Eden kept tellingherself not to have too high of expectations about Hattie's Boutique. Especially when she saw that it was only a small shop in a strip mall, two doors down fromIn Stylewhere she got her nails done last week. A For Rent sign sat in the corner of the window of the neighboring shop.
Places like this were usually stocked by local artisans after all. How many crafty women could there possibly be in this small town?
An awful lot, Eden realized a few minutes later as she walked the narrow aisles of Hattie's little store after meeting the owner. Hattie was much older than Eden had expected. The woman had to be in her late seventies.
Many of the handmade crafts on the shelves were simple and a dime a dozen like crocheted hot pads, place mats, matching baby blankets, bibs, and burp cloths, but the majority of the items that filled the shelves could easily rival the home decor one would find at Pottery Barn, Wayfair, and Crate & Barrel.
She could decorate her apartment, or even a whole house, by shopping here. Sure, the layout could be improved to create better aesthetics, but there were so many beautiful and amazing items here, she couldn't believe people weren't coming from miles around to shop at this quaint store. Okay, so there weren't many towns for miles, but still...
It wasn't only decor though. One corner of the store was dedicated to perishables like homemade fudge, caramels, cake pops, hot chocolate bombs, and organic honey, as well as Alice's jam. Another corner held personal care items like soaps, lotions, lip balms, body butter, and cupcake-shaped bath bombs that looked good enough to eat.
Encouraged by all the likes and comments she'd received on last night's jam post, Eden began snapping pictures, occasionally shifting items around to get a good shot. She spotted doilies that she was certain had been made by Miss Georgie, quilts and decorative throw pillows, crocheted afghans, and wall hangings with humorous or inspirational sayings—some hand painted and others in vinyl lettering.
The women in this town are talented!
Their talents were going to waste though. The population of this small town wasn't nearly big enough to support this store. If the only patrons who frequented the store were the same ones who provided the wares, it's no wonder Hattie's shelves were overflowing, and she and Alice were the only ones in the store.
Eden paused her perusing to post a few pictures on Instagram. After searching the Internet for Hattie's website so she could tag it and coming up empty handed, she went to the back of the store where Alice and Hattie visited.
"What do you think?" Alice asked.
"This place is amazing!" Eden shifted her gaze to Hattie. "What's your website? I'd like to tag you in my posts."
"Oh, I don't have a website." Hattie chuckled and waved her hand. "I don't have a clue about how to do that sort of thing."
Eden frowned. "How are people who aren't from Providence supposed to find you? You have so many beautiful things here."
Hattie shrugged. "I rely on the locals mostly and a few faithful customers from neighboring counties."
"That's it?" Eden looked around her. The full shelves made sense now. "Well, do you mind if I create a hashtag for your store to share on my story?"
"A what?" Horizontal creases lined the older woman's forehead as she stared at Eden like she'd sprouted an extra head.
Eden wasn't sure how to explain how social media worked to the older woman who didn't seem to have much of a grasp of technology.
"It's just a way for followers to know where my pictures originate from."
"Followers?"
"My friends."
"Oh sure, go ahead and share all the pictures you want with your friends."
Hattie had no idea that giving Eden permission to share her pictures online would put her crafts in front of thousands of people.
"Thank you." Eden turned away and continued to wander as she posted photo after photo.
Then she took even more pictures of ceramic table vases in coordinating colors, shapes, and sizes—some holding small flower arrangements—and beautiful framed watercolor prints. She paused and studied a pretty beach scene that had a familiar style. It reminded her of a couple pieces of art at the Wheeler's house. Examining the print more closely, she found a small S.R. in the corner.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Alice said from behind her.
Eden jumped.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She pointed at the picture. "My granddaughter is talented, don't you think?"
Eden's eyes widened as she stared at the picture and tried to remember the names of all of Alice's granddaughters. Besides the twins, who were only two, there was a six-year-old and four teenage girls. Then she recalled the massive mural on the wall in Debbie and Austin's house.
She looked at the initials again. "Savannah painted these?"
