Best Foot Forward: Life emerges!

By ELLEN BEST

If staring at soil could affect growth rate, my seeds would quickly burst into sprouts and rocket skyward. I frequently check my seed-starting setup (pots planted under lights) — observing and watering, captivated by any glimpse of progress. The miracle of seed — some no bigger than the head of a pin — is that each one contains everything it needs to grow into a huge fruit-bearing plant or a tree. Mind-boggling.

In my eagerness to start each growing season, I have often planted too many seeds in tiny pots, even though I know that they grow much better alone, letting their roots spread. When a bunch of sprouts appear, I struggle with pinching some out, trying instead to separate them and plant into separate pots. “Thin it!” my farmer friend always reminds me. This year, I’m trying to respect seeds by giving them space. Each stronger plant will be my reward.

Not wasting and respecting potential is a theme in our kitchen, too. What’s for dinner? Well, that depends on what leftovers are in the fridge to reimagine. My family is used to it by now, though I’m waiting for their tolerance to stretch thin. I guess I’m banking on the fact that they appreciate getting fed.

Our basement is where the credo of potential and usefulness ends. When will my husband, James and I learn that nobody will want things that only have memories for us? If I run across something that seems like it could have marketplace value, I turn to the professional for advice: Lisa Miller. 

Lisa runs The Cottage Vintage Goods & Gifts store in Pound Ridge. She said her interest in vintage began as a child, wondering in her grandma’s attic, “looking at old stuff.” When Lisa got her driver’s license at age 16, her first independent drive was to a tag sale. She still has that wicker vanity with a heavy wooden base, dated from the early 1900s.

As a teenager, vintage gave way to varsity as she became a soccer, basketball, and softball high school athlete. After that, fashion took over — first in college and then in her professional career. Lisa designed clothing for top designers, including Calvin Klein, drawing on her affinity for color and print design. 

Lisa considers The Cottage her “business card” for her estate sales business, Zach and Alix Ltd., which began before the retail shop, back in 1999, soon after she had retired “to be a mom.” The seed was planted when her realtor, impressed with Lisa’s antique collection, asked for her help with an estate for sale. Her first store was in South Salem in 2001, moving it to Pound Ridge in 2016. Lisa has even bought and resold the entire contents of a house when the owner didn’t want to have an on-site sale. 

On a larger scale, Lisa promotes all the businesses in Pound Ridge as the president of the Pound Ridge Business Association. She has used her expertise to expand the Artisan & Vintage Market in town on Labor Day into a well-attended event that connects carefully selected vendors with the community.

Thinking about my basement dilemma, I wondered about Lisa’s home situation with her personal collections. 

“My husband is a minimalist,” she reports, “but he’s OK with it.” What about her kids? Is there something they’d want? “Both of my kids would love my cream pottery collection … when I die,” Lisa laughs. According to her, vintage is trending with the new generation because they are anti-waste and go for anything pre-owned, including the healthy market for pre-owned baby clothes. In the store, she expresses this “re-use” mantra in creative pairings; combining her love of plants with vintage pots, filling used vessels with candles. 

As much as she loves color, prints, and vintage, Lisa’s greatest love is just being in the store. She treasures the stories behind objects and their connections to people. “Older people keep those stories, take care of their stuff, and use it,” just like her grandma used to. She notes that people often buy things because of the memories they hold, like the ongoing popularity of milk glass collections.

“I love talking to customers and always learn something.” Lisa laments that the new generation, always on their phones, misses so much. “We are losing that personalization and connection.”

“The Cottage,” she says, “is a gathering place where people share information, trade telephone numbers and join in conversations with strangers.” Her personal goal is simple: to smile at people and have everyone feel some joy. Lisa loves doing it here, saying, “Pound Ridge is so great!”

Each seed we plant, every dated treasure we hold onto, contains a life story, finding a place in our garden, our home, and in our hearts … empowering us to put our best foot forward each day.

Ellen Best is a longtime Pound Ridge resident and cheerleader. In her monthly column, “Best Foot Forward,” she explores the many aspects of life and living in Pound Ridge. If you have questions or suggestions for future topics, email her at esbest8@gmail.com.