×

Love of creating art leads to new shop

Janet Wallace arranges essential oils on shelves inside her new shop, The Rabbit Hole.

Janet Wallace arranges essential oils on shelves inside her new shop, The Rabbit Hole.

In the world of Alice Wonderland, venture down a rabbit hole and there’s no telling what you’ll find.

Janet Wallace contends the same can be said of the new shop she opened in August inside the former St. Bernard’s Rectory on Chisholm Street. It’s the name Rabbit Hole that rose to the top when she considered what to call her two-room shop. Not only does it feature her artwork and her painted furniture, but also her daughter’s photography and a sampling of many other appealing gift items.

“I didn’t know what I was going to put in here,” said Wallace of her cozy shop. “Art isn’t an easy sale so you’ve got to find other items as well.”

Wallace said she toyed with the idea of opening her own business for a long time, but it was at the prompting of her son, Dylan, and her daughter, Chelsea, that she finally decided to take the plunge. Both of her adult children are attorneys, with their practice occupying most of the rest of the vintage building.

She’s always loved creating art even if the busyness of life caused her to take a decade-long break.

“I’ve been doing art forever,” Wallace said. “I liked it when I was in high school. After getting married and having children, my canvas sat on an easel untouched for 10 years. Two years ago I picked it back up and now I can’t put it down.”

She works in acrylics doing many scenes inspired by the 148-acre family farm on King Settlement Road where she lives. Her subject matter also includes a lighthouse or two as well as pieces inspired by places her daughter visited and photographed. In her shop, she opted to take the paintings she created with acrylics on canvas and instead offer them for sale reprinted on metal.

Wallace has used chalk paint and stencils to turn a number of old, castoff pieces of furniture into unique chairs, stands and dressers. Some of the furniture she found long forgotten in a barn on her property, while other pieces came from thrift store scavenging.

She also used her paint brush to bring a touch of whimsy to her shop. The place came with a set of built-in bookshelves that take up an entire wall. Thanks to her handiwork, the colorful shelves now boast small whimsical fairies and well-known snippets from “Alice in the Wonderland.”

Besides framed photographs taken by her daughter, Chelsea, who calls her photography business Too Lu Roo Photography, the Rabbit Hole features a wide selection of essential oils, kitchen towels made from cotton flour sacks, a line of greeting cards, pretty scarves, Baltic amber bead jewelry used to help with inflammation, lava stone bracelets and for the younger set, stuffed animals, mobiles, blankets, rattles and even sling shots.

Among the other items Wallace offers are pint-sized air plants that she appreciates for their simplicity.

“They require water and light, but no soil,” she said. “They are cute and unique for anyone who likes green things but doesn’t like dirt. You even can put them in your grandmother’s tea cup or other small vases without hurting them because you have don’t have to use dirt.”

Wallace operates on a limited schedule which allows her time the rest of the week to catch up on projects at her farm. Hours of operation are Wednesday to Friday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

When she’s open for business, visitors might find her painting on site since she now keeps a easel and paint supplies both at her shop and at home. She welcomes people to stop by and visit.

“I always wanted to do this – just a little store to sell things in and meet people and where I can paint,” Wallace said.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today