A Cold Coke and a Warm Smile
by Bonnie Williamson You’re greeted with a Coke and a smile as you walk through the doors. This may seem like an unusual way to attract customers to a furniture store, but it has been a tradition at Grand Home Furnishings, a third generation family-run business, since 1953. “It’s a welcoming gesture. A cold Coke and a warm smile,” says Matt Cox, the store manager of Grand Home Furnishings newest store in Martinsburg, West Virginia. “The furniture you buy becomes a part of your family. We want you to become a part of ours.” The idea for the Coke came from: what is the first thing someone offers guests when they visit? Something to drink. When the chain’s store opened in Lynchburg, Virginia, back in 1953, Grand Home’s founder George Cartledge, Sr. offered Cokes to customers who came to the store’s grand opening. Nearly 10,000 people came to the store over the next three days. Grand now gives out more than one million bottles of Coca-Cola a year. A little bit of history follows. The chain’s first location was in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1911 under the name of Grand Piano Company, specializing in pianos, other musical instruments and related merchandise. During the 1930s, the company added furniture, radios and phonographs. The Cartledge family purchased the store in 1945, changing the name to the Grand Piano and Furniture Company. The chain expanded in the 1950s to other locations in southwest Virginia and eventually other states. Eventually, Grand stopped selling pianos and became Grand Home Furnishings in 1998. The Martinsburg store opened in December last year on the site of the former Bon Ton store, which had been part of the Martinsburg Mall complex. The mall, which closed in 2016, was located at 840 Foxcroft Ave. “People in the community really wanted us here. There was just about nothing left on the site since the mall closed. People had to travel outside of the area to find places to shop. We wanted to keep things local, bring things back. We also see a tremendous potential for growth with corporations like Proctor and Gamble settling in the area,” says Cox. The Grand Home Furnishings store has 60,000 square feet of open space packed with furniture and a wide variety of home accessories as far as the eye can see. And customers shouldn’t just look at what’s available. They can become part of the furnishings. Literally. “We want people to sit on the furniture. Try it. Use it. See how it feels. Furniture is meant to be used. It’s okay to relax. The furniture you choose should be right for your home. People...
Westwood Charm Boutique; Fashion is a Community, Not a Competition
Chelsea Tederick “Fashion has to reflect who you are. What you feel at the moment. Where you are going.” – Pharrell Williams Every quaint downtown main street needs a few basics to be successful in serving the community well, typically referred to as the butcher, the baker and candlestick maker. In fact, Small Business Saturday has become one of the most popular and beneficial shopping events to grace our area as we are a demographic of individuals that enjoy gathering together, visiting all of the local hotspots and giving back to the community as a whole. The very idea of shopping locally sparks a very nostalgic image of window shopping as a family and spending time with those closest to us. Westwood Charm Boutique in downtown Martinsburg is bringing all of those sentimental and comfy, cozy feelings that shopping within ones specific community can create. Being downtown gives us an assortment of businesses to frequent, however, what none of us realized is how much we needed a new women’s clothing store that caters to this very demographic of ladies. Personalized and custom attire blends in with high-end market items, along with local, tailor made pieces that are serving the downtown natives well. Without a doubt this is an establishment that we have been longing for! Jillian Wyand’s childhood home was on Westwood Ave. in Baltimore, MD. and the charming name lent muse to the naming of her dream. A local, graduating from Hedgesville High School, that is deeply dedicated to the care and happiness of the people here, opened Westwood Charm Boutique in 2017 at a location in Meadow Lane Plaza. After getting her feet wet, Jillian realized that her attention was set on making her solo dream a reality and with the support of her loving husband, Matthew, along with 3 beautiful children, she set out to find a location that suited her aesthetic. Being so customer driven and willing to plunge into serving her community, a downtown location, across from the flower shop, established jewelry store and glass gallery seemed like the perfect location to immerse herself into the demographic of shoppers, and it did not disappoint. Most of us can agree that while it is nice to have the amenities of a large city, there is nothing quite like the tailored help that can be offered by Jillian at Westwood Charm. Red carpet service from the moment you enter the boutique as you will be greeted with a warm salutation, smile and offerings of help. If shopping for clothing is not something that is particularly enjoyable to you, step into Jillian’s ‘office’ and watch her create...
The Studio Salon, Spa & Boutique: Hidden Gem of Motivation, Inspiration and Fashion
By: Chelsea Tederick “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself”- Coco Chanel Spring is finally making an appearance and it is, without a doubt, the year to be sweet and kind yourself. We are in a world that gives us Instagram models and celebrities to compare ourselves to, however, 2019 is the year to reclaim your inner beauty by treating yourself to the luxurious experience of a full body beautification at The Studio Salon, Spa and Boutique, just off of Winchester Ave. in Martinsburg, WV. . While it is easy to say that beauty comes from within, it seems like something less tangible in person, however, spend a day with the girls at The Studio and you will radiate from within and every inch of you will be covered in the tranquil confidence that you can be yourself and look fabulous doing so. The Studio is a chic, unique and ever evolving salon, spa and boutique that gives their clientele the experience of the best technical work, the most modern services and the ultimate in self-care professionalism. Each individual hairdresser, nail technician, esthetician and massage therapist (Equipped with the best brands) are talented artists with the education and creativity to have you looking and feeling beautiful as well as refreshed and ready to take on the world. While watching customers in their individual chairs, speaking to their technician, you can see and feel the confidence radiating around the room. From the moment I stepped foot into The Studio Salon, Spa and Boutique, even I couldn’t deny the urge to be pampered and showered with beautifying attention. Stacey McFarland, gorgeous owner of The Studio Salon, Spa and Boutique, just recently stepped away from her own chair after 32 years of mastering dedication to her craft of hair care. It is that very passion and love for what she achieved that inspired her to open this hidden gem that feels as though you have been transported into the most modern of salons in a world that is filled with all of the major brands and services to suite any and all tastes. Stacey is a breath of fresh air in this industry as she is forward thinking, modern and maintains staying very relevant in an ever-evolving business. While speaking, it is apparent that her main goal is the encouragement, lifting up, and support of our fellow women as she exudes an enigmatic personality that is both magnetic and charming. With the motto to “Breath love, hope and encouragement”, it is easy to feel relaxed immediately in the tranquil décor, laden with inspirational quotes as well as the most beautiful...
A Place to Meet and Greet with Great Eats
by Bonnie Williamson Domestic has a number of definitions. It can mean relating to home, household or family. It can also mean something produced or manufactured in one’s own country. Both definitions can be applied to Domestic, a restaurant in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. “We have an open and welcoming casual environment. We’re not pretentious. We want people to feel at home,” says Domestic’s owner and chef Doug Vaira. “We’re a casual American restaurant with classic iconic American dishes that remind people of their childhood. We also have American wines and a selection of domestic craft beers.” Burgers have always been a particular popular bit of American fare. Of course, they’re on the menu, but Vaira adds creative twists to that dish. Rise and Shine, for example, consists of the burger, an over-easy egg, bacon, white cheddar cheese and garlic aioli. Then there’s Glazed and Confused where the burger is served on a glazed donut bun, along with bacon and sriracha aioli, a hot sauce containing eggs, garlic, oil, lemon juice and spices. Vaira lists two entrees offered as the most popular ones. They include blackened catfish served with cheddar grits, tomato gravy, and balsamic brussel sprouts. The other dish is pan-seared crab cakes with green goddess sauce, which contains mayonnaise, sour cream, chervil, chives, anchovy, tarragon, lemon juice and pepper, along with shaved butternut squash and carrot salad and hand-cut fries. “People also like our tot-chos. It’s a tater tot with a difference,” Vaira says. The loaded tot-cho is a tater tot dipped in queso, salsa with beer-pickled jalapenos. Other appetizers include bacon-wrapped scallops and crispy fried green beans. A wide variety of sandwiches are included on the menu, like the Reuben: corned beef, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing; fish and chips; the clubber: grilled turkey breasts, bacon, tomato, red cabbage slaw and garlic aioli; a variation on the Sloppy Joe called Sloppy Jose: ground beef, cumin, jalapeno, tomato and white cheddar; and something called the not-so-philly cheesesteak: shredded white cheddar, chipotle aioli, diced jalapenos, roasted red peppers and caramelized onion. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are also on the menu. “We cater to carnivores and others,” Vaira says. Domestic even has a brunch menu with such items as French toast, biscuits and sausage gravy and sausage biscuit quiche with red pepper, purple onion, white cheddar, chilis and mesclun salad, a mix of assorted salad greens. Snack and share items include southern pan-fried grit cakes, fried pickles and beer-battered onion rings. Under the heading land and plant, Domestic offers Asian grilled chicken salad: romaine lettuce, bacon, red chiles, green onions and creamy miso ranch dressing; and honey-garlic chicken: brussel sprouts,...
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