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Fresh finds at Ivy's Collective
Sep 18, 2024
The scent of baked goods by Blue Gate draws one into Ivy's Collective, and the inviting interior imbues a sense of home.
Cynthia Hochswender
Tucked into the woods at the southeastern edge of Sharon for many years was an abandoned property, the former site of a beloved garden center called Nora’s.
Ivy and Daniel Kramp often drove by the old Nora’s, after moving part-time to Sharon in 2015 (both are successful realtors in New York City). It ignited a dream for Ivy, who had always loved interior design.
“One of our favorite things to do up here is go to estate sales,” she said.
“But everything is always so expensive,” Daniel said. “We go, we see the prices, we walk out.”
In September 2023, the couple decided to buy the former Nora’s and open it under a new name: Ivy’s Collective.
“It was a passion project,” Ivy said. “We wanted to create curated, approachable estate sales that went on all year long.”
But because they are in the city all week, they needed to find just the right person to execute that dream. Through a mutual friend they were connected to Liz Macaire, who had recently launched an estate clearance business.
“I was starting to run out of space for all the things I was selling on commission for my clients,” she said. She met Daniel and Ivy at the perfect time — and not long after, made another important connection, with Simon Kristoph, a former visual director for a high-end fashion store. He’d just moved to Litchfield County, and immediately teamed up with Macaire, creating the new Macaire + Kristoph Studio (they recently opened a second location in West Cornwall).
When the foursome are together at Ivy’s Collective, the energy in the shop is electric.
“It’s always a party in this place,” Macaire said.
Adding to the party atmosphere are the croissants and hot breakfasts served at the popular bakery at Ivy’s Collective, called Blue Gate Bakery. The space is zoned for only three uses: an antique store, a bakery, and a garden center. The Collective now has all three.
Because Blue Gate is a bakery and not a cafe, there is no dedicated seating. Customers often come in and sit on the pieces that are for sale. It ignites their imaginations.
“People come in for a croissant, and leave with a table or a lamp,” Macaire said.
As Realtors, the Kramps are familiar with the important part that imagination plays in the sale of furniture or property. They always recommend “staging,” which involves clearing out many of the seller’s more personal items, and adding attractive and appropriate furnishings that enhance the space.
“It’s non-negotiable,” Daniel said of staging. “You’re selling the vision of living in a space — versus showing buyers empty rooms and dusty shelves. It helps people see past the clutter or the emptiness.”
Both Daniel and Ivy Kramp are already expert stagers, but they can also now work with Macaire and Kristoph, who are experienced stylists and also have a bounty of consignment furnishings available to fit every space.
“Other people do staging, or interior design, or moving, or estate sales,” Macaire said. “We provide all those services in one place.”
Stop by Ivy’s Collective to meet the team between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday at 2 Route 7 in Sharon, just before the bridge (and get a delicious treat at the Blue Gate Farm Bakery). The new West Cornwall Macaire + Kristoph Studio is at 406 Sharon/Goshen Turnpike, and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find Macaire and Kristoph at www.macairekristoph.com.
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The cast included Charles Busch (left), June Gable (center) and Richard Kind (right), as well as Joanna Gleason and Rodd Cyrus (not pictured).
Matthew Kreta
The Sharon Playhouse hosted a one-night stage reading of “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” on their main stage on Sept. 13. The reading featured an absolutely star-studded cast including the playwright, Charles Busch, and was sold out.
“The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” follows the midlife crisis of the main character, Marjorie Taub, and takes place entirely within the two-bedroom apartment of her and her husband Ira. The play was first produced in 2000.
From the very beginning it is clear that Marjorie is in full distress but can’t quite place a finger on why, other than the death of her therapist. Only able to be “assisted” so much by her constantly working husband and nagging mother who lives just down the hall, Marjorie begins to find some solace and joy again due to a chance meeting with her old childhood friend, Lee. Lee has lived an absolutely extraordinary life, and her openness and stories begin to revitalize Marjorie. From there, the play explores Marjorie and her family trying to navigate these changes.
The five-person comedy featured Charles Busch as the titular allergist’s wife, Marjorie, as well as Tony winner Joanna Gleason, Tony nominee June Gable, television and movie actor Richard Kind and Juilliard School graduate Rodd Cyrus. Director Carl Andress read the stage directions for the audience’s benefit. The sheer talent of these five actors and actresses was clear from the moment they began, and their proficiency made this reading nearly feel like a complete production, despite the static and simplistic nature of stage readings.
Throughout the night, the cast fully embodied each character over the course of the hour and forty minutes that the audience had the pleasure to watch, delivering punchline after punchline with absolutely perfect timing and conviction. The audience, in turn, was absolutely roaring with laughter and applause. It was very rare for the hall to be silent, as the writing and cast delivered a night of non-stop hits that left patrons more than satisfied.
The Sharon Playhouse will open on Friday, Sept. 20 with the final production of its main season, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”.
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Purple loosestrife as a roadside attraction.
Dee Salomon
I can’t help but notice the roadside plants while I am driving. This spring, after an otherwise violent brush cutting along Route 7, I spotted a large and glorious patch of trillium; the other day I noticed that the super-spreader Japanese stiltgrass has taken over the sides of a local thoroughfare that shall not be name-shamed. Roadside plants are both a seasonal timestamp and a leading indicator of what invasives we will soon be grappling with inside the boundaries of our own properties. A kind of drive-by trend spotting.
A new-ish umbellifer dotting the roadsides this summer, Wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, is a tall, fennel-shaped invasive that has, thankfully, now withered to a brown skeleton. For cyclists this summer it was a surprise, then a worry. Skin contact with the plant can cause burns and blistering welts. If it gets into the eye it can even cause blindness.
The plant that is currently engaging my peripheral vision from the road is purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria. By the time you read this it will be winding down its blossom and going to seed. One is forgiven for not taking this one seriously; with its skinny stems and distractingly vibrant flowers it is arm candy to the native goldenrod it often accompanies. I saw it in a bouquet at a dinner last week and thought that we should all be making purple loose strife bouquets in an effort to stop its spread. True to its name, this loosestrife is a troublesome invasive that bullies out native neighbors with a combination of its dense perennial rootstock and prolific seeder. According to the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group, a mature plant can produce more than 2.5 million seeds annually.
Purple loosestrife is most often seen in wetland areas; its seeds can germinate even after a couple of years spent under water. Cut it down to prevent the seeds from spreading; it is hard to pull out by the root. If you only have a few, consider using a shovel to dig out the roots, which you will need to do consistently over a few years. It does get better. Chemical control, especially in wetlands, is best left to a professional.
There have been attempts at biological control against purple loosestrife; four types of insects were approved for release in Connecticut years ago to slow down the plant’s spread including a leaf eating beetle and a root eating weevil. My sense was, over the last few years, populations of the invasive plant were declining. This year, perhaps due to the mild winter or the heavy rainfall, it seemed to be everywhere.
There are both native and invasive loosestrifes co-existing in our area so a quick lesson to help you distinguish between them. There is a smaller, paler purple-flowered native called Winged loosestrife, Lythrum alatum, that I have never seen here and would like to know if any readers have encountered the species nearby. If you have, please send me an email at dee@theungardener.com
The other three are all yellow-flowered. Yellow loosestrife, Lysimachia vulgaris, is the invasive type. Like its purple relative, it grows in full sun and prefers wetlands. The yellow flower has more of a golden hue than that of its native relatives, Fringed loosestrife, Lysimachia ciliata, and Whorled loosestrife Lysimachia quadrifolia. Both of these native plants have distinctly paler yellow flowers that are less abundant on the stem than they are with the invasive type. Fringed loosestrife is abundant on the banks of the Housatonic where we live but so is the invasive version which I admit to not identifying it in time to keep it from establishing a robust stand in an area where I cannot shovel out the roots without causing erosion to the area. I will keep cutting it and see how it responds.
Back to the earlier-mentioned Japanese stiltgrass. If you intend to eradicate this prolific plant now is your last opportunity before it spreads its seeds, which are emerging from its slender stems. Consider first the area where it resides. In meadows and lawns you will do well to pull it out rather than weed whack so that there is no chance of seeding. Be sure to get your fingers down near the ground before you tug as the stem is as thin as a thread and will easily break with the root still in the ground. Not a disaster but it does risk re-growth this fall. For large and dense swaths, a weed torch will work wonders so long as you use with caution and safety measures. Remember to use this method only after a rain or early in the morning when the dew is thick and fallen leaves are not easily flammable. Always have a fire blanket or other fire eradication system by you. Perhaps most importantly, to avoid stiltgrass infestation, ask your lawn care company to hose down their mowers before starting to mow your lawn. This time of year stiltgrass seed will travel on mowers from other people’s lawns to new spots.
The shrub and small tree called Burning bush, Euonymous alatus, is the next invasive plant to put on a show for us on the roadside runway with its brilliant bluish-red and then pink leaves trying to distract driving eyes. Don’t succumb – eyes on the road!
Dee Salomon ‘ungardens’ in Litchfield County.
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