Know Your Neighbor: Marisa and Stephanie Goldsmith, Artisan Gift Shop Owners, Pleasantville
When Marisa and Stephanie Goldsmith decided earlier this year that it was the right time to start their own business, it probably came as no surprise that they would do it together.
The sisters pooled their artistic talent and business acumen to open an artisan gift shop on Oct. 4 in Scarsdale. In fact, the entire operation has a family flavor.
The tiny 100-square-foot space located on Dunwoodie Avenue is part of a property that has been in the family since their great-grandfather owned it. Their father built them their shelves and to prepare the space and their brother helped with the electrical work.
Even the name of the shop, a bushel & a peck, has a family story. When they were young children, the sisters’ grandfather would sing the “Guys and Dolls” ditty to them.
“We’re four kids in five years so we’ve always had a strong bond with all of our siblings and Stephanie and I opening the shop in kind of a small time frame, we definitely thought we would probably butt heads but the shop has actually brought us closer together,” said Marisa Goldsmith, 25, the oldest of the four children, while Stephanie, 22, is the second youngest.
The store sells unique handmade items that are perfect for gifts for almost any occasion. The merchandise is created by artists, many of whom both sisters have known as friends, through school or who they have learned of through word of mouth and want to have a place to sell their creations.
When they decided to open the store several months ago, they started with Stephanie’s own hand painted wineglasses, a business she had while in college, along with handmade jewelry that she worked on while involved in a recently concluded internship.
As winter approaches, a bushel & a peck will be carrying scarves, handbags and creative placemats.
“It’s for the customers that don’t want to go to the department store and want something that’s a little unique and personable,” Stephanie said. “All of our pieces kind of relate to someone and we customize almost anything that we have. That’s the other thing, we can customize any colors, any styles. Most of our vendors do custom work.”
Marisa said that they have also included work from fellow Pleasantville native Jaime Posa, who during her time in the Peace Corps in El Salvador was engaged in a social entrepreneurship.
“That’s great,” she said. “I love that connection with Pleasantville, the social part of it.”
Since the store is so small, they can’t put everything in stock so they take orders from customers, Marisa said.
Marisa and Stephanie are both Pleasantville High School graduates and hold Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, Marisa from the Parsons School of Design and Stephanie from St. John’s, where she graduated earlier this year. Marisa is currently working on her MBA and an executive management degree at St. John’s.
Having come from a family where everybody has a creative outlet, the idea for the store took shape when they wanted to have a place to house their artwork as well as from other artists. Almost as soon as they opened, many longtime Scarsdale residents were thrilled that they filled the store because the property is on a visible strip, they said.
“It’s a nice story to tell customers, too, especially customers who have been in the area for a long time and have seen a lot of shops go through that space,” Marisa said.
Not only have they received community support in Scarsdale but from their hometown of Pleasantville as well. Through social media, they have reached out to people who they haven’t seen in years. During the store’s first week, they have seen old friends and former teachers, among others, who have come down to check the shop out.
Stephanie said they’re excited to see where a bushel & a peck goes. Best of all, they have enjoyed working together.
“We’ve had a really good experience from it, definitely,” Marisa said. “We’ve learned a lot, we’ve grown closer as sisters.”
The store is located at 7 Dunwoodie St. in Scarsdale and is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more, follow a bushel & a peck on Facebook, email bushelandapeck@gmail.com or call Marisa Goldsmith at 914-490-2522 or Stephanie Goldsmith at 914-202-5822.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
