October Greenflea Cancelled, but....

Once again, due to unfortunate circumstances, we have had to cancel the Gahanna Greenflea, however, you can still shop some amazing vendors at Gahanna's Harvest Day Event!  This is an event put on by The Ohio Herb Education Center which is located right next door to Honey Grove Botanicals & The Little Black Chair, 116 Mill St, Olde Gahanna, the usual site of the Gahanna Greenflea.  They will be hosting vendors and exhibitors in their building and also across the street in Creekside Plaza.  Honey Grove & The Little Black Chair will also have many of the wonderful products normally found at the Greenflea for sale in the store along with great new Fall merchadise which is sure to please!  Please join us!

September Greenflea cancelled

Due to unforseen circumstances, the September Gahanna Greenflea, scheduled for September 10th has been cancelled.  Plan on attending the October 8th Gahanna Greenflea as we will be ramping up our offerings for our last event of the year.  We hope to have a wide variety of vendors who will have wonderful items for sale just in time for your early Holiday shopping and decorating!  You won't want to miss it!  More info to follow!

August Greenflea on the horizon!

We're gearing up for the August Gahanna Greenflea.  We hope to have a good crowd this month with all the publicity that we have been receiving. 

Come and meet us this Thursday, August 4th during OGCP's fabulous Paws in the Plaza event.  Sunny 95 will be broadcasting live from 5-6pm, OSU will be providing fun for the kids, and there will be giveaways!

We are still accepting applications for the August 13th Greenflea, so contact me ASAP if you are interested!

Green Tip of the Day:  When you get the urge for that summer ice cream, choose a cone rather than a cup. You're eating your serve-ware rather than using plastic or Styrofoam.

July Gahanna Greenflea

Beaniestalks owner Teresa Clow making a sale.

Izzy...one of our vendor's dog.

Olde Tyme Chymes...whimsical, fun!

Vintage Gal Creations Jewelry boxes

Vintage Gal Creations

Arianna's Attic

Arianna's Attic and Ms. Izzy

Heather Warner Designs hummingbird feeders

Heather Warner Designs...great upcycled feeders for our feathered friends.

Basilicus Jones-upcycled silverplate silverware

Great pendant lights and herb markers for the garden.

Basilicus Jones...plate/picture stands, cabinet handles, and dog tags.

Sweet Leaf Botanicals...succulent wreathes

Sweet Leaf Botanicals wreathes

Amazing Green...the only truly green carpet, floor, and tile cleaners in Columbus.

Emerald Artifacts...placemats, cake plates, soap dishes 

Emerald Artifacts

Vintage crinolines from Arianna's Attic

An impromtu performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare ABRIDGED! by Shots in the Dark ITC 

Therese Marie

Beautiful aprons and flower pots from ThereseMarie

Olde Tyme Chymes

Hair flowers and pins made from recycled leathers and suedes.

Teresa Clow hard at work.

Check us out in Columbus Monthly Magazine!

Honey Grove Botanicals and The Little Black Chair made it into the July issue of Columbus Monthly's "Tips & Trends" column!  Get your copy at the local newstand today!

We added two more vendors today for the Greenflea.  Wait until you see all of the adorable products which will be presented this month!  Bring your wallets and perhaps your early Christmas Shopping lists!

We also want to remind all of our fans with children, that Big Pine Ranch will be bringing one of their alpacas to Saturday's event!  They are such cool animals!  Janet and Jeff, Big Pine's proprietors, will be selling alpaca fiber and other alpaca products. 

Green Tip of the Day: 

At any given time there are at least 10 items in your home that require batteries, so why not switch to rechargeable? You’ll help keep all the remotes and gadgets going while keeping dead batteries out of our landfills.

Meet new vendor Heather Warner!

I love to make beautiful things inspired by and for nature. Many of the pieces I make include some type of Reclaimed object, something that was discarded, tossed aside, thought void of all purpose. It is these items that I take, rework, refinish and redesign to reclaim their purpose and their beauty.  Heather Warner 

Green Tip of the Day:  A programmable thermostat can make a big difference in your energy bill. They’re inexpensive and easy to install. You simply pre-program your ideal temperature settings for when you wake, leave and sleep. You’ll notice a difference in your bill the first month.

 

Gahanna Greenflea is ready for Saturday, July 9th!

Sorry for the long delay between posts...it's been a hectic month since last month's Greenflea!  I've been away on a much needed vacation, but I'm back and ready for Saturday!

We've been busy over the last month.  In between signing up vendors for our July event, we saw thousands of visitors in Olde Gahanna during the annual 3-day Creekside Blues and Jazz Festival.  We also had a  few tour buses this past month who came our way. Tour buses in Gahanna?  You bet!  Big thanks to our Convention & Visitor's Bureau who bring lots of folks our way.  After all, Gahanna is the Herb Capital of Ohio!

Speaking of herbs, we should have one or two vendors this month who will be selling them!  There should also be some other freshly harvested produce for sale.

Don't forget to spread the word about Gahanna Greenflea!  Hope to see you on Saturday!

Some photos from our first Gahanna Greenflea




Patron Molly Fanning pays for her purchase.

 


All set up and ready to go!

 


Vendor Arianna restocks her booth.

 


One of our "hottest" items at the Gahanna Greenflea!  Vendors Natasha & Jamie check email while waiting for the Greenflea to start.  Their dog Blue, patiently sits on Natasha's lap chewing his bone.  Jamie grew four varieties of hot peppers from seed for our market.

 


Gorgeous flower pots grown by vendor Jim in the foreground. Vintage suitcases in the background from vendor ThereseMarie.

 


Patrons check out merchandise from Bonnie, one of our vendors.

 


Some of our vendors making last minute adjustments to their booths.

 

Gahanna Greenflea ....Success!

Our first Greenflea is in the bag! After waking up late, to pouring rain, to falling down the steps with a box of glassware, we made it to the venue on time to open. And just as we finished setting up our tent, the sun came out! An answer to prayer for sure!

With a few exceptions all of our vendors showed up and set up their tents. They all did an awesome job of displaying their wares and were ready for our first customers!

We had a variety of items: vintage glassware, reclaimed barn wood furniture, antique iron gates, gorgeous painted furniture, spectacular vintage coin jewelry, adorable flower headbands & pins, vintage linens and jewelry, framed artwork, adorably decorated vintage bottles, vintage suitcases, hand-painted gourd birdhouses, loads of potted annuals and started-from-seed hot pepper bushes ready to produce. There was primitive furniture and tools, antiques, knicks knacks and some old odds and ends! Overall, it was wonderful; it was eco-friendly; it was eco-chic; it was GREEN!

Some of our vendors stayed until 7 pm catching the Creekside concert goers. Actually, we've been considering changing Gahanna Greenflea's time from 10-4 to 1-7. What do you think? We'd love to hear your opinion.

A reporter from The Rocky Fork Enterprise showed up to do a story and take some photos...thank you RFE!

Special thanks to Barb Drobnick of Honey Grove Botanicals for providing our venue, ideas, twitter feed, and support, Therese O'Donnell Leonard for assisting with ideas, publicity, Facebook, and fielding phone calls, and to my husband, Jim, without whom I could not have done this, for his help with the landscaping,general set up, tear down and tremendous support overall.

We hope that you stay tuned for next month's vendors as we hope to have a whole new group of vendors plus some of the vendors from our first Greenflea.

Help us to keep Matilda hopping by continuing to promote and spread the word about Gahanna Greenflea!

It's.....GAHANNA GREENFLEA TIME!

It's finally here and we are ready! Now, to get a good nights sleep...
Don't think that is going to happen!

Matilda has been primping so she looks her finest when she meets all of you tomorrow!

Don't forget to bring your friends....we'll be there from 10 until 4!

Can't wait to see you all at the Gahanna Greenflea!

We are the staff pick of Columbus Alive!

Many thanks to Jackie Mantey of Columbus Alive who wrote about the Gahanna Greenflea in her column today! Gahanna Greenflea was chosen their "Staff Pick." Click on the link to read the article. And congratulations to vendor Teresa Clow for having her photograph chosen to accompany the article.

It will be a long and busy day today, but we want to make sure that everything is ready for our first event.

Don't forget to come into our stores, Honey Grove Botanicals Bath & Candle Boutique & The Little Black Chair while you're at the Greenflea. We have some awesome items in store just for you! I spent several hours in the store today, bringing in some great new products and changing up displays. Barb has been busy in the kitchen whipping up Bubble Cakes, Milk Bath, soaps, and loads of her fabulous 100% soy and fully scented candles. She was inspired today by a faux blueberry pie that I brought into the shop and brought back an old favorite candle scent, Blueberry Muffin! It smelled so good in the shop that it made my mouth water!

I can't wait for you to see the shop!

Green tip of the Day:
Anytime you remodel or redecorate, try to find green furniture manufactured from recycled or reclaimed materials. The Little Black Chair, local thrift stores, antique shops and flea markets have great options, so you can recycle and save money at the same time.

That's what we're all about!!!

Our newest vendor...Meet Beaniestalk owner Teresa Clow...

My Grandmother had a needle in my hand as soon as I was old enough to hold one. I spent most of my time with her while growing up, learning to appreciate the art of working with my hands and making every item useful.

I currently am working on growing my little business "Beaniestalk." I started "Beaniestalk" in February of 2011 and have been driven to make it better every day since.

I create hair accessories out of used leather, denim, corduroy and suede garments. I love to see used garments that have been tossed aside turned into useful, beautiful hair clips, hairbands, shoe clips, pins and more.

I have had so much fun sorting through hundreds of vintage buttons to find the special ones that I use to create the centers of my flowers. I also love hitting the thrift stores to find "fabric" to use for my creations.

"Beaniestalk" has not only given me an amazing outlet for my creative energy, but it has also given me the opportunity to meet so many other wonderful and creative people!

Stop by and say hi while shopping at the Gahanna Greenflea!

It happened again!

I finally had time to sit down and read the June 1st Gahanna News. You'll never guess what I spotted on page 4? Gahanna Greenflea got a small article! Thanks Gahanna News!

Green tip of the day: Buy used products they are cheaper than new and often are perfectly functional especially when you buy them at GAHANNA GREENFLEA! :-D

Do you have 'Forgotten Dreams'? Meet vendor Kathleen Bogue...

Forgotten Dreams is a vintage coin jewelry company that Kathleen Bogue began dreaming about in 2007. She brought her dream to fruition in 2008. "I always loved history and collected old coins. They all had a story, about a place I had visited, a place I wanted to visit or a history lesson I’d had. The name came from the feelings that emerged when I saw the coins. They told of a time in history that had passed and had been forgotten. My jewelry is made from authentic coins from countries around the world no longer in circulation. The coins are drilled, cleaned, lightly polished for each 'One of a Kind' piece." If you’d like to share a moment of history, or you have dreams of a special time or place, you’ll love “Forgotten Dreams”. You'll also find Kathleen's beautiful and unique jewelry showcased at Honey Grove Botanicals & The Little Black Chair.

Green Tip of the Day: Take reusable bags with you when you shop. Most retailers sell their own reusable bags at the checkout, but you can always bring your own. It’s a good idea to keep a few in your car for those spur-of-the-moment shopping trips. Think about how many plastic bags we’ll keep out of our landfills! You can find reusable bags at Honey Grove Botanicals and The Little Black Chair!

New Greenflea Vendor-Born In A Barn Furniture-Brian Scheiderer

My first experience with using reclaimed lumber came about 6 years ago when I gathered enough of the material to build an enclosed back porch for our house, the majority of which is exposed raw barn lumber.

Having an appreciation for the quality of the wood and the knowledge that I was saving natural resources, it prompted me to experiment further. About two years ago I decided to start 'Born in a Barn Furniture' and I've been building ever since!

Most of the barn lumber that I have gathered has come from Champaigne, Union, and Fairfield counties. Generally, the barns are well over 100 years old.

I first dismantle the boards from the barn frame and then haul them home. Next comes the chore of pulling out all the nails and then scraping off the decades of barn life. What I am then left with is a variety of oak, ash, maple, and some cherry boards with interesting grain patterns, knots, and the original quarter-sawn blade markings. This makes for beautiful and interesting furniture, shelves, and accessories.

I have shown my work at area festivals including the Marysville Festifair, Worthington Fall Fest, and Pearl Alley Market among others. I also do custom work for my clients.

I live in the Plain City area with my wife and step-son, plus I have two children in college. I currently work as a part-time Ranger with Metro Parks and also for the Columbus Dispatch.

I look forward to seeing you at the Gahanna Greenflea!

Green Tip of the Day: Use native species for lawns and shrubs. You'll need to water less.

Meet vendor Melissa Howard of Vintage Gal Creations

My name is Melissa Howard and I am the creator of Vintage Gal Creations. I enjoy taking discarded vintage items, decoupaging them with vintage pictures and making new and unique one of a kind art creations from them. Everything old can be new again.

Green Tip of the Day: Choose a laptop computer over a desktop. It uses 50% less energy!

Vendor Bio- 'ThereseMarie' - Therese O'Donnell-Leonard

Therese O'Donnell-Leonard is a local artist, seamstress, picker, crafter, and entrepreneur. Therese's father was the Art Director of the Sunday Columbus Dispatch Magazine for 25 years, so Therese's artistic ability is a natural attribute. She carries on her family's artistic traditions and talent and it is apparent in her work.

She loves working with rescued items from yard sales and thrift stores, and was a "picker" long before pickers were chic. She has designed and created everything from formal gowns for weddings to kitchen aprons made from vintage fabrics. Her handpainted birdhouse gourds have been sold internationally and her green artwork has been shown at various art festivals.

She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management at Franklin University, raised two children, spent some time in Hawaii, and has worked in the Administrative and Human Resources support world, now acting as an office manager, employee coach, and student mentor. Every spare moment is devoted to her craft.

She and her husband, Harry, raise gourds and collect antique slate and vintage items. They create and nurture everything possible into works of art.

Her work is now available locally at The Little Black Chair inside Honey Grove Botanicals in Olde Gahanna. Therese also has a shop on etsy.com where she sells her art and vintage treasures. http://www.etsy.com/shop/Leonard1

Vendor Bio-Cindy Mackin

I feel that it's Back to the Basics when it comes to communicating with those near or far away. My passion is photography and it can put into words many sentiments with an accompanying hand written note. The recipient will treasure your thoughts, good wishes, words of encouragement...your hugs via snail mail for years to come.

I attended St. Catharine's, St. Mary of the Springs Academy and Ohio Dominican College. I have been engaged full-time in various facets of Real Estate in Gahanna and surrounding commumities since 1974.
My two daughters, Michelle and Alicia, both attended Gahanna schools and have made me the proud Oma to 6 delightful grandchildren.
I love to travel with my camera and bring home happy memories to share with others.

The yard is filling up...

Today was a great day for the Gahanna Greenflea. I received confirmation on two new vendors. One of the vendors is "Born In A Barn" furniture! This talented vendor makes wonderful furniture and accessories all from reclaimed barn wood. We welcome this creative addition to our mix.

I also finalized the printing on our signs, so be sure to ride past Honey Grove Botanicals next week and check them out!

We've been slowly working on getting our yard in shape for the big event...between the raindrops, that is! We're about half finished and it is really shaping up! Here are a few pictures that I took of the front of the building last weekend during May Herb Day.

Green Tip of the Day:

Compost your non-meat food trash (eggshells, orange peels, coffee grinds). Keeps food out of landfills and is terrific for gardens.

Hi Friends!

Sorry that I have been negligent at updating this post, but sometimes "life" just gets in the way...doesn't it? Last weekend we were busy at The Little Black Chair and Honey Grove Botanicals with May Herb Day in Gahanna. Did you know that Gahanna was Ohio's Herb Capital?

Speaking of herbs, we will have some for sale at the Greenflea. Also for sale will be hot pepper plants and potted flowers for sun and shade.

A few new vendors have signed up for our June event and as of today we have ten confirmed "green" vendors for June with additional ones to confirm soon. We are also gearing up for July and already have five different vendors who plan to sell their merchandise.

Green Tip of the Day:
Try growing your own herbs. They will taste better than store bought and you save gas and money in the process!

Gahanna Greenflea mentioned in The Columbus Dispatch

A special "Thank You!" to Tim Feran who mentioned the Gahanna Greenflea in his column today in The Columbus Dispatch. Check it out!

A Vendor Bio...Sweet Leaf Botanicals

Welcome to Shannon Barnette of Sweet Leaf Botanicals. Shannon is a native of Gahanna, having graduated from Gahanna Lincoln in 2006 and Columbus State Community College in 2009. She currently attends the Institute of Holistic Health Careers and will become a certified Herbalist and Aromatherapist, eventually going on to become a Holistic Health Practitioner.

While in high school, Shannon became a vegetarian. After college she became a vegan and began working as a vegan baker and wedding coordinator at Pattycake Bakery in Clintonville. Working at Pattycake, a totally green business, inspired her to take a more holistic approach to life. She began using foods and herbs to develop a personal self healing experience. She rapidly achieved relief without using medications and believes that the power of plants and nature can really work wonders!

Her love for flowers came from her Grandmother who had a garden at home that Shannon would help with every day. She also has a love for found and recycled objects and loves finding trinkets and things that are unique.

Shannon has a passion for making unique crafts and incorporating flowers and plants into everyday living. She makes terrariums which she feels are the perfect way to keep plants inside. They are also a good way to keep pets from being curious and munching on them! Living wreaths and wall hangings are another one of her favorite things to make, creating great focal points in any room or patio. They will be sure to have your guests talking! All of the products that she will be selling are one of a kind, so grab it before someone else does!

Shannon will also be selling home grown and organic herbs from her garden in Clintonville. She will have dried teas available for sale, as well as herb tea cookies, such as rosewater, rosemary, and lavender just to name a few.

Don't forget to stop by her booth and talk plants!

Busy as a FLEA??

Wow! What a busy flea I've been! Thanks to Mary Martineau of the North Market who was gracious enough to put the word out to her list, I have been getting lots of inquiries and vendors for the Greenflea!

Here's a summary of vendor products that you will be able to enjoy come June 11th:

Re-purposed lost & found vintage items
Antiques
Eco-Kollage Art made from renewable bark & hemp
Misc. household items, golf clubs & balls, aquarium supplies
Vintage coin jewelry/bottle cap jewelry
Flowering baskets, perennials, fresh herb plants, Hot pepper bushes
Recycled terrariums
Recycled photo cards/notecards
Record albums
Vintage glassware and home items
painted furniture
Iced sugar cookies
Vegan baked goods
Vintage linens
Vintage and re-purposed jewelry
Unique re-purposed jewelry boxes & cases
and much, much more!

Spread the word to your friends! Let's keep this flea a-hoppin'!

Green Tip of the Day:
Disable your PC's screensaver function which uses more energy than the 'sleep mode'.

Matilda is excited...

Matilda is so excited and she has been hopping around like crazy. She can't wait for the 2nd Saturday in June to arrive!

The vendors are sending in their applications and the yard is filling up! We have confirmed ten vendors so far and there are several who are still to come. Don't forget to promote us to your friends and if you know of any potential vendors, send them our way.

Green tip of the Day:

Use cloth napkins. Save trees.

P.S. We have lots of cloth napkins for sale here at The Little Black Chair and Honey Grove Botanicals!

Waste Not Center

Hi Flea Fans!

Hope everyone is gearing up for the Greenflea! June 11th is just around the corner so get those applications in soon!

I'm happy to introduce you to the Waste Not Center. I've attached their link for you. For those of you who are artists and looking for items to use in your repurposing projects, I suggest you check them out! Once you join, you may shop there for free! They also have memberships for teachers, homeschoolers, and non-profits!

I just found out we will have someone selling potted flowers at very reasonable prices! He may also bring some perennials from his exquisite garden! Here are a few examples of his work.

Green tip of the day:
Check out books from the library instead of buying them.

The flea is hopping...go Matilda, go!

Sorry that I've not posted for a few days. This has been a busy week! We've had several calls this week inquiring about the Greenflea. It's very encouraging! However, we need your help. Let's all get the word out about this event and help make it a success! Post on your social media sites and email the link to your contacts. We not only are still looking for vendors, but we are looking for attendees! You can find our Facebook event page by putting Gahanna Greenflea in your Facebook search and let us know if you are attending!

Gahanna Parks & Rec is also looking for Artists for their ARTSpeak program which also runs on the 2nd Saturday. For information please go to www.gahanna.gov or email kate.mattison@gahanna.gov.

Green tip of the Day:
Plant wildflowers in your garden. They provide a much needed food supply for honeybees and butterflies.

We've got another vendor for the Greenflea!

Welcome to our latest vendor, Forgotten Dreams! Forgotten Dreams is owned and operated by Kathleen Bogue of Blacklick, OH. She is a very talented artist who makes exquisite jewelry from old coins! Her pieces are interesting and unique! Some of the coins date to the 1800's and each piece carries its own story and history. Not only will Kathleen be a Greenflea vendor, but we will soon be carrying her line of jewelry and accessories here at The Little Black Chair.

Green Tip of the Day:
Choose a hemp shower curtain over plastic. It dries quickly and resists mildew.

Meet Matilda...

Hi! My name is Matilda and I'm the Gahanna Greenflea! I've been jumping around the city looking for a spot to make my home. I came across these really great businesses at 116 Mill Street called Honey Grove Botanicals & The Little Black Chair! I really liked that their building was the same color as me, so I decided to take a peek in their front door. It was so warm and cozy in there, and filled with so many wonderful things that I decided to move in! I really like that they are green...just like ME!

They believe in doing their part to transform what they do and how they do it so that the end result is better for the environment. The environment isn't just the world, the rainforest, or the spotted owl; the environment is also the place where we work and play, our home, and where we travel. So when you think about the environment, think of your house, yard, workplace, the shops you visit, and the town you live in.

Being "green" means increasing the efficiency with which you use all of your resources. We can do this by polluting less, using less energy, consuming less materials and destroying fewer ecosystems. The objectives are also to improve our health, increase our productivity, and enhance our quality of life. It doesn't take a lot to be green but the rewards are oh, so BIG!

So, stop by sometime and meet me and don't forget to join me every second Saturday as we lead the way to great things! It's EASY to be green!

It was a good day for the 'flea!

Calls are coming in from people who want to participate in the Greenflea thanks to the nice press we got yesterday. We are excited!!!! If some of these vendors decide to come, we will have an interesting market.

Green tip of the day:
Arrange furniture to take advantage of natural light from windows. You'll be able to wait longer in the day to use your lights and you'll also reap the benefits of Vitamin D if it's sunny!

We made the front page!

Gahanna This Week did an article on the Greenflea which appeared on the front page in today's issue. Thank you Marla!

Things are really charging up! We are in the process of speaking to several vendors who offer products from antiques & vintage glass, potted flowers and herbs, vintage record albums & collectibles, new recycled household products, fresh vegetables, vintage look recycled handicrafts, Eco-friendly vintage bridal bouquets, upcycled jewelry, and even veggie burgers! As you can see, we are striving to offer a wide variety of products! Stay tuned for more confirmed vendors!

Green tip of the day:
Choose products with less packaging. Researchers estimate that 1/3 of all of the trash in the U.S. is from packaging.

Another new vendor!

We welcome to the Greenflea, local artist and entrepreneur, Ellen Root. Ellen is one of our consigners and also has a booth at the Heritage Square Antique Mall in Reynoldsburg. She will be bringing some wonderful vintage and antique pieces to sell at the market. We are excited for you to meet Ellen and see her wonderful treasures.

Todays Green Tip:
Try taking a bus or train instead of your car. Catch up on your sleep while helping to save on energy consumption. A good idea these days with the price of gas being what it is!

Green Tip of the Day

Things are moving along for the Greenflea. Plans are taking shape and vendors are signing up. We're soooooo excited to be bringing this event to Gahanna and the Columbus vicinity.

I wanted to start sending our followers some easy ways to be "green." Here is today's Green Tip.

Keep your refrigerator full. Food retains cold better than air does. Air circulation is needed though so don't overstuff!

Promoting, promoting.....

Today I spent lots of time sending out emails and press releases. I talked with some possible new vendors as well. I also had a phone call from a reporter with This Week News who would like to do a story on us. Thank you Marla!

This evening I spent a lovely time at the Olde Gahanna Community Partnership's Paws in the Plaza event (www.oldegahanna.com) passing out flyers promoting the Gahanna Greenflea. I had many positive comments and a lot of people are excited to come to the "Flea!" I talked with a woman who photographs dogs and then applies the photos onto ceramic tiles! They make lovely trivets, coasters, or keepsakes. I would love it if she would do this at the Greenflea! A very cool repurposed idea! I also spoke to some other folks who may be interested in being vendors...specifically a woman who uses fabric scaps to create new products. I hope to hear back from her about joining us. We would LOVE to have more vendors, so if you know someone who might have products which would fit with our market, please send them our way!

Press Release

Gahanna Retailers are making it Easy to be Green!

Gahanna, OH, April 5, 2011—Local business owners Jeannine Kern and Barbara Drobnick are making a difference.  As owners of The Little Black Chair and Honey Grove Botanicals Bath & Candle Boutique, located at

116 Mill Street

in Olde Gahanna, they are good stewards of their resources by recycling, renewing, and reusing.

Aside from offering a rebate for bringing back the jars in which Drobnick makes her 100% soy candles, recycling all of their trash and packaging materials, using shopping bags from an out of business retailer, and up-cycling used, vintage, and antique home décor items, the pair also offer items from other local artisans and vendors who do the same.  Their goal: to make less of a footprint on the environment and reduce the amount of items filling local landfills.

“I am inspired by timeless designs and a love for the past; therefore the idea of a store which offered re-purposed furniture and accessories, upcycled and salvaged items, and gently used home accessories was the ideal fit with my interior decorating business.  Giving unique and well constructed items a new life is not only smart, it’s GREEN!” remarks Kern about her business.

Drobnick and Kern frequently give back to their community, so they are pleased to announce their latest project, the ‘Gahanna Greenflea.’   The ‘Gahanna Greenflea’ is an eco-friendly, eco-chic flea market featuring “green” products. Merchandise found at the Greenflea must be at least one of the following: Used, Vintage, Antique, Up-cycled, Re-purposed, Restored, crafted with “previously used” materials, Renewable, Sustainable or Eco-friendly, crafted to be “washable” instead of “disposable” or home grown.  “You might find items like you would find at a local garage sale or perhaps a vintage collectible or even an artist created masterpiece!  Our vendors will have unique and one of a kind offerings,” says Kern.

 The Greenflea will be held the same days as the Gahanna Parks & Recreation’s "2nd Saturdays".   “2nd Saturdays” is a city event held on the second Saturday of every month at Creekside Plaza from June through September whose goal is to bring the community together and encourages residents and visitors to participate, have fun and discover local businesses.  The event has activities for children and adults, ARTspeak, an indoor/outdoor art display featuring the talents of area artisans as well as a Concert on the Creek.   Holding the Greenflea when the city has their “2^nd Saturdays” event will create an atmosphere that they hope will inspire families to come down to Olde Gahanna and spend the day.

The Gahanna Greenflea will be held in the rear yard of Honey Grove Botanicals from 10am to 4pm, rain or shine. 

For additional information or to become a vendor, go to www.gahannagreenflea.blogspot.com or call 614-204-0184 / 614-638-7809 / 614-404-7548. 

Our logo

I've been busy working on creating and tweaking our logo with artist Therese O'Donnell Leonard .  I think I finally like the way this one looks.  What do you think?  Let me know!

Therese is our first vendor who has signed up for the Greenflea!  We are so excited to have her!  Therese has fabulous recycled artwork, wonderful vintage finds, and many repurposed items, as well as original art. Her work has become a regular addition at The Little Black Chair.  She is the artist who created, Matilda, our adorable Gahanna Green flea!

We also got a committment from our second vendor today!  Please welcome sisters, LinDee and Suzie!  They offer unique art and repurposed vintage and antique furniture and accessories.  LinDee is a talented local artist who hand paints many of her items.  Suzie is an expert seamstress.  I'm sure between their talents, you'll find something that will catch your eye!

I'll keep you posted as more vendors sign on!

We're making progress...

The plans are in the works for the Greenflea.  I have been busy making list after list of things to do, people to contact, estimates to get, etc., etc.  Whew!  It's not easy being green!  But it will be soon when we have a yard full of awesome vendors selling their great "green" products.  Stay tuned!