Happy Trails

Our beloved Trovester Kate is leaving #thenoke to fully concentrate on Trove West in Big Sky, Montana, starting July 1st. Kate has long been in love with the mountainous beauty of Montana and we wish her all the best as she spends her cold weather days skiing and her warm weather days frolicking in the fields with her husband and their sweet pups, Sadie and Mulligan.

From wine fueled planning and scheming meetings to market excursions that ended with restorative yoga (much needed after long days on our feet), we've had more than our share of fun building The Trove. So much has changed since we first opened our doors and we couldn't have predicted The Trove would have two sister stores already! Be sure to follow @trovestorewest on Instagram to keep up with Kate and to get a load of all the fun and merch they offer. And if you ever find yourself in Big Sky, be sure to swing by to say hello to our Kate and her Montana friends. 

By the by, Kate's reclaimed and sassy items will soon be leaving The Trove here in Roanoke, so if you've had your eye on something, now's the time to make hay!

 

We're sure going to miss you, dearest Kate! #peaceout

Market Finds

Team Trove's approach to seasonal market shopping is divide and conquer. It's helpful for us to check out different markets with fresh eyes, so we often switch things up and try new spots, meeting new faces, seeing new places and always discovering something cool and unique. Here's an amuse bouche of our latest discoveries.

Trovester Mark went to the Atlanta gift show, where he found a scarf line made with Italian suiting fabrics, and a new line of throw blankets from Malibu Luxxe.

Trovester Kate had to tear herself, and her husband, away from the ski trails in her beloved Big Sky to meet Jodi and Melani in Dallas.

Kate met with the co-founder of jewelry line My Saint My Hero, Amy D'Ambra, and we all settled in for "The House That Pinterest Built: A Conversation with Diane Keaton", based on the actress, director and author's new book of the same name.

Trovester Jodi found some lovely, rustic entertaining and decor pieces, as well as new additions to our growing apothecary department.

We'll have all manner of new goods rolling into the store in the coming weeks and months we just know you'll love. Come see us in #thenoke!

Trovester Travels: Texas

Trovester Jodi Golm traveled to Texas this Autumn for both a fabulous girl's getaway and an inspo-slash-buying trip for The Trove. The charming, down-home atmosphere of The Lone Star State fits right into the vibe of our lovely barn in Roanoke. We love the merch Jodi has added to our assortment and we just know you will too. Check out Jodi's Texas photo journal below for a peek at what she found in the beautiful southwest corner of our great country.

Rachel Ashwell's The Prairie (and more) in Round Top, TX

Magnolia Market in Waco, TX

No buying trip in Texas is complete without a trip to the beloved HQ of Chip and Joanna Gaines. Magnolia is everything fans of Fixer Upper could dream of...

Feeling inspired? Same.

Come shop all the new goods packed into the barn!

FIND Melani Wilson...

Trovester and tireless #ladyboss, Melani Wilson is always on the go. Check out an excerpt from her latest blog post for our sister store, The FIND, below...

IMG_1881.JPG

"I have strong Indiana roots and I will always have a special place in my heart, and life, for this beautiful state. It's where I was raised and where I raised my children. It is home to extended family and cherished friends, as well as my business interests. Northeast Indiana is becoming such a dynamic place to live, work and play, which certainly makes it harder to leave for my various adventures and much easier to return home."

Spring Break Essentials

Spring Break is here and we can hardly contain ourselves! In our suitcase this year, you'll find stylish resort staples, a multitasking beauty balm and a charming book by local author, and all-around cool chick, Erin Loechner. Toss an actual camera (yes, they still exist) into the hippest fringe bag and take off!

Chasing Slow

the perfect beach read

by Erin Loechner

pol fringe bag

crochet fringe bag

 

by POL

turkish t

must have hooded poncho

by Turkish T

FoxSea Soothing Balm

soothing balm (it's TSA friendly)

by FoxSea Skin

cameras

don't miss a moment

by Lomography

PINEAPPLE TANK

fun and funky tank

by Chaser

 

Even more to love...

 

Have fun and be safe, Spring Breakers! 

 

Market Shenanigans

In our never-ending quest for the coolest merch in the land, we Trovesters trek all over the globe, often going for a divide and conquer method. This first quarter has seen Trovesters traveling to Atlanta, Las Vegas and Los Angeles for gift, home and makers markets. We're dedicated to stocking our store with unique and thoughtful goods, items not found in the big box stores or sitting on the shelves of other spots in town. While professional shopping sounds like one hell of a gig (it does have its charms), it can be stressful and sometimes grueling. We carefully create budgets, a physical plan of attack for the massive square footage of these markets and keep goals in mind for our specific departments. Then, we throw a good portion of that out the window on day one. Take a peek at some of our latest adventures in retailing:

Melani & Kate take Los Angeles

We came, we shopped, we drank. We cling hard and fast to our honed survival skills.

The scene can be overwhelming at times and eyes start to glaze over. This bright and fun collection of goodies grabbed our attention.

Of course, we take time for trips to farm markets and walks on the beach. We can't imagine visiting Cali without getting a little sand in our shoes. 

Trovesters

As is tradition, we put our feet up at the end of the work day for much needed rest and relief. This is just one of the coping mechanisms we use in order to rally for dinner.

salt and straw

When you encounter Salt & Straw, you simply cannot help but treat yo self. 

Trovesters

L.A. was kind to us, as always.

Giving Thanks

We Trovesters are so excited for the tastiest of days, Thanksgiving! While we have a whole slate of festive shenanigans planned for this season, we always love to kick off the holidays by sharing some of our fondest memories, most favorite traditions and those highly anticipated, carb-heavy side dishes we can't wait to devour.

“As a kid, we spent Thanksgiving at my Grandma and Grandpa Welker’s home. After the huge dinner that my grandma prepared all by herself, starting at 4 am, she would slip off for a nap. My dad and uncles would take the kids outside, no matter the weather, for some football. We would kick field goals over the most perfectly spaced limbs on a big tree in their front yard. I was the only girl in the bunch and I loved being part of that.”
— Melani
“Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday! I love the 5 am turkey bastings, our traditional morning run with those willing to brave my brother in law’s routes, my Dad’s famous Bloody Mary’s (obscene amounts of horseradish!), group food prep, snacking from sun up to sun down, my mom’s fab carrot cake and the lively dinner conversations (avoiding politics this year). And I’m always so thankful to spend it with family members who trek from the East Coast. Bring on the food coma! ”
— Leslie
“Some of my traditions have changed through the years, but one of my most cherished memories was serving those less fortunate at Pine Street Inn, when I lived in Boston. When I moved to Fort Wayne, I gladly signed up to serve lunch for The Boys and Girls Club. Giving back to others is so important and I’m happy to do my part. In recent years, Thanksgiving finds me traveling abroad with my family. I’m so thankful to make new, enriching and meaningful memories with them while I can.”
— Kate
“My memories are of a classic Thanksgiving with my family, preparing and enjoying a very traditional menu. My mother’s stuffing is always perfect and my sister makes the most heavenly ginger cookies, topped with a pumpkin spread. I dream of their signature dishes year round. After we’ve eaten way too much, we set up my mother’s Christmas decorations, including her treasured nativity scene. It’s a lovely tradition we all adore, especially my mother.”
— Mark

We wish you and yours a lovely day filled with good food, lots of laughter and gratitude.

- Melani, Leslie, Kate and Mark

Chin Chin

We Trovesters appreciate a great drink at the end of the day (or lunch, if conditions are favorable). Therefore, you'll always find cool and chic barware in store. 

While gathering images for this blog post, we started thinking about our treasured and oft used toasts, lovingly gathered during our many travels and friendly fêtes. Pour yourself a glass and cheers with us, won't you?

“I say “Cheers, Big Ears” for nearly every clink of a wine glass. My Kiwi sister in law says it’s a New Zealand thing, so I adopted it to make myself feel more international. ”
— Trovester Leslie
“In my family, we always say ‘Salud, Dinero y Amor’, which translates to Health, Money & Love in Spanish.

Sometimes, just to switch things up a bit, I go with Áspro Páto, which is Greek for ‘Bottoms Up!’”
— Trovester Melani
“We always use a quote from the classic film, All About Eve:

”Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!””
— Trovester Mark
“We learned in Belgium to say ‘Prost!’ and that when you raise a glass, you must make eye contact with your fellow revelers, to avoid bad sex. Is that TMI for the blog?”
— Trovester Kate

Salut! Chin chin! Sláinte! 

No matter what your favorite toast is, freshen up your bar game at home and do it with style!

We're Renegades

We Trovesters started going to the now legendary Renegade Craft Fair in September of 2013, a few months before The Trove opened. Our first foray into all things Renegade occurred on Division Street in Chicago. We kicked off the day with some fantastic Bloody Mary's and thus began a beautiful and productive tradition (drinking + shopping = fun)!

Trovesters have been present at various Renegade fairs and pop-ups in a handful of spots and each one has been unique and inspiring. If you've never been, Renegade Craft Fairs are such a well-edited, high-quality makers' fair that brings together indie businesses with cool, indie- loving buyers and shoppers. It's always a scene and we always leave having made new connections, new friends and with our wallets a little (or a lot) lighter. 

Originally, we felt going to the Renegade productions in Chicago would lead us to some great Midwestern makers. While this did indeed happen, we've also met folks and businesses that hail from California, Austin and Vancouver! Renegade curates the best of the best and brings them all to our fingertips and we couldn't be more grateful for that. Lines such as Fail Jewelry, Alana Douvros, Late Sunday Afternoon, Parasol Paper Press, All Good Things and so much more, have, and still do, grace the shelves at The Trove.

Our latest Renegade adventure was in Los Angeles and while we're always good at keeping secrets, we have some exciting things making their debut in #thenoke very soon.

Go West

We are beyond thrilled to share our expansion to Big Sky, Montana. Trovester Kate, known for her passion for Montana, opened our latest outpost on June 30th, with two local partners, Hannah Johansen and Katie Craig. 

Trovesters Kate Tomkinson & Melani Wilson, with their supportive husbands in tow, worked hard (with some fun breaks in between) to get The Trove West ready for the Grand Opening.

The view of Lone Peak from the back door of The Trove West. Not too shabby!

The store is just lovely and full of indie goodies and gifts from all over these beautiful United States, including merch from both Montana and Indiana makers. If you're ever in the area, be sure to stop by to say hello!