By PARIS HELMAN
PR Director/The Slate

SHIPPENSBURG — Unique bands and artists have found a home at The

Thought Lot, and now vendors of uncommon and out-of-the-ordinary trinkets and gadgets have also made their mark with the establishment of The Thought Shop.

The shop, containing items that range from homemade soaps to Gothic stuffed dolls, started in a room that could not even hold four people. The Thought Shop is housed within The Thought Lot in a space equal to the size of a large utility closet.

According to board member Lennon Free, intentions are for the shop to keep growing until it needs a building of its own.

“Some of the artists who have had exhibitions here have left their artwork behind. Our plan is to start selling those pieces in The Thought Shop, as well as gaining more vendors,” Free said.

The steps that the shop has already taken are impressive, though. Opening in mid-October, The Thought Shop already has almost 10 vendors that sell their handcrafted objects in the space.

One of those vendors includes the visionary behind the development of The Thought Shop, Sarah Taylor-Foltz. Taylor-Foltz sells a special brand of soaps and lotions with names that fit the mystique of the products like Soft Hippie, Calm Hippie and Happy Hippie.

Another funky brand at the shop is Fun With Needles, which is

described by creator Michelle Neal as “geeky cross stitch, embroidery, and more!” Neal’s stitched products include inspirational sayings and a threading of actor Zach Galifianakis’s face. Besides The Thought Shop, Neal also does business on www.etsy.com, a popular website for most of the vendors.

Purple Petunia by Valerie Frandsen Goates is a combination of “pottery, fairies & other wee delights” and another line that is sold through Etsy and The Thought Shop as well.

Not all of the merchandise is as whimsical though. There is a touch of horror brought by a vendor who sells through his own website, www.zombieservo.com. The name is self-explanatory. The Gothic and “dark” themed custom art and other items are a stark contrast to the light and airy feel that emanates from the rest of the shop.

This only proves that The Thought Shop may be small, but it still has something to fit even the most varied of tastes. The Thought Shop is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.