We're Going Home

As many of you know, there has been great turmoil surrounding our beloved Ligonier Country Market. The uncertainty had this overthinking, over planning, ADD-riddled entrepreneur in a bit of a twist. I was angry about what had happened to our beloved market and market family; I was worried about the instability of a new setting; and I am concerned for our soap family and our business. As is the theme of the year, it is indeed a year of change. 

There are several things for which I am grateful. First, I am grateful our lovely market and market family seem to have found a permanent home on Ligonier Street in Latrobe. Latrobe appears to be genuinely thrilled to welcome the market.  The town and townspeople seem to appreciate what the market brings. I am so grateful that the market has found a place to call home that gives them the appreciation that they deserve, because in my experience, the market has a lot to offer everyone, from the town where they set up, to the administration, to the vendors, to the shoppers. Nothing but good has come from this market and its people. Ligonier Country Market has been nothing but a positive experience for my family and me. Deciding not to participate due to the uncertainty and upheaval was one of the most difficult decisions we have made as a family. 

I am also grateful that the uncertainty has pushed us in directions we would not otherwise have been brave enough to go. Currently, I have eight acres of sunflowers that are growing despite the groundhog population's attempts to turn them into a sunflower buffet. There is a maze cut into our cornfield, and my daughter is considering pursuing a degree in business and marketing to make this aspect of the family business her own. It has given all of us much to consider and a lot to look forward to in the future. We are also hosting a monthly event on our farm where we welcome our most-loved vendor friends to join our local soap family. And you all have made our monthly events a joy. Such good people surround me. 

We have tried a new market off the farm, and it has been a blend of our most loved market family and some new faces. The Hannahstown Farmer's Market has such good bones. The site is absolute perfection for a farmer's market. The parking is plentiful, and the grounds are great for vendors and shoppers alike. I think with some time, it has the potential to grow into something quite amazing. The thing is, dear reader, it doesn't feel like home. I don't know how else to explain it. It's perfectly lovely, but my heart isn't there. Does that make sense? Probably not. 

With that being said, we have again made a decision as a family. We have decided to go home. Ligonier Country Market has been our home for a decade. Yes, a decade. I miss my friends. I miss the camaraderie of our market family. These are faces I have grown to care about, businesses I wholeheartedly support, and people I have come to know on a personal level. I spend twenty weeks a year with the same people, rain or shine. This market has been good to me, my daughter, and our business. It's time to go home. This market has given me a best friend. It's given me a circle of women who support each other on both personal and professional levels. It's given me a family. I get to see Baby Jack grow up. I get to be there for my friend as she faces losing her father. I get to see my sweet friend find love again at almost eighty years old. I get to watch my young friend build a brick-and-mortar storefront. I get to witness new budding businesses bloom and grow. Ligonier Country Market is filled with goodness, and I love being part of that. So, beginning July 11th, we are going home. We will be at all the LCMs on Ligoner Street in Latrobe, in Hannahstown, and on the last Saturday of the month at our farm. It's going to be a lot, but it's going to be good. 

As for the turmoil, it is dying down. Here is the way I look at it, dear reader. The bad apples have been weeded out. Yes, they may have taken our physical home, but they can't take away the goodness that makes LCM special, what makes it feel like home, and that is the people. So, let the bad apples feel their false sense of victory. Let them slap each other on the back and declare that they have done a great thing by dismantling a positive, successful, half-century-old tradition and entity. They can have the field. The field is not home. It's the people, the goodness, the support, the love, the respect, and the hard work that make LCM home for so many. Because, like family, it's not the house that makes the home, it's the people and the love. Don't get me wrong, I still believe in Karma. I wish no one ill will. However, I won't be sad when what goes around comes around for those who tried to undo the goodness with lies, deceit, and malice. 

So, yet again, another change. My new mantra is: Change is good—good things, good people, good vibes. My summer of solace has just gotten considerably busier. However, it will be good to be home. On this hot and steamy Thursday, stay safe, be smart, it's always good to go home, and keep washing your hands.