Siobhan Larkin (right) and Jennifer Petry (left) always wanted to be surrounded by beautiful things, which inspired them to open a holistic home goods store, Hearth & Soul, at 214 Ellicott St. in Batavia.
Hearth & Soul offers handmade Bohemian home décor, holistic accessories and crystals, jewelry, organic skin care, and everything people need to create a nurturing and comfortable home. They also feature local artists in the store.
“We want to make sure we’re educating the community,” Petry said. “We want to try to make sure we build the community we wish we had when we were growing up here.”
Petry said anything in the store that is not handmade, such as diffusers, are high quality products recommended by professionals.
The products in the shop come from all over the country, including Vermont and Oregon, and from Ontario, Canada. A line of clothing in the store is also made in Nepal and there is a selection of organic baby clothes made in Peru.
“We’re really proud to support these small businesses,” Petry said. “We’re trying to get things for everyone.”
Larkin grew up in Medina and Petry was born in Arizona, but grew up in Pembroke. Petry opened up a daycare when her children were little, so she has experience as a business owner, while Larkin spent time in management positions while working at a hotel.
Larkin and Petry met when they were both working at a local hotel in Batavia. They hit it off right away and have been friends ever since. Larkin said it was a mutual goal of theirs to open a holistic home goods store. They put off the idea for a while, but the timing fell into place.
Both Larkin and Petry come from families where small business ownership was common, so it was not hard for them to take the leap into entrepreneurship.
The community has supported them every step of the way, Larkin and Petry said.
“We cannot say enough how amazing it has been,” Petry said. “All of these people have in some way encouraged us or gave us business information. The support has been tremendous.”
Petry said they will eventually have meditation classes in the shop, but when they will start, has yet to be determined.
Larkin said they are trying to get a feel for what people in the community want to see at their shop.
“Any products that people want to see here and that fit in the naturally made or support small businesses thing, we’re taking suggestions,” Larkin said. “We really want to be able to offer everyone something.”
They are still working on their website, but can be found on Facebook here. They plan to do a sharing contest to give away a salt lamp. Larkin said community involvement is important to them and they appreciate the support everyone has given them.
On July 8, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m., followed by wine tastings, courtesy of Christine Crocker, owner of The Yngodess Shop on Main Street, light hors d’oeuvres, and music from local artist Justin Reynolds.
