Nancy Gabrielsen and Susan Edmonds have combined their love of friendship, farm fare, flowers and fun finds in their New Berlin space, Cultivate Shop and Studio.
The pair launched the 28 South Main St. shop in November 2024, though they said the inspiration behind Cultivate spans decades.
“We’ve been friends for 15 years and, for at least 10, we’ve been dreaming about opening a space, because we realized our combined talents and tastes and interests would make for a fantastic shop,” Edmonds said. “Nancy is a former chemist and I’m a former aesthetician. A little over a year ago, Nancy started going to the church next door and saw the space available. It just kind of came together, and being next to the Nook (Coffeehouse) was a bonus.”
“My background really is farm-to-table,” Gabrielsen said. “I’ve had a farm for the past 21 years and my passion is everything involved with farm-to-table. We carry quality kitchenwares, because I’m passionate about cooking and, not just an amazing recipe, but how it’s presented. I’m passionate about sharing my favorite cookbooks with others, and flowers, and not just setting the table with food, but creating a whole natural, earthy aesthetic. I taught myself how to do soaps, so we have homemade soap here and personal care products and I’m developing a baby line.”
Customer favorites among Cultivate’s inventory, Edmonds and Gabrielsen said, include candles; art books; housewares; women’s accessories, such as jackets, robes, scarves and jewelry; and perfume.
Edmonds said she hopes workshops will also prove popular.
“We have a working studio in the back, where we make a lot of our products, and we’re going to do classes back there — floral arranging, an herb basket for Mother’s Day and we’re going to be doing candle-making and we have printing equipment.”
Edmonds said, “A lot of what we have is Scandinavian … (because) we’re both 100% Norwegian. We’ve got some Scandinavian flair going throughout, and we carry vintage, modern and made.”
On Saturday, May 17, Cultivate will host an event celebrating Norwegian Independence Day. The shop is also, Edmonds said, “all geared up with beautiful Mother’s Day gifts.”
Fueling and sharing passions, the pair said, underscores their approach to all things.
“One of the things that always spurred me on was — and it would hit me so much in the fall — I wanted to do a total revamp at home, and there was never any place to go to get new pillows or inspiring decor,” Gabrielsen said. “You have the big box stores, but you don’t have anything special, and that’s been the driving force for me, and thinking about what kind of merchandise I would like for myself and to share with others. The two of us want to share our passions. We’re combining and working on body products and skincare and we aspire to get a Cultivate line going.”
“I’ve had a couple shops in my lifetime, and I worked in Manhattan for a linen company and managed a furniture store, so I’ve always had a passion for retail and an eye for design,” Edmonds said. “It was just a dream to try to bring it all to fruition.”
Support from the New Berlin community and beyond has been hearty.
“It’s (people) from everywhere; locals that come in on a daily basis, but we’ve been absolutely surprised by how many people have second homes up here and there’s a lot of people coming from other areas,” Gabrielsen said. “There’s been overwhelming support. Absolutely more and better than we could’ve imagined.”
“(Customers are) typically female, but it’s all ages,” Edmonds said. “The community was so incredibly welcoming, particularly Mayor Pete Lennon; he’s been our biggest cheerleader and fan. Our dreams have come true … and we’re both planning on moving to New Berlin, because we just love the community.”
Gabrielsen and Edmonds said they hope to expand offerings while deepening ties to the community.
“I do think there’s a real possibility of taking our show on the road and collaborating with other local businesses,” Gabrielsen said. “That’s something I, personally, really want to see. A couple weeks ago I did a workshop at the Gatehouse in Morris and did floral arranging for them, and they will come here at some point and do something. And I think it would be amazing to do a treasure trail, like there’s a beverage trail.
“We’re ever-evolving,” Edmonds said. “There’s always new things; we repurpose furniture, so there’s always furniture moving in and out, and different displays, because of the vintage. We want to do more workshops and more skin care and body care. Everything in the store is very curated to what we love and what’s different and unique.”
Cultivate is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 10 to 4, Saturday.
For more information, find “Cultivate Shop and Studio” on Facebook or follow @cultivateshopandstudio on Instagram.