It feels surreal to be announcing this at all, let alone at the end of this particular year.
This contemplation, of having a shop, was long held as a “oh wouldn’t that be fun…” kind of dream.
A hypothetical dream. A dream where you think about your life and all of the things you would do if you could, in an alternate universe, do everything you wanted to do.
And then, this year, things shifted.
Photo work was placed on hold during the pandemic and my side business, Folkling, where I curate beautiful old things from my travels around the country and share their stories, became all I had in the way of making a living.
So I put my all into it.
I worked from sun up to sundown every day on this dream.
This dream to continue to be able to provide for myself a life of independence shaped by my artistry and sharing the beauty that I see in the world.
It took off. Turns out when you can’t go anywhere for months and you have limited options in the way of artistic output, focus and motivation pushed into one direction can do pretty amazing things. The reluctance and reticence I felt at the beginning of the year at the requirement to stay in one place turned into a blessing beyond measure.
A kismet happenstance of needing a change, praying for a sign for the-next-right-thing and a spontaneous drive through a small town and noticing an empty storefront.
The rest, as they say, is history.
In many ways this space feels like the ultimate tangible representation of all I have worked for in the ten years since I started A Girl Named Leney and the three since starting Folkling. To have a physical space to share with others, even with the limitations of this current time we live in, feels like such an incredible gift.
This dream that I held in partial disbelief of it ever being a reality, has now become tangible and it leaves me in awe and more grateful than I feel capable of expressing.
It would not be possible without the support of so many along the way. This is by no means a feat of an individual, so many have helped shape this venture into what it is today and I know there will still be many more yet to come.
But as for the official opening….
I was going to call it a soft opening because, well, we still don’t have a sign, there’s a lot of inventory that still needs to be tagged, we need more clothing racks and a couch and shelves and a bunch of other tiny details that no one but me will notice... and even though I feel beyond ready I also really don’t feel ready.
But I recognize that this space, this extension of me, will be ever changing and evolving as the months roll on.
So whether soft or grand—consider this the opening announcement.
Staring December 11th, the Folkling showroom will be open exclusively on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-6pm.
During the week will be reserved for business-as-usual online listing, photo work and going out on The Road to pick!
So grab your mask and a friend and come out and say hello this weekend!
107 S Main St.
Suite 1
Gordonsville, VA 22942
Flyer by Maria Scott
