Mechanicsburg Shopping Spree

Order a custom-made violin or have your own repaired at Hershey Violins.

If only I’d had more time. Who knew picturesque Mechanicsburg, a sturdy stone town in Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Valley, would have such interesting shopping?!

Civil War and More has lots of books, prints and ephemera about the War Between the States.

But it does and on my afternoon there, I strolled when I should have run. I just didn’t have enough time.

Still I had fun and came home with a few packages. From Mechanicsburg. Who doesn’t like shopping? Especially when you’re looking for shoes and chocolate and may be something you might not have found anywhere else. The local mall looks like every other local mall but a small town with good shopping — that’s where I find the good stuff.

Rachael Ray has featured Brittle Bark’s Poppin’ Times on her talk show.

And look what I found: a gorgeous pair of black hand-tooled leather clogs from Just Clogs (which has been selling shoes in this location for 35 years), some great candy from Brittle Bark (Rachael Ray has raved about their brittle on her talk show), and some advice and paste wax from Caromal Colours (not sexy but valuable).

I took a look inside Hershey Violins — I wasn’t in the market for a fiddle but I was fascinated to see the owner’s handiwork waiting for him in the shop. I stopped inside the fragrant Rosemary House, Civil War and More and the Potomac Bead Company. So many interesting places down just a few picturesque streets!

A spooky mannequin in the window of the Metropolis Collective.

The Rosemary House has spices inside and a lovely garden outside.

The Downtown Mechanicsburg Partnership offers a variety of events to encourage visitors to bring their friends and their wallets to this Main Street shopping area.  When I went it was dressed up for Halloween and I could only imagine how lovely it will look in December.

My afternoon shopping in a small town reminded me of an important lesson. Some of the best shopping can be found in small towns. It’s a great way to spend a day away and just imagine all the treasures waiting on the shop shelves.

Caromal Colours specializes in furniture refinishing — for do-it-yourselfers and for those who prefer others to handle it.

Text and photos
Mary K. Tilghman 

 

Beads of every color and shape in the Potomac Bead Company.

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