'Tis the Season in Montgomery County to Shop Local

Enjoy shopping in your local community this holiday season.

Shopping for the holiday season is in full swing and one Silver Spring business owner says residents should buy local. “When you think about going to the mall, think about the small merchant in your neighborhood who does not have the big advertising budget like the big boys or the big strategist etc, etc. But think about the mom and pop,” Bahia Akerele, owner of On The Purple Couch, said.  The shop is located at 955 Bonifant St. in Silver Spring. Akerele adds she hasn’t worked this hard in her life, but is glad to be working toward the American dream. Read more: Shopping Local~ Silver Spring and Beyond. Join Patch’s Local Voices! We want to provide a platform for your message. To learn more email Tamika Smith, the Community Manager in …

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Farm Fresh

Adios to Apple Season

Apples may be leaving, but local produce is still abundant.

The sign at O'Keefe's fruit stand announces that it will be closing soon for the season and that they have reduced their hours to the weekends.  They are now open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.  They are still selling their very popular apple cider and Stayman Winesap apples. Lucky for us, Heyser Farms installed an underground cold storage unit in their basement last year, which will enable them to continue to sell apples and delicious cider until March.  Right now, they are selling pumpkins, butternut and acorn squash, yellow and green peppers, and of course, apples, particularly Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome, Grimes Golden, Stamen and Nittany. If you haven't heard of Nittany apples, they are apples that were …

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Shop Local: Q&A with Burtonsville Watercolor Artist

Samantha Wenitsky sells artwork from her HourglassPieces Etsy shop.

Burtonsville artist Samantha Wenitsky creates her whimsical watercolors using an unlikely source of inspiration: plant cells. Her Etsy shop, HourglassPieces, currently features four pieces, most 7-inch-by-10-inch renderings, with bright colors that show few signs that they were adapted from scientific photographs. She also makes pendants, which are not currently available online. Patch met with Wenitsky to learn more.  Colesville Patch: How did you get started? Samantha Wenitsky: I've been drawing since I can remember, basically. When I was in high school I got into painting and that was mostly big acrylics and things like that. As I graduated high school and graduated college, I had smaller and smaller places to spaces to work with so my …

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Shop Local: Q&A with Beads by Breul Founder

Aspen Hill resident Courtney Breul sells handmade jewelry online.

Etsy.com is a shopper's dream: pages and pages of unique vintage or handcrafted products, all just a click away. Shop by category (bags to bowls), by item or by region. No surprise that Silver Spring is lousy with talented artists who turn to the popular website to distribute goods.  Patch recently caught up with one such artist, Courtney Breul. An Aspen Hill resident, she sells her handmade jewelry pieces online at Etsy.com and ArtFire.com under the shop name Beads by Breul.  Patch: Could you describe what you create and what materials you use? Courtney Breul: It's jewelry--necklaces, earrings, bracelets. I use everything from resin beads up to semi-precious. I use silver and gold, copper, brass. I do a variety of things, I do stringing …

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