Authors, artists, and artisans on hand for MoonStruck's ribbon cutting

Mary Schoenman Lucas, Shannon Brown and Geanne Patton welcomed visitors to MoonStruck for a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, March 6. The Williamstown shop, located at 147 North Main Street, fills a niche for those wanting to shop local and support local artists. In addition, every Saturday they offer a special event, such as a class or a reading by an author.

Laughing, Schoenman called the trio of owners “the hippie dippy girls,” but the shop resonates an air of eclectic sophistication. The work of local artists and artisans is displayed on the shelves of handsome antique furniture alongside treasures such as pottery pieces from the 1940s and whimsical curios.

Each of the three owners has a specialty they oversee. For Brown, it’s the collection of loose leaf teas displayed in clear glass jars and all the trappings that go along with tea time.

Patton is the expert in essential oils and can explain the healing properties of the various bath salts, sugar scrubs and other items made with the oils. Diffusers scent the air in her corner of MoonStruck.

Lucas is a longtime equine artist and her drawings and paintings have been made into exquisite tiles. Lucas also loves bringing back unique items from her travels, such as jewelry made from black pearls and mother-of-pearl boxes.

MoonStruck also provides space for local artisans to market their work. The shop carries turned wood pieces by two woodworkers, Doug Miller and David Linden. Both are transplants who now call Grant County home and both work with in wood from a wide variety of tree species, including everything from hackberry to mahogany.

Their work is unique to each, but Miller and Linden have a knack for highlighting the wood’s individual whorls, bullseyes, and spalting--the discoloration sometimes found in wood that can be caused by fungi or stress.

Linden came from the Mississippi Delta where he says the soil is 60 feet thick. Some of his pieces are crafted from wood he brought with him in the move to Kentucky, including Magnolia. That particular tree, which was felled by lightning, measured 10 feet in circumference and was 100 feet tall, a size we don’t see in Magnolia trees here.

In other areas of the shop, jewelry by Brenda Messmer dangles beguilingly. Here and there are displays of goat milk soaps and assorted healing salves made by Judy Gill Mullins, including a new “drawing salve” to remove splinters and draw out infection. Leatherwork by her teenage granddaughter, Emma Mullins, is also offered. A shelf of geodes, half-formed pearls as well as crystals and crystal jewelry waits to be explored.

Off to the side is a cozy book room. Some of the volumes are displayed on a charming piece of wall art: a tree created from a real branch with barrel staves incorporated to serve as shelves. Here and there little wrens perch.

Four authors attended the ribbon cutting: Mystery authors Lynda Rees and Lynn Slaughter; spy-thriller and young adult author Gloria Casale; and Chris Helvey, who, in addition to being an author, also publishes a bi-yearly literary journal.

On Saturdays, MoonStruck offers special events. They’ve hosted readings and book signings as well as classes such as a sip and paint, one on essential oils class and another on jewelry.

The schedule for the remainder of this month includes a tea class on March 16, an herb class with Judy Gill Mullins on March 23 (which is already filled) and a reading by Victoria Ellen.

To keep up with events at MoonStruck visit them on Facebook at MoonStruck LLC Gifts or on Instagram at moonstruck_gifts.