Blueberry Bog Debuts at 2nd Saturday

Spring isn't here just yet, but you could feel it poking its head around the corner on Saturday, warming the air a little more than it had in previous weeks. You could see it in the 2nd Saturday strollers, too; large groups of teens gathering outside, no longer afraid of freezing, people walking down State Street at a nice, leisurely pace instead of rushing to their next destination to get out of the bitter cold.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the 2nd Saturday tradition, here it is in a nutshell: on the second Saturday of every month, many of the businesses on and around State Street open their doors from 6 to 9 p.m. to host local artists, musicians and other vendors, or just to give people extra time to do some later shopping. The event is organized by the Media Arts Council, a non-profit group of dedicated people who support local artists and organize many year-round events for the Media arts community.

One of M.A.C.'s most active and energetic members, Rebecca Michelle Lee, or "Becky Lee" as she's more commonly known to so many people around town, launched her new store Saturday night. Blueberry Bog can be found on the west side of Orange Street, just north of State Street.

The inspiration to launch the shop with her mother/co-owner, Lynn Nolan, came when the two of them worked together at last year's Clover Market, and outdoor arts & antiques market in Ardmore. Blueberry Bog differs from the other arts, crafts and collectible stores in Media in that all of the store's inventory is at least 20 years old.

"We wanted to add to the arts community but not compete," said Lee, whose M.A.C. co-member and friend, Drew Arata, owns nearby which sells work from local and world-wide artisans.

Nolan and Lee stressed that the Bog is not a consignment shop: everything is 100 percent owned by them. They get some of their inventory by finding vintage furniture and other items that are about to be discarded by previous owners, then paint/repurpose them for resale. When asked if their services would be available for customers to bring in some of their weathered furniture for a paint job at Blueberry Bog, Nolan said, "Painting, yes. We don't do restoration, but if you want something repainted, we can definitely do that."

Blueberry Bog made room for several local artists during Saturday's launch party, but will be filling the rest of their space with more inventory by April 1.

Beyond the Bog, there were plenty of other places to stroll through on Saturday, and other artists to see. The featured artist for March was Elyse Marie Welcher of Littlewings Designs. She displayed and sold her handmade leather accessories in . Welcher and her partner, Jonathan Sanchez, moved to Media from Georgia last July, and this was their first appearance at 2nd Saturday.

"Also, everything we've made since moving here," Welcher explained as customers pored over her belts, bags and boots, "has been dyed using ingredients that we harvested locally."

The main event for March's stroll was a Children's Concert with Allison DeSalvo's "World of Song" at the .

A quick poll of passing strollers revealed a variety of favorites, with no clear winner standing out.

Blue Bell resident Jenn Rice, coming to 2nd Saturday with her boyfriend for the first time, said her favorite stop of the evening was . "They had a couple purses I was drooling over. So cute."

Another first-timer, Jack Abrevaya, from Conshohocken, had no particular favorite spot. "But I think it's cool, all the places with different musicians, depending on what your tastes are, and they're all in quick walking distance from each other."

Media resident Lisa Preston had an easy time answering the question. "My favorite spot? Right here," she pointed to the front window of Bryn Mawr Trust, where her stepmother, Linda Kowal Lynch, had her painted furntiure and other pieces displayed.