Visiting Beekman 1802 Mercantile in Sharon Springs, New York
Watch my interview at Google headquarters with honcho Marissa Mayer here!
On yesterday’s blog, we visited The Beekman 1802 Farm, owned by former MSLO employee, Dr. Brent Ridge and his partner, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, located in bucolic Sharon Springs, New York. Sharon Springs is recognized by both the National Register of Historic Places, as well as New York State’s Register of Historic Places as a historic spa village. In recent years, many of the town’s buildings have been restored and improved upon as entrepreneurs have moved to Sharon to open businesses. After leaving the Beekman 1802 Farm, we took a little stroll down charming Main Street and paid a visit to Beekman 1802 Mercantile, Adelphi Paper Hangings, and Anonymous Bookbinder.
1 Brent and Josh started the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival in 2009 as a way to celebrate the harvest from local farmers and to bring the community together. It had a turnout of 500 people and last year, that number grew to 5000!
2 The Beekman 1802 Mercantile is located on Main Street in Sharon Springs, where Brent and Josh are committed to sharing only handmade, chemical-free, artisanal products straight from the Beekman Farm and Sharon Springs.
3 In the spring, newborn goats are often brought from the farm to spend time in this pen out front, where they are adored by young and old alike. http://beekman1802.com/
4 The growing season is over, but when there is an abundance of fresh produce, it's put on display for sale on the front porch. Nearly all of the Beekman 1802 vegetables are grown from heirloom seeds.
5 Can you tell what day they are not open?
6 A great portrait of Beekman farm goats greets you in the entrance way.
7 When they first acquired their farm and goats, Brent and Josh began making handmade goat milk soap. They use the highest percentage of pure goat milk as possible in each bar - very luxurious!
8 Their soap has become so popular that they now have a fragrant soap for each month of the year, scented by what is in season - autumn leaves, fresh garden vegetables, summer blossoms, spring grass, etc.
9 They also keep bees at the farm and harvest honey. These soaps are made with that honey.
10 Goat milk was also inspiration for goat milk caramel. There is also a version with the heat of habeñero peppers.
11 New to the store are these delicious salty goat fudge cookies in both dark and milk chocolate.
12 Other products are inspired by the garden, such as Poppy Seed After the Garden bar, Bug Repellent Bar, and Soothing After the Sun Bar.
13 The Back Porch soap collection is inspired by the scents wafting in the air during different seasons, as smelled from the Beekman Mansion's porch.
14 There are also some interesting tools for the garden, such as this Garden Cruuk, made by craftsman Randy Holdredge.
15 The Beekman 1802 Garden Cruuk is ideal for raised bed and container gardeners and can be used as a hoe, a rake, a soil aerator, and more.
16 Many of their products are multipurpose. This is the Beekman 1802 We’ve-Got-You-Covered Apron. Its clever design features a split front panel.
17 The hemline pockets are lined with Thermaflec fabric and can be used as pot holders for hot and frozen objects.
18 Another clever tool hand-forged by blacksmith, Michael McCarthy is the Beekman 1802 Book Bar. It's a simple way to keep a book opened to a specific page and was created in honor of the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Recipe Cookbook.
19 Michael also hand-forges these fruit spoons using an authentic 18th century mold and the alloy Brittania, which was popular at the time that the Beekman Mansion was built.
20 Melting down bits and pieces of scrap metal found at the farm, Michael remolds it into these charming bird's nest iron bowls.
21 Beautiful vintage pedestal plates are perfect for displaying holiday cakes and other baked goods.
22 You can also buy the collector's edition of Josh's latest book, The Bucolic Plague, chronicling their journey of leaving the city and becoming farmers.
23 This sign is a sketch of William Beekman, who built the Beekman mansion. He also owned a general store across the street from his home.
24 These historic weave silk scarves are woven especially for Beekman 1802 on historic looms by the award-winning Thistle Hill Weavers in neighboring Cherry Valley.
25 Polka Spot, the llama, is featured proudly on these adorable hand-knit children's sweaters.
26 An original hand-painted portrait of a pair of Beekman 1802 goats
27 Also in Sharon Springs is Adelphi Paper Hangings, a studio that specializes in block-printed and hand-painted wallpapers. http://www.adelphipaperhangings.com/
28 Paper wall coverings were developed during the Middle Ages, when it was popular to use tapestries as wall coverings. Obviously, tapestries were quite expensive and decorative wallpaper was a less costly alternative.
29 Many of the prints created at Adelphi are reproductions of vintage wallpapers and are crafted with the same methods that were used during the early 18th to mid-19th centuries.
30 Each piece of wallpaper begins with a plain white sheet and even the background colors are painted on.
31 Machine printed wallpaper came with the surge of the Industrial Revolution and mass production made machine printed wallpaper much more affordable than hand-printed papers.
32 Most of the work done at Adelphi is in roll form, but occasionally projects, like these panels, are specially commissioned.
33 This paper was embellished with gold leaf.
34 Most of the designs are hand-printed using large block stamps, like this one.
35 To help lighten the load of the heavy woodblocks, they're attached to an overhead pulley system, where lead weights counter some of the heaviness. After a coating of ink, the block is pressed carefully down on the paper.
36 Next, a foot pedal controlled clamp is positioned, putting even pressure on every section of the block.
37 The results are masterful!
38 A ruler is used for even spacing.
39 The papers are hung on a drying rack where they dry overnight. Many will receive another color or another printing while others are finished by hand.
40 Upstairs from Adelphi Paper Hangings is Anonymous Bookbinder, which specializes in restoring old books. http://www.anonymousbookbinder.com/
41 It is owned and run by John Townshend, who has been a bookbinder and conservationist for more than thirty years.
42 He mainly works on restoring books for libraries and private collections, including cleaning pages and installing new covers.
43 One project he had just competed was this handsome book of poetry. He also made the archival box enclosing it and creates similar boxes for Beekman 1802.
44 Night Thoughts is English poet Edward Young's most famous poem.
45 The poem was illustrated by fellow English poet, William Blake.
46 When working on vintage books, John uses a large vintage paper cutter for precision cuts.
47 Some other tools of the trade, including a white bone folder, which is used to make sharp and precise creases in paper.
48 Using wallpaper from Adelphi downstairs, John creates blank journals, which Brent and Josh sell at Beekman 1802 Mercantile.
49 This type of blank book is made by sewing several sections of folded paper together.
50 Each section is laid on top of one another and then hand sewn down the side.
51 A detailed look at the work in progress
52 Next, he cuts a piece of the hand-printed wallpaper into smaller sheets to use as book covers.
53 The finished book, ready for sale
54 Also on Main Street is The American Hotel, which offers welcoming rooms and fine dining. http://americanhotelny.com/
55 The porch of this circa 1847 building was festively decorated.
56 Another place to stay is Brimstonia Cottage, next to the Klinkhart Homestead, once a steam-powered grist and sawmill.
57 Brimstonia Cottage
58 A great old building in need of tender loving care
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
What an interesting place. I like how they use each other's talents to produce their differnet projects.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | November 8th, 2011 at 1:33 am
Thank you for highlighting these fine American craftsmen and small business people! What a pleasure it was to read this. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Karen | November 8th, 2011 at 3:03 am
Such EXCELLENCY of life! So much beauty! Now I want to learn bookbinding! Wonderful productions, especially the apron with hotpad pockets! genius! greatest thing since sliced bread!
(closed on Shabbat)
Miri~
Posted by: Miri | November 8th, 2011 at 4:51 am
I've been a devotee of the Boys since day one. LOVE them! Thanks for your blogs the last couple of days which are sure to increase public knowledge of the work they are doing! Also: the wonderful new apron is produced in nearby Utica, at a mill there, which also brings attention to the oft-overlooked FABULOUS Mohawk Valley and the greater Utica area!
Posted by: Leigh | November 8th, 2011 at 7:06 am
A wonderful story of American handmade by very talented artisans. My only wish is that they lived and worked in my town!
Posted by: Evelyn | November 8th, 2011 at 8:23 am
I always learn something new when I read your blog.
Posted by: Darcell | November 8th, 2011 at 8:58 am
Dear Martha:
Just to let you know that I really, really miss you and your program since you moved to cable I have not been able to watch your show, I do not have cable, so I just try to connect to your website.
Wish you comeback to regular TV so I can continue to watch your program that I love. White at NBC I watch every single program until you moved and Loved every single program.
Happy Fall time,
diana
Happy
Posted by: diana escobar | November 8th, 2011 at 8:59 am
Thank you for highlighting the Beekman Boys. I am a BeekGeek. I craved every new episode. An instant bond to all that Josh & Brent represent and have worked so hard to accomplish. Traveled from Roseville California just for the Harvest Festival. It was outstanding and meeting Josh & Brent was the frosting on the cake. Traveled to San Francisco to see them at the book signing.Thanks to Brent,Josh and everyone that make it happen we have an incredibly high quality show to watch. Now where is that SMART person that can get them back on the air? Smart person wake up....you have a gold mine here to tap into!!!! All your devoted fans will always be waiting. Love those boys! Shar Martinez
Posted by: shar | November 8th, 2011 at 9:21 am
Martha, thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | November 8th, 2011 at 9:41 am
Well, I now can add Sharon Springs, New York to my list of must explore when I travel to the Northeast! Brent and Josh's mercantile will be the first shop I visit. I am obsessing about their soap for each month of the year scented by what is in season! Now, what day is the shop closed? Ha!
Posted by: Cindy F | November 8th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Love the farm, the town is so welcoming. Enjoyed the store, wallpaper is stunning and bookbinding the tools were fascinating. Thank you for sharing, this blog brought me to a place that I would love to visit or live there.
Posted by: ga447 | November 8th, 2011 at 10:19 am
I've thoroughly enjoyed these two posts about Beekman 1802. I'm a longtime devotee of everything Martha Stewart, and a huge fan of Brent and Josh. I've even drawn my Beekman 1802 soaps for my drawing blog! Since they seem to share many of your sensibilities; fans can only hope that they'll decide that they can carry on their activities while doing a television show, as you do. We're so eager for another season of The Fabulous Beekman Boys!
Posted by: Sarah Melling | November 8th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Hi Martha,
Thanks for showing us Sharon Springs and the mercantile as well as the bookbinding and wallpaper shops. Each shop would be very interesting to visit and I’m sure those people who have attended the Harvest Festival would agree. That festival certainly turned out to be a good thing with 5000 people attending now - kudos to Josh and Brent for starting it.
~
I’ve always had a thing for wallpaper but I don’t really use it anymore although I bought some of your paintable wallpaper at the Home Depot and hung it under my towel racks. Cutting and pasting it brought back memories of the 70 year old woman who taught me how to hang wallpaper and paint when I was a teenager. She lived across the street from us and we’d go to various jobs in her vintage car that she floored in order to go 35 mph even when the speed limit was 15 through town. She was a wild woman behind the wheel! She also made bread and used it to pack the most delicious lunches for us.
~
I love historical places so this blog was especially nice. Thanks. Trish
Posted by: Trish | November 8th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Hi Martha, Your good friends, Brent and Josh, certainly are the best entrepeneurs who moved to Sharon Springs, improved that beautiful farm area and now have a great Mercantile in town!! How fun it must have been for you to revisit them and tour that beautiful Mercantile in Sharon Springs, too! Those two fellows must work from dawn to dusk every day to accomplish all of the great things they do!! These photos are really special and once again I would love to visit their places! Loved seeing the three great websites, also! How wonderful that handsome Ghenghis Khan won both of the fantastic Dog Shows he attended last weekend! Karen and his trainer, Jan absolutely did a perfect job training your handsome Chow Chow! G.K. looks more and more like Paw Paw and Maddox in every photo shared with us! I love him so much and am off to view his Daily Wag blog right now! Have a great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | November 8th, 2011 at 10:50 am
Such a great post!
Posted by: Eleanor | November 8th, 2011 at 10:59 am
Also a Beek Geek, my partner and I have been to the last 2 Harvest Festivals. Your last photo is of the building across from Doug and Garth's American Hotel...they are involved with the group which is renovating it into a community performance space.... The people of Sharon Springs are really great and 'the boys' have done a lot to help their town make a come back!!
Posted by: JJ | November 8th, 2011 at 11:08 am
First I loved and enjoyed watching your google interview amazing and so inspiring Love.
I love these historical places. The block printing designs are so beautiful.
Posted by: Rowaida Fl | November 8th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Thanks Martha for the great pictures of The Beckman Farm and Sharon Springs. Bring the boys to Hallmark. I love and miss their show.
Thanks Again Martha I hope your trees and shrubs are doing better:(
Posted by: Valeire Banks | November 8th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Thank you for the tour of Sharon Springs. Hope springs eternal when we see the creativity of the occupants and their wares.
Posted by: Margie | November 8th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Plenty of nice pictures of the Merchentile, but you missed a very important one. WHERE IS TIMOTHY THE SHOPKEEP?!!!!!!
Posted by: Laureen Shanagher | November 8th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
The more I see of people who live a lifestyle like the owners of the Beekman, the more I want to do this myself! I'm only 27 but I'd love to purchase a small farm in Vermont where I would have a vegetable and flower garden, bees, etc. Maybe someday
Posted by: Allyson | November 8th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
I have been patiently waiting the boys to show up again on TV but know it takes a lot of time to get ready for another season. A GREAT SHOW.
Posted by: bj norris | November 8th, 2011 at 10:21 pm
You were upstate! Many beautiful sights up here...Thanks for highlighting these.
Posted by: Abby | November 8th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
I've been going to Sharon Springs for several years. There is an antique tractor and equipment show, flea market and tractor pull on Father's Day weekend. It takes place at Sunnycrest Farms - a fantastic nursery. I love Sharon Springs - such beautiful scenery!
Posted by: Michele | November 9th, 2011 at 7:11 am
I really miss the Fabulous Beekman Boys on T.V. Please tell me they are going to come back again - I never missed an episode - best reality show around. I've read all of Josh's books too. Did Josh give up his ad job and work at the farm permanently? How is Farmer John?
Joan Barnes
Posted by: Joan Barnes | November 9th, 2011 at 10:13 am
I learned a new word today! bucolic...shepherd like, rural of a specific kind of quality. Thank you, Martha!
Posted by: Pamela Hoyt | November 9th, 2011 at 10:58 am
Thanks for the great essay on Sharon Springs. My name is Mike Shuster and My wife Lisa Zaccaglini founded Mu Mu Muesli in 2008 and we local producers in Sharon Springs who make an incredible natural, organic breakfast cereal and we are now in 130 stores and 7 states, we were mentioned by Vegetarian Times as one of 5 "most Scrumptious" cereals in the country. We just wanted to share our success and the therefore the success of Sharon Springs
Posted by: Mike Shuster | November 9th, 2011 at 11:22 am
hi martha stewart wat do u do????
Posted by: jonthan diaz | November 10th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
help help help.I walked in on your show 11/10/11 in the middle of the craft ....You were making clay mushrooms I need a email telling me were to find instruction on these pretty mushrooms...I tried to find them on you wed site ..It is very big & and I need some more info,,,like the persons name ...or what to click on to find the instructions, HELP. please. thank you Janet
Posted by: janet truitt | November 10th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Janet, you can find the instructions here: http://www.marthastewart.com/867228/mushroom-table-decorations
Posted by: Martha Stewart | November 10th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Have learned to use google chrome so thanks again, Martha(laura), that last picture will not entice me, as have given much TLC to buildings that still want more and time is getting precious to me. Josh and Brent inspire all and the bidder who wins chance to meet them is soo lucky.
Posted by: ann | November 13th, 2011 at 7:07 am