Wild Ones, an art supply, stationery and drop-in craft cafe at 423 York Road in Jenkintown, will open for business on Sunday, September 27 from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
Owner Kat Smith, a Jenkintown resident and an Abington native, told Glenside Local that she hopes to fill a need within the local artist community.
“We used to have Allegheny Arts in town, and it did really well before they moved. We’re down to big box stores for art supplies and we have so many artists around here, so I wanted to provide them with high-quality, niche stuff a little closer to home,” Smith, a lifelong artist, said.
The craft cafe will not require reservations, Smith said.
“Everyone always needs somewhere to go with kids or to meet a friend. I think it’ll be a nice opportunity to get out of the house,” she said. “A menu with starter items will change seasonally. You can walk in, pick from the menu, you’ll get a guide, and you can sit down and get to work.”
Smith said she and her husband received keys to the space, which was an All-State Insurance office prior, on September 1. Their first order was revamping the interior top to bottom.
“I got lucky finding this space. It was really good timing and it needed a lot of updating to make it appropriate for retail,” she said. “Once we signed the lease, my husband and I started a GoFundMe to help with those costs. We’ve made a lot of progress in terms of modernization and painting. We’re on our way.”
Closer to November, Wild Ones will start hosting artisan-led classes and holiday-themed activities.
“Our inventory won’t be completely ready right away, but we have more stuff coming every week. We’ll have indoor and outdoor seating that should be here by this weekend,” Smith said.
A grand opening is expected towards the middle or end of October once the finer details are ironed out.
Smith’s first business, Wild Ones Collections, sells insect taxidermy framed with original watercolors. For more on Wild Ones, you can visit their Instagram page.
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