you are, however you found me, I want to thank you. Even if you've never been to the shop, commented on a post, or participated in a Facebook discussion, you made your way here somehow, and I truly appreciate that. I've been blessed in my short time as a shopkeeper to meet so many amazing people and form friendships based on a love of junk. Almost every interaction I've had with my customers, vendors, and folks in the community has been positive. The ones that have not been so positive...well, that's a learning experience for me and honestly, I'm glad to have that part of this business behind me. 

I've also been truly blessed to have the support of my friends and family. I know these last 18 months have been a little challenging for all of us. I haven't been at my best because I've been so focused on the shop, and closing our doors is an effort to change all that. I've never for a second forgotten how amazing it is to have the support of people who love me...especially my best friend and husband, Mike. 

I hope you find other stores that make you want to go back again and again. I hope you avoid those who only care about making a quick dollar and don't really care about their customers. I hope you find junk that inspires you and makes you fall in love. Gather has been all those things for me...my home away from home, my dream come true, my inspiration, and my creative outlet. 

Please let me know if you have any questions, or if you want to be added to our mailing list. Thanks again for being part of this journey with me! 

 - Jen

Rural Route Rust Sale Recap

Hi friends!

Long time, no see. Or write. Whatever :)

These last couple of months have been such a whirlwind, and it doesn't look like I'll be slowing down anytime soon. Between Gather, getting ready to move, and work, I haven't had a bit of spare time. That's okay though, it's been so much fun {in between all the stress}!

I hope you were able to make it to the Rural Route Rust Sale at Bloom Where You're Planted a couple of weeks ago. I can't believe it's already been 2 weeks...but let me tell you, the Mr. and I needed about that much time off to recover. 

It was our first show, and I have to say that Bloom Where You're Planted did an amazing job {it was their first show too!} Rumor has it they're planning another show in the fall, so mark your calendars now. I'll update more when they've set a date, but you can bet we'll be there again! 

Enough of my blabbering, I know you want to see pictures, so here you go: 

I told people we planned to empty the store, and that's what we did end up doing. Saturday morning, we hauled a 16-foot cattle trailer down to the farm filled with almost everything Gather had to offer {we had to go back for a second trip on Sunday morning!} Here's the view from the front of our tent. We even took the sign down off the front of the store and hung it in the peak of the tent!

A little tour around the booth. We literally spilled outside of our tent...I guess 200 square feet just wasn't enough junk for us! I realized too late in the day on Sunday that I didn't take any pictures of our Sunday set-up. I also didn't make it around and take pictures of the other booths...I did manage to shop a bit though, and everyone had great things!

We also sold quite a bit of Miss Mustard Milk Seed paint! I hope everyone who bought it is loving it and is addicted to painting as I have become! Those of you who came to show heard me promise that we'll be offering classes and demonstrations at some point this summer. I'm hoping to schedule something during our Anniversary Open House in June, so look for details on that soon!

To everyone who came to visit us - thank you so much! We felt incredibly blessed to see our favorite customers, friends, co-workers, family, and to meet a whole lot of new people who we hope will become friends. It was so much fun, and the two days completely flew by. 

I have to say {publicly} how very fortunate I am to have a husband like Mike. Not too many guys would have given up 5 days to help me clean up a bunch of junk and move a store's worth of furniture {twice}. There's no way I could still be at this shopkeeper thing without his support! 

Coming up on the blog: some Miss Mustard Milk Seed projects {you can see a couple above, but there wasn't time for a full post on them before they sold}, custom painting at Gather, details about our Anniversary Open House, and hopefully some before pictures of the new house! 

I've missed blogging, so I hope to get back into the swing of things. Leave me a comment if you made it to the sale - what was your favorite purchase??  

Happy Friday, friends!

Happy Valentine's Day from Gather!

Hey everyone,

We had a great weekend at Gather! I have just a few pictures to share with you that I snapped over the weekend. If you're a follower on Instagram {@gatherboutique} or on Facebook, then I think you've seen these. I try to take a few pictures throughout the day whenever Gather is open, and try to talk with followers throughout the day if there are questions about what's for sale that month.

This first one is my little tribute to Valentine's Day. Everything on this table was red, pink or white. You can sort of see in this picture one of my first Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint projects - the chairs on the table, painted in Tricycle. I'll try to get a post put together when I can get some close-ups of the chairs, but overall, I loved the way they turned out and working with MMSMP! I can't recommend it enough! 

Speaking of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, here's the new display at Gather! This cart is awesome, and it really lets me show you how many amazing products we're able to carry! So many fun colors that match whatever style of decor you have. 

I found all sorts of industrial goodies this month - some pressure gauges, pulleys, door knob plates and hooks. Those file boxes on the left would make awesome craft storage.

This is the first thing you'll see walking in to Gather this month. I found this amazing cabinet just a couple of weeks ago, and I love it. It's great for storage, and in really great condition considering its age. I've got some cabinet mirrors available with their original hardware that would be really cute hung up or propped on a dresser. 

I've got a lot more things in the works as far as furniture painted with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. I've also got quite a few finds that I wasn't able to get back to Gather in time for Saturday's Gathering. I'm hoping to get them for the Gathering on February 23, so make sure to stop in then and check out our new items!

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend and that I'll get to see you at Gather soon! 

Project Life at Gather?

Hey guys,

It's a really exciting time for Gather. So many changes to look forward to in 2013! But, I need your help making the decision on one of the possible changes.

First, a little background. I think I explained this somewhere along the way, but I named my store Gather because of all the different meanings for that word or the way it could be used. One of my favorite things to do is gather memories through social media and memory keeping. I wanted to figure out some way to incorporate this love of mine in Gather, and also meet a need that isn't being met in our little community.

My preferred method of memory keeping is Project Life. It's so very user friendly, fun, easy, and stress-free. I've introduced several members of my family and friends to the system, I've given kits as gifts, and I've talked about it even more. Unfamiliar with the Project Life concept? Check out this short video from Becky Higgins' website {Becky is the creator of Project Life and a guru in the scrapbooking industry.}



Amazing right? Such a great concept that any of us can adopt into our lives...no matter how busy we are, or what stage of life we're in.

I could talk for days about my own transition to project life from "traditional" scrapbooking. I won't bore you with that. I will say that I've been scrapbooking in some form or another for 15 years. I have a room in my home dedicated to memory keeping. I've spent a lot of money {more than I care to calculate} on all sorts of supplies for scrapbooking. But, in 2011, I made the switch to the Project Life system and never looked back. To read all the posts I've written on my personal journey with Project Life, click here. 

Here's where you come in. I've been presented the awesome opportunity to sell Project Life products at Gather in the spring of 2013! While I'm completely on board for the idea because I love this system so much, I want to know your thoughts on the subject. Is this something we need in our little community? Is this something you are looking for in your life - a practical, affordable memory keeping solution?

Here's a preview of what you might see if we end up selling these products at Gather:

Blush Edition Core Kit

Cinnamon Edition Core Kit

Honey Edition Core Kit

Jade Edition Core Kit

Kraft Edition Core Kit

Midnight Edition Core Kit

Rain Edition Core Kit

As you saw in the video, all you need to complete a memory album with the Project Life system is a Core Kit {pictured above}, an album, page protectors, and a pen. That's it. Now, you can embellish it like crazy if you enjoy that sort of thing or want to personalize the system. That's the great thing about Project Life - it can be simple or intricate or somewhere in between. It really does fit in everyone's lifestyle. 

In addition to core kits, albums, and page protectors, Project Life is now offering Mini Kits and Mini Albums for those events that warrant their own special album - such as weddings, childhood and holidays. 

One last note - if this system is new to you {or even if it's not}, I won't leave you hanging. If I offer this product, I'll also offer free introduction seminars at Gather {that will most likely come with a discount for some product!} I'll also be holding some more specific classes on different Project Life ideas & techniques, and if there's interest, I thought it would be fun to host some working sessions where we can all sit down and complete a mini album together. Again, these things are up to you and whatever you are interested in. 

So, is this something you'd like to see at Gather in the next few months? I get a lot of feedback via Facebook, Instagram, this blog, and from my customers, but this is one of those times I really need you to leave me a comment here on the blog or on Facebook. I'm relying completely on your feedback to make this decision. If I don't hear from you, I'll assume this isn't something you want to see at Gather. If I hear from you that you love the idea and are interested, then I'll do whatever I can to make the product available. It's as simple as that. 

Thanks for your opinion!

ETA: I had to turn comments for this post off due to all the spam I was receiving {on just this post, weird.} Anyway, if you want to leave me feedback on this post, feel free to e-mail me or send me a message on Facebook {facebook.com/gatherboutique}. Thanks!

A Vintage Year in Review

Hey everyone!

One of the things we see most often in the blog world this time of year is the Year in Review. I've done it with regard to my goals for 2012 and my favorites of 2012, but I thought I'd try a new spin on it. A vintage year in review, to be specific. This year has been filled with vintage goodness for me, both at Gather and personally. Instagram has helped me share most of my finds with you throughout the year, but it's fun to see them all in one place.

So, without further ado, my 2012 in vintage finds:

This chippy white bed frame represents my longest drive in the middle of nowhere to find a great vintage piece. I immediately fell in love with the casters and the chipping paint job, and I almost tackled the woman who sold it to me when she told me she thought about scraping the paint off before I got to her farm. 

This great filing cabinet was one of my first major purchases for Gather, easily one of the heaviest, and one of the first sales I made on opening day. I still adore it, and sometimes wish I would have kept it for myself! 

This croquet set was the first thing I saw in a sale bill for an auction and immediately wanted, no matter what the cost. I paid a little more than I wanted to, but it came home with me and I almost jumped up and down when we won! 

This typewriter definitely has the best story - the grandson of the owner told us that his grandpa had typed letters to his family during WWII on this typewriter. I have no idea whether that's true or not, but it's cool to think about. 

This bureau gets the award for my favorite painted piece. The transformation was awesome, and I'd been imaging great things for it for a long time before I actually purchased it. The hardware is still my favorite that I've ever purchased, too. 

This great shop cabinet is one of the only pieces my husband and I immediately agreed would be coming home with us. We saw it in an auction, dirty, and piled full of junk, but knew it would be a great fit at Gather. 

This little blue desk was something I sort of hoped wouldn't sell. I loved it immediately when I saw it, but couldn't think of how I might use it personally. I stuck it in Gather while I thought about it, and it sold not too long afterwards. I know it went to a great home, and I'm glad someone is enjoying it {by the way, I still can't figure out where I would have put it, so I'm glad I didn't keep it}.

This little green chest was probably the most charming piece I bought all year. I got a steal, and it cleaned up so nicely. It sold the first day I had it in Gather. 

This pie safe caught the attention of the auctioneer who sold it to us, and he made sure to tell us we got a great find. I've always pictured a pie safe in my store, but it's still looking for a good home if you're interested!

This dry sink made the biggest transformation, in my opinion. It was in good condition when we bought it, but not at all my style. It looked great after we painted it white, and it didn't hang around the store for too long. We have a distant cousin of this piece, a corner hutch, being finished up and she will hopefully be in the store shortly!

This buffet is the biggest labor of love. The shape was amazing and the hardware is original, but the wood wasn't great. I gave it a gray & white treatment, and all the detail work almost killed me. It turned out so nicely that I really considered keeping it for myself. She just found a new home last weekend though and I'm glad to see that someone else loves her like I do!

These vintage suitcases & trunks have been my obsession all year. I look for them everywhere I go, and my stack stays pretty tall most of the time. The trunk on the bottom was my first purchase from an auction, and I withstood a downpour and the threat of a tornado to make it mine. 

Finally, my vintage sled. I found this last winter, and knew I would hang on to it for my first Christmas at Gather. It sold at my holiday open house, so I'll have to be on the lookout for one for next year! 

It's fun to look back at these pieces and see the trends in what I purchased: I love white furniture, or furniture that can be painted white. I love furniture painted in non-traditional colors that would add a pop to a space. I love metal that is rusty or covered in chippy paint. I love to put things in Gather that I would also put in my home.

I don't see any of those trends for Gather going away in 2013! 

Many thanks to all of you who visited Gather in 2012. It was an amazing 6 months filled with lots of stories and new friendships and fun finds. We can't wait to see what 2013 brings!

Speaking of that, here are our hours for the first half of 2013! 

Saturday, January 12

2nd & 4th Saturdays of every month,  February through May

10am - 3pm

Or by appointment

I also have this piece of news:

All Christmas merchandise is 25% off! 

This is our only Gathering in January, so make sure to stop in and see us! 

Have a great week, everyone!

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint is Here!!

Hey friends!

Yesterday was a great day at Gather, our first shipment of Miss Mustard Seek Milk Paint arrived!!

If you're not familiar with milk paint, check out www.missmustardseedmilkpaint.com for more information and some tutorials on how to use the product. The reason I'm interested and wanted to sell it at Gather is because I think it offers so many painting options, between the different finishes that can be achieved, the ability to mix colors, and so on.

So, I thought it would be fun for you to go through all the product I received. I took a quick video on my iPhone in the store last night, so it's not the best quality, but you'll get the idea!

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint is now available at Gather - and we also happen to be open on Saturday from 10-3! This is a great chance for you to come in and check out the paint for yourselves. It's also plenty of time for you to finish that last minute Christmas shopping if you're not done by then!

As I'm sure you can tell on the video, I'm so excited to have the opportunity to work with a great product, and I can't wait to experiment with it in the next few weeks! I have a ton of great pieces in the store that are just waiting to be painted, so I know Mike and I will be having a lot of painting parties over Christmas break.

For those of you who are new to my blog, Facebook, or Gather Boutique, we are located in Elmwood, Nebraska, which is between Lincoln and Omaha. We'd love to have you stop by and check out what we offer, from vintage finds, to gifts, to painted furniture...and now, Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint!

We've also just set our hours for the first half of 2013! For the most part, we'll be open the 2nd & 4th Saturdays of every month from 10am until 3pm. As I mentioned in the video, we want to start offering some classes in 2013 as well and those will be outside of our regular store hours. If there's a class you'd like to see us offer, please let me know by commenting on this blog post or on our Facebook page!

If you'd like to follow us on Facebook, the address is www.facebook.com/gatherboutique. I also Instagram a lot of photos and store updates, so follow me there if you're an Instagram user! My username is Gatherboutique.

Please let me know if you have any questions about Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. I look forward to seeing you soon at Gather!

Gift Certificate Sale!

Hey all,

Happy Cyber Monday to you!

First, I just have to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to support us this weekend for Small Business Saturday and our Holiday Open House! It was one of our busiest weekends yet, and I loved every second of it! If you follow me on Instagram (@gatherboutique), then you probably saw a photo I posted of the front of our store on Saturday. In the description, I wrote that when I used to dream about this store, I always imagine it at Christmastime. I could just see the store decorated for my favorite time of year. This is a Christmas season I will never forget, and I feel like Saturday, one of my dreams finally came true. Thank you to those of you who were a part of it!

Okay, now on to the sale...

Gather is offering a $25 gift certificate for only $20!! Not bad, right? You can make your own sale with this offer, or save a little money on a gift for a friend. Here's how to purchase:

1. E-mail your name and e-mail address to gatherboutique@gmail.com and let me know you want to purchase a gift certificate (only 1 per customer allowed, sorry!)
2. I'll send you a Paypal invoice for your payment.
3. Make your payment by 11:59pm on November 30th and I'll e-mail you the gift certificate and the terms for use (see below).
4. Print it off and bring it to Gather next time you shop!

And, because everything has terms, here are mine (they're not too bad!):
Pay $20 for a gift certificate valued at $25. The gift certificate may be used by you or given as a gift. Only one offer per customer, please! The gift certificate will expire 1 year from the date of purchase (expiration date will be listed on certificate). Certificates may only be used on products for sale in Gather Boutique, not for online purchases or custom orders. If the full amount of the gift certificate is not used on a purchase, a new gift certificate for the remaining amount will be issued at the time of purchase. Gift certificates that do not have valid promotional codes issued by Gather Boutique will not be accepted. The value of the gift certificate will not be replaced if the card is lost, stolen, destroyed, altered without permission or used without your permission.

If you have any questions, please let me know, I'm happy to answer them for you. I'm not limiting the amount of gift certificates that can be purchased, so be sure to tell your friends about this offer! I'm really excited about it...it's our first "sale" at Gather...and I can tell you, they won't happen that often, so take advantage of this one!

We'll also be offering gift certificates for purchase in the store where you can determine the gift  amount. They won't be part of this special promotion, but if you're looking for a gift idea for someone and have no clue what to buy them, this is a great option!

A couple of other Gather announcements:

1. If you didn't see it on Facebook, (you should follow us if you're not already...www.facebook.com/gatherboutique), we're thrilled to announce that we've been accepted as a seller of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint! We expect to see our order in the next few weeks, and I'm hoping to offer some classes in 2013 showing you how to use this awesome product!

2. Our holiday celebration continues throughout the rest of December. We're open for Gatherings on the following dates:

Saturday, December 8th  10a-3p

Sunday, December 9th  12p-4p

Saturday, December 22nd  10a-5p

I hope to be popping in to the blog more often during the month of December with photos of our Holiday Open House, new products for sale, info about Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, and some updates about what's going on in our life. This is a busy time of year for everyone, so once again, I want to thank you for all your support!

Have a great day, friends! 

September at Gather Boutique

Hi everyone!

Thanks to those of you who came to visit us at Gather on Saturday! We had a great crowd, met lots of new people, and saw some familiar faces as well! Some of my favorite pieces left the store on Saturday {early too!}, but I love that they're going to new homes where they will be loved as much as they were by me.

This post is very photo heavy, but I want you to come on a little tour of Gather with me...

It was time for a change in my window. I love fall, it's my favorite season, and regardless of the weather, I'm ready to decorate for it beginning on September 1st!

Stepping inside Gather's door, this is the first thing you'd see. My favorite found door, a gate from the garden of the house I grew up in, and the wreath I made for the church doors the day of my wedding. {The wreath isn't for sale, but I'd be happy to try to replicate it for someone if they wanted}

Can I offer you a drink?

My front table always stays in the same spot, and it always features some seasonal or holiday specific theme. If I have a new party collection in a month, this is where it is displayed. I don't have an autumn collection {athough my harvest collection probably could have worked here...I'm not sure I've showed you that one though...anyway...}, so I decided to focus on the colors of fall instead. This "Home" monogram is a replica of one that's been in my living room for the past couple of years. I think it would be very cute as a family name monogram as well...for example, a large V with the name "Vogt" under the line for my family. All of my prints are able to be customized, so if you ever see anything you want personalized for you and your family, just let me know!

This little green shop cabinet is my favorite find for the month. {Sorry for the blurry picture.} It sold quickly, and I'll miss it terribly, but I know it's going to be loved by its new owners. I have big plans to make that rake into a display piece, and who knows...that lovely tool box may hold something fun in future months!

This bed frame and night stand were new finds this month as well. The bed frame would look so sweet in a child's room. It's got a great shape and I love the chippy white paint. The little green night stand sold quickly too. It was hand made and had been well-loved for many years.

This chest of drawers doesn't actually match the bed frame, but you'd never know it! It is such a sturdy piece, and has a ton of storage space. Since this picture was taken, we gave her a little makeover with some new hardware.

Last month, we celebrated back to school at Gather. This month, we have a cute vintage desk that definitely would have made my school days more fun {or at least a lot prettier!} I also have a cool globe in muted tones...I keep trying to form a collection of globes, and they keep selling out from under me! I still have this one though.

One last fall centerpiece. I found this wash basin and pitcher just after last month's gathering, and immediately pictured it full of fall flowers. I'm very tempted to take this home and put it on my dining room table.

I've already found a couple of great pieces for October's gatherings, and it's only 3 days past the last one! We have a back room full of furniture waiting to be painted. So much that it's actually overflowing into the store {you can see the stack of tables in one of the photos above, just waiting for a little love}. You'll know where to find me the next month or so!

Have a great day everyone!