Photos and story By Lisa Carolin
The summer season at The Village Shoppe in downtown Chelsea means such items as margarita and Bloody Mary mixes, crab dip, nautical-themed clothing and other red, white and blue items to celebrate Independence Day and July.
The Village Shoppe has been around for 20 years and is located at 104 North Main Street. Marge Faist, 88, and her daughters Lynne Faist and Jane Diesing co-own the store.
“We have always loved being a friendly store where people feel comfortable,” said Diesing.
One of the recent changes is that the Village Shoppe was downsized.
“We feel that the economy isn’t really supporting the size store that we had,” said Diesing. “We felt that downsizing would be a cost effective measure for us.”
There is still room for a variety of merchandise including summer hats for both men and women, and clothing in sizes from misses small to plus size 3x.
Diesing says that one of their biggest selling items are Coobie bras, which are a one-size stretch bra without seams.
Village Shoppe also sells quilts, rugs, home decor items, and food and kitchen items including those from two Michigan companies-Cherry Republic and Country Home Creations.
Be on the lookout for upcoming sales at the store.
“We’ll probably have sales on Sounds and Sights evenings,” said Diesing. “Our next big sale will be when Chelsea has Summerfest (Sounds and Sights festival) at the end of July.
