As soon as customers walk in the door of Local Mercantile in El Cajon, fragrance is what they notice first. Owner Michelle Schmitz has been the owner of the shop for a year, bringing new life to the shop, an eclectic collection of handmade items.
Candles, soaps, jewelry, hand-sewn hats, clothing and items for the bathroom and kitchen as well as repurposed furniture are the many delights awaiting the customers as they turn each corner.
As soon as customers walk in the door of Local Mercantile in El Cajon, fragrance is what they notice first. Owner Michelle Schmitz has been the owner of the shop for a year, bringing new life to the shop, an eclectic collection of handmade items.
Candles, soaps, jewelry, hand-sewn hats, clothing and items for the bathroom and kitchen as well as repurposed furniture are the many delights awaiting the customers as they turn each corner.
The new fall layout includes the Applecrate Room featuring McCall’s Candles from Murrieta, Calif.
In the soaps and scents room, the cupcake soaps look downright edible, but there is a little sign teasing customers, “Please Don’t Eat the Cakes.”
The mercantile is arranged like an antique store, with a different vendor represented in each of the rooms. Customers find that it is easy to lose whomever they came with, but the smell of coffee brewing at Kaffee Meister will more than likely draw them together where they can have a coffee. At Nana’s Kitchen alongside Kaffee Meister, customers can choose from Panini sandwiches and desserts, including cinnamon rolls and gluten-free cookies.
The space that Kaffee Meister and Nana’s Kitchen share has been the ideal place for the monthly Blue Jam sessions held at the shop. Now the newest addition to the mercantile is a garden area. It is the perfect place to listen to live music while relaxing during or after shopping.
“I love to hear the banjo playing,” Schmitz said. “The fiddle, bass, and others in the band plus the singing is great fun.”
The Local Mercantile appeals not only to women but to the men. Schmitz says she often gets the greatest responses from her male customers.
“They say, ‘Wow, I’m going to have to bring my wife in here,’ or ‘I had a cookie jar just like that one when I was a kid,’” Schmitz said. She noted that the men also chuckle when they examine the items for sale even in the bathroom.
Since Schmitz has taken ownership of the Local Mercantile, sales have been steady and customers loyal. She believes that today’s economy has people looking to American-made goods sold at reasonable prices.
Travelers who enjoy checking out shops specializing in handmade goods have remarked on Local Mercantile. Carol Fetty, who owns a specialty shop in the Great Smoking Mou ntains of Tennessee, noted on Local Mercantile’s Facebook page that she thought the shop’s displays were well done.
For more information and photos of the Local Mercantile, go to www.thelocalmercantile.com.
