Peaceful Parlour, a general store for the conscious consumer and a community gathering place, has opened it’s doors in Geneva. They offer products that are locally made, USA made, natural and/or organic, hand crafted and made from renewable or sustainable materials. Peaceful Parlour’s focus is to find products with social and environmental benefits. Shari Ralish, president and owner of Peaceful Parlour says “we want be the -go to place- for individuals who are conscious of the earth’s limited natural resources and are looking for ways to live more sustainably.”
Inventory keeps expanding. Currently, some of featured products include bamboo bowls, bread crumb boards and baby utensils, repurposed Maine lobstermen float rope doormats, recycled cardboard furniture including adult chairs, toddler table + chairs, rocket ships, lemonade stands, castles and dollhouses, organic herbal infused soaps, salves, oils and crèmes, recycled paper journals and pads, and fair trade Peace coffee. Arriving soon are cotton produce bags to store your market greens and keep them crisp. For Geneva Green Market, NFP members Peaceful Parlour is offering a Bamboo scraper which is “Cheese Man” approved (Rob Murphy of Curds and Whey uses it and loves it!).
Peaceful Parlour has a free book exchange! They accept donated books and display them for customers to borrow or keep. A comfy chair is nearby so folks can relax, customers are welcome and encouraged to browse the and take a breather from the outside hectic world.
Peaceful Parlour is located at 212 South Third Street in the heart of Geneva’s historic shopping district. They can be reached at 630-232-6300.
You can also find us at www.peacefulparlour.com
February is Fiber-aury month at the Community Winter Market. Rivendell Alpacas has been joining us each week with examples of their handmade quality fiber goods; from raw fibers to spin and beginner’s kits to assorted handmade products such as mittens, hats, slippers and beautiful scarves and toasty blankets. They have also been doing talks and small demos while offering sign-up and information for additional instruction, either privately or class setting.
Rivendell Alpacas started in 2000 when Jill and Gordon Muirhead moved from California to Gordon’s family farm in Plato Center, IL. Jill was already serious about alpacas and learning everything she could when the opportunity to start Rivendell Alpacas presented itself. Asked how they came up with the name they said it was in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: “Rivendell was a safe place for the elves. We want our agisters to know that it is a safe place for the alpacas as well.”
Alpacas, though not native, are being productively raised and enjoyed throughout North America. They produce some of the world’s finest and most luxurious natural fibers. Fiber, which, is said to be almost indestructible and yet be healthy (being hypoallergenic and lavishly soft) and comfortable to wear due to the absence of the scratchy “prickle” with many other fibers. Furthermore, alpacas produce fleece that is available in over twenty colors with many variations. Having this astounding natural spectrum delights those that work with alpacas as it eliminates any need for dyeing. By removing this step from the process it further protects the fiber and enhances it’s resilience, softness and flexibility.
Rivendell Alpaca Farm can have over twenty alpacas at any given time. Though they do not wish to expand their herd far beyond that so that they can train the alpacas to be “human friendly”. Each fury friend has a name which one might come upon in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings “real” Rivendell. How do all the alpacas stay safe and secure you might be wondering. Francesca, the llama, is on guard duty and has proven herself a valuable protector.
