Catch the Village Holiday Spirit
Step into any business in Fair Oaks Village, and you’ll love the creative holiday décor that separates our Village from cookie-cutter malls.
Fair OaksVillage is a lovely mix of new shops that repurpose old spaces and honor the past while breathing new life into our community and businesses where new owners work hard to preserve the traditions and spirit long after the original owners retire.
Stockman Club and Sherwood Florist, and Gift Shoppe are good examples of the latter. Stockman Club’s origins go back to the early 1950s bringing to mind horses hitched up at a rail outside the bar in the days of sprawling farms and ranches surrounding the Village. Dallas Bock, the former owner, took new owners Scott and Rebekah Nyberg under his wing. He mentored them and worked alongside them, teaching them the ins and outs of running the business and helping them retain the qualities that Stockman Club customers count on. That’s why many longtime customers meet there with family and friends to celebrate holidays and special events.
Another well-known Village business, Sherwood Florist and Gift Shoppe, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year without all the fanfare the anniversary deserves because it’s been a challenging couple of years. Owners Alina and McCloud Stewart purchased the business from Les and Glenda Carter, who owned it for 46 years. The Carters wanted their shop to continue serving the community, but only if Alina, their longtime employee, would take over. As with the Stockman Club, the former owners mentored the Stewarts and encouraged them to carry on the Village traditions that draw people in. Sherwood Florist’s tradition of design excellence and meaningful relationships with customers is a shining exception when we often lament the passing of so many brick-and-mortar businesses.
What makes Sherwood Florist unique, in addition to their skill as floral designers, is their dedication to selling locally sourced products like soaps and chocolate. The luscious plants in their shop come from a nursery that delivers only the most unique, well cared for, healthy, and lush greenery.
As with other businesses, there is a backlog of goods from suppliers in just about everything from containers to floral goods. Sherwood Florist invites customers to choose custom arrangements over advertised stock floral gifts to allow them to use products in good supply to create unique, one-of-a-kind arrangements that will thrill their recipients. Sherwood Florist was kind enough to provide a custom arrangement for me for a birthday gift, and it was delightful, original, and fresh.
The Stewarts also opened Fair Oaks Village Mercantile down the street from Sherwood Florist, formerly a gift shop called, Of Simpler Times. The new shop, staffed by McCloud Stewart’s mother, Darlene Livingstone, and Joanne Flom, the longtime former manager of the previous business, is delightful, welcoming, full of great gift ideas and holiday spirit. As with other Fair Oaks businesses, the staff greet visitors and encourage them to browse, making it easy to ask for help. Their holiday hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Stop by Sherwood Florist for a visual holiday treat while you shop for locally-made products and other gifts, or their other shop, Fair Oaks Village Mercantile, and you’ll get right into the holiday spirit.
Story by Pat Cole