Cultivate Shop & Studio, a new boutique in New Berlin will have a grand opening this Saturday, January 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., complete with ribbon cutting, food and raffle. (Submitted photo)

by Sophia Root,

Commerce Chenango

NEW BERLIN –This week, Commerce Chenango would like to highlight Cultivate Shop & Studio, a new boutique in New Berlin selling vintage, modern and made goods. The shop is on a mission to “revitalize Upstate New York one little shop at a time.”

The store will have a grand opening this Saturday, January 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., complete with ribbon cutting, food and raffle.

After opening the shop two short months ago, owners Nancy (Gabrielsen) Layton and Susan (Nelsen) Edmonds have been sharing their hobbies with the community. The store sells vintage and modern goods, in addition to handmade items such as tablecloths, pillows, candles, soap, jewelry and decorative wreaths. Soon, the owners hope to offer custom handmade goods.

“One of our biggest challenges to date has been deciding what should go in the store, we have so many items and passions, the store is ever-evolving,” said Layton.

Layton and Edmonds are both Norwegian and have been friends for fifteen years. The store is Scandinavian inspired, and customers can buy Norwegian snacks at the front counter, items that aren’t sold elsewhere in Chenango County.

After recouping from a successful holiday shopping season, Cultivate Shop & Studio is also rolling out a workshop program. This program is open to the community, and, for an admission fee, participants are invited to come to create a project to take home.

There will be a Garden Prep & Plan workshop at the store on January 22nd. Instructed by Layton, this workshop will help attendees make and site a garden, how to tend to soil and handle weeds, culminating in a bulk order of seeds for garden season. Visit the Cultivate Shop & Studio Facebook page for winter hours and more information about these workshops.

Edmonds states, “Stores can no longer survive as strictly brick and mortar, so we are trying to expand our services.” Cultivate plans for having pop-up and off-site workshops, further integrating into the community. They are also growing their online presence through Facebook, with the help of many local businesses like The Nook and New York Pizzeria.

The two friends and business owners have plenty of ideas for their store, as well as the studio and office space in their building. According to Layton, these plans include a children’s area, bedding, charcuterie materials, and more. “One of our greatest challenges is deciding what to add and when, we just have so many interests and ideas,” said Layton.

Both owners are grateful for the community support they have received so far. From buying a building they stripped down to the studs to their upcoming grand opening on Saturday, the pair of friends is excited for the future of their business.