07/23/2026
Four summers ago I was out of town and my sister called me crying. We had soft-opened the shop in May of 2022, with a grand opening at the end of August.
We never planned to have a full-on gift shop. We always knew we’d have cards, chocolate, maybe a few small items to buy alongside flowers, not at all what we have today. But the square footage was twice as big as what Washday needed and we were paying rent for the entire space.
So we plunged in, called it Schoolhouse to pay homage to the building’s roots, invested equally, depleted our savings to renovate and stock the shop, and decided Cortney would manage it.
Two months later, on a July Friday, my sister called me in tears. “I think we made a big mistake.“
We had opened at 11. It was now past 2:00 and not a single person had come in.
“I’m just so embarrassed,” she admitted.
I reassured her that it’s summer. People are out of town, or busy with kids that are home from school, they are at the beach, the pool. Schedules are off. Things would pick up in the fall. I promised her.
And once I buoyed her up and got off the phone, I did what any big sister would do.
I started texting my neighbors and friends to tell them to get in and buy something from my sister.
And they did.
Sister was smiling by the end of the day.
Two weeks ago on a Wednesday we had one customer come in. Spend $25. Yesterday, one customer.
There’s always stuff to do, and time has shown that when school starts, traffic picks up - but it can still be disheartening and hard to plan for. Piles of summer candles, lemonades, vibrant colors and pretty flowers. Rent to pay.
I was in the studio from 9-5 yesterday prepping orders and stocking for walk-ins. My family is heading to North Carolina today to visit family. Cortney will be at the shop.
There will be no tears today, and we are far from being embarrassed about what we have built, but I am still the big sister, sending a message to all of you, my friends, to stop by. Buy something from my sister.
Summers are hard on small businesses, especially if you aren’t in a tourist town.
We appreciate each of you and hope we can fit somewhere in your summer.
Hours:
Wed-Thu 11-3
Fri 11-5
Sat 10-4
2414 Pleasantville Rd
Fallston, MD
