We’ve officially entered the holiday season and with that comes the time for shopping and gift giving! In honor of this weekend’s Small Business Saturday, I wanted to celebrate one of the best stores to open in my hometown of Mount Prospect – Gathered Boutique & Workshop. Whether you’re looking for vintage pieces, locally made art,  or just want to take a fun workshop – Gathered has something for everyone. Last week I sat down with the owner Lindsey to learn more about the store and the story behind it.

The Story

Sitting with Lindsey I immediately got the sense that she is a creative spirit, a “doer” as I like to say! She has a background in teaching, comes from a craft loving family, and is a busy mom of four! Lindsey is passionate about about giving folks the opportunity to buy beautiful pieces for their homes and uses her talent and eye for the unique to bring locally sourced art (think handmade knits, baby clothes, purses, candles!) and antiques to Gathered, which officially opened in June of 2017!

Always a teacher at heart, Lindsey’s greatest joy comes from teaching others new crafts and skills. Lindsey does this through the workshops offered at Gathered, which make this store special. Since its opening, Gathered has become a place where people gather, create, and learn a new skill. Some of the classes offered so far include:

• Painting
• Cookie decorating
• Jam making
• Knitting
• Hand lettering
• Sign making

If you’re interested in taking a workshop  browse the classes and sign up here. You can even set up a private class for a party!

So far I’ve taken two painting classes with my mom (who loved it!) and most recently a knitting class that literally had me in stitches. I went with my friend Jen and we met up with two older ladies and we just laughed our way through the complexity of knitting and how bad we were since we were just starting out !

The store has such a fantastic energy – last weekend I had the opportunity to take some photos of the store in all of its holiday glory! I was only there for an hour but during this time a steady stream of folks stopped in to shop and I even met two of the artists who were dropping off their pieces. It’s a place where people drop in to browse the beautiful and unique !

As you plan your holiday shopping head on over to Gathered and maybe I’ll see you at a workshop! Take a look at some of the goodies here and maybe you’ll find something for your loved ones and yourself ! Lindsey’s prices are very affordable and she has something for everyone !

To stay in the loop make sure you follow Gathered via Facebook and Instagram!