Spruce: The Beautiful New Shop on Main Street
Main Street Williamsville all the way to Snyder is sprinkled with beautiful buildings, cute local shops, and walkable sidewalks for people to enjoy the sun while shopping and sipping on a coffee. I have this gut feeling that Main St. is going to have a ton of new places to explore this year! I think the start of that new life is in Snyder with Spruce- the latest shop to open its doors for those looking for decor, accessories, gifts, and baby/kid gifts.
I was Buffalo'ed pretty good with this story, too. I met the owner, Krista, before she had even announced Spruce while she was at her previous gig and I was working on a project with her team through the blog. Fast-forward a couple months and she reached out to tell me about Spruce! I caught up with her to learn more about Spruce and started planning when I would swing by to check out all the goods. She just opened last week and I popped in to see the new space and of course do a little shopping.
L: Krista, a HUGE congrats on taking a leap and opening your new beautiful store, Spruce! I cannot wait to pop in and see it. How exactly did Spruce come to life?
K: I wish I had a better story to tell how Spruce came to be. Honestly there was a well known shop in the space that closed in July 2020. Being home more than normal and taking daily walks during Covid made me more aware of the empty space than I probably normally would have been. I jokingly said it would be fun to have a store there. In November I found myself seriously starting to think about it. It was this little idea that I couldn’t shake but I didn’t tell a soul. I thought everyone would think I was crazy. Soon after I found myself walking up to the space and looking in the windows. Finally in early December I spilled the beans and everyone was so supportive. After doing some research and a lot of soul searching, two weeks later I signed a lease and the rest is history.
L: I love how you just went for it! The only way to do it! What about the name of the store? How did that come about?
K: My nine year old daughter, Molly, named the store!! My three daughters, my mom and I were sitting around the table brainstorming names for the store. I knew I wanted it to be short and sweet and evoke feelings of coziness, home and comfort. Molly blurted out Spruce and as soon as she did I knew it was the perfect name. And Little Spruce is just too cute!
L: You're in a great location! AND Rin Thai is moving in next door- lucky! How can people find you and what will you carry in store?
K: Spruce on Main is the official name but the nickname is just Spruce! Our address is: 4446 Main Street Snyder, NY 14226. Spruce is a collection of modern yet classic home decor, accessories and gifts. Little Spruce will carry everything from swaddle blankets and footie pajamas to baby accessories and toys!
L: I love that you're carrying a variety of things- it's so fun to walk in to shops and have all of your gifting covered! What are some brands that will be in-store?
K: Katie Loxton, Barefoot Dreams, Able - purses/jewelry (if you’re not familiar with this brand it has major Madewell vibes), and Jellycat. Locally, I have some awesome brands like Peg's Hardware, EXO Supply, Gridlock Lacquer, LaCott Fine Art, and Tiny Buffalo Designs. I plan to hold monthly pop ups in my shop as well! My first one was on April 3rd with Hannon Homemade!
L: What about people unable to get to the store or live outside of WNY? Is there a website they can go to?
K: The future URL of the website will be spruceonmain.com ... coming soon!!! For now, people can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.
L: Opening during a pandemic is unique- what can you let customers know about safety there? (masks, curbside drop off if website is launched, purchase on phone, etc?)
K: Yes to everything! We will take Covid precautions very seriously. The store will be regularly clean and sanitized. Masks will be mandated to be worn while shopping. Hand sanitizer will be placed throughout the store. We will also adhere to all reduced occupancy rules to ensure as much social distancing as possible. There will be opportunities for curbside pickup, local delivery within 5 miles and shipping. We will happily accept orders over the phone as well. We will have our signature wrapping available all year round. Plus we’ll carry greeting cards so it’s a one stop shop! One thing I have learned during this time is that you have to do what you’re comfortable with and I hope to offer enough opportunities to make everyone feel safe and comfortable shopping at Spruce.
Local to WNY: The Knotted Fox hand-picks and curates vintage rugs.
L: Can you talk about the Community Give Back Program?
K: I knew I wanted to do something to support the community that has supported me so much already. From my time spent volunteering, I know how limited time and resources are so the idea of the give back program came to life. I want to offer a quick and easy fundraiser opportunity to local organizations to be able to raise money, even if it’s a small amount. The organizations I partner with will literally only need to send an email and/or post on social. I will help create flyers and post on my social channels to help as well. But pretty much it’s easy - anyone can come shop and 15% of sales made during the event go right back to the organization. Super easy! There was a huge response to my post about these and I am pretty much booked for the year but will continue to find ways to support this community. I truly believe if we all do our part we can make a difference and every little bit will add up.
L: I love hearing what people/businesses inspire others and why. Do you have any pockets of inspiration?
K: There are so many to list here! I think what I was most surprised about was how helpful other small business owners have been. I reached out to several local businesses to get their honest feedback and advice and every single one of them accepted my call and talked to me, in some cases, for hours. I didn’t know most of these people but they cheered me on and supported me along the way. I am so grateful for their help and guidance. My parents are a huge inspiration and support system as well. My dad was a successful business owner and though I saw him work so hard for many, many years, I also saw what he was able to achieve during his career. And truly I want my daughters to see that you can do it all. You can change careers. You can be your own boss. I’m so lucky to have a husband who lets me follow my dreams as well. Our oldest is 3 years away from college so walking away from a good career and a steady paycheck wasn’t the easiest.
L: A huge congrats on the new shop and I am looking forward to visiting! I am so glad you followed a dream of yours and are bringing life in Snyder. When can others come to the shop and visit?
K: We are closed Sunday and Monday.
Tuesday & Wednesday: 10-5
Thursday: 10-7
Friday: 10-5
Saturday: 10-4
Spruce is now open in Snyder, NY! It has great parking, is located right down the road from the Village of Williamsville, and Krista is always there with a smiling face ready to help. I picked up some really cute things for my Mom’s birthday that she loved and I look forward to visiting Spruce again!
And how cute are the balloons from Buffalo Balloon Co.??
