BOWLING GREEN — When planted together, oak trees interlock their roots and anchor one another. A grove makes them stronger together than if they were alone.
That’s the concept behind the new downtown business, Oak Grove Collective.
The store consists of more than 20 vendors coming together for a monthly experience not to be missed, said owners Kati Thompson and Kala Barcus.
“The ‘oak grove’ is trees grow stronger when they’re growing next to each other. It was the idea of collecting all these other business, collecting our own staff, and then growing better together,” Mrs. Barcus said.
The monthly market will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at 186 S. Main St. Additional dates are Nov. 7-9 and Dec. 5-7. It will be off in January and July.
The vendors will be selling jewelry, apparel, home goods, artisan foods, seasonal items, plants, and bath and body products. Many of the vendors have booths at the Black Swamp Arts Festival, work from home, or are just getting started, Mrs. Barcus said.
Shopping at Oak Grove Collective will be an event and an experience, Mrs. Thompson said.
“The reality is, what we’ve found in retail, is that oftentimes people get very busy, and the months and the weeks can pass very quickly,” she said. “What we’re hoping is by producing a schedule of markets ... that will allow people literally to put it in their calendar, save the date, and know that it’s coming.
“We’re hoping that we stay top of mind — that it’s so fantastic, people don’t want to miss it,” Mrs. Thompson said.
Shopping will be the main event, but there will be much more.
Sample a macaron or cupcake in the store’s kitchen. Check out food trucks in the outdoor green space in the back of the store. Oak Grove is partnering with next-door neighbor, the Clay Pot, to serve cocktails and appetizers in the restaurant’s outdoor area.
Mrs. Barcus said this business model fits the rhythm of life.
“People seem to enjoy events. I don’t just go out shopping on a Tuesday night for clothing, just because. But if I have friends that invite me to come to something that has more to offer, then I’m intrigued and I want to go to that,” she said. “It’s becoming more popular because it fits many demographics and just the schedule, where everybody’s at with kids and sports and the demands that are going on.”
Oak Grove will be like an Etsy store coming to life, Mrs. Thompson said. Etsy is an online store of independent sellers.
“We’re taking the effort out of shopping,” Mrs. Thompson said. “We’ve worked to find the vendors, to bring the goods in the store. We’ve worked to curate some of our own goods, which we thought were beautiful and people have to see.
“We want to do that work for folks so they can come in here and be able to have all of these beautiful things at their fingertips,” she said.
Mrs. Thompson, who is 42, is the economic development director for the city of Bowling Green. She and her husband, Dave, have six children. He owns the Ace Hardware store on the same downtown block as the collective.
The collective is located in Mrs. Thompson’s former business, Eden, a women’s fashion boutique. She closed Eden earlier this year but will have some of the fashions for sale at Oak Grove.
“I’d really been contemplating that for about two years,” she said of the closing. “I’ve been working full time since 2000 in the role of economic development. The daily aspect of managing a store that’s open like that on a regular basis was just not something that was fitting with my life anymore.”
Mrs. Barcus, who is 37, first sold her jewelry on Etsy.
“Because of Etsy, I have sold globally. Just this summer, I had a bunch of orders to Australia and Europe,” Mrs. Barcus said. “That’s been fun to do that, because I have a home studio where I make jewelry, and I also balance the time with my kids.”
The former florist has been busy raising a young family with husband, Adam. When her first child arrived nine years ago, she decided to be a mostly stay-at-home mom to her two daughters and son but wanted to keep a foot in the work world.
“That’s when I started Lin and Mae Designs, which is going to be sold at Oak Grove. Lin and Mae are the middle names of my two girls,” Mrs. Barcus said.
She described her earrings as affordable, high quality, and appealing to everyone.
“My grandmother wears my earrings, my 7-year-old wears my earrings. I think I was just able to hit my target market,” Mrs. Barcus said, adding that her most popular style is a “druzy,” or sparkling gemstone.
The two women have known each other for years, through Eden, where Mrs. Barcus also sold her jewelry.
“It came together so organically,” Mrs. Barcus said of the Oak Grove idea. “I stopped in to drop off some earrings and Kati said, ‘I’m thinking about doing some changes.’ And I said, ‘we should do a market.’”
Oak Grove was conceived during a dinner conversation.
Stephen Auchmuty, with Stu’s Wood in Bowling Green, will have his Ohio-shaped cutting boards and coasters, along with other custom woodworks, for sale at the collective. His creations are all natural grain with no stain.
He began the side business in 2011, making little projects for friends, and went full time in November. He’s thrilled to be a part of Oak Grove.
“I’ve never really taken part in something like that. I’m excited to see how it goes. It just seems like a really smart idea,” Mr. Auchmuty said.
For more information, visit the Oak Grove Collective on Instagram and Facebook and stuswood.com .
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