Many harbor a wish to see the pandas visiting the United States on loan from China. A trip to Washington may not be possible but a really good, soft and adorable look-alike is available on Bridge Street in Waitsfield that can serve as a reminder of this bucket list item.
Along with a huge array of assorted cuddly animals at All Things Bright and Beautiful on Bridge Street are countless glass and wooden ornaments. Most delightful of all are the owners of All Things Bright and Beautiful who can be found tucked into corners of their store and home. Sisters Gaelic and Bonnie McTigue, born three minutes apart in 1946, found their way to Waitsfield from Ohio in 1968, and never looked back.
It was magical at the beginning, and it is magical now, they said. They began with Christmas ornaments in The Tree Shop in the Bridge Street blue building they said was an incubator for creativity and commerce for many in The Valley. In 1983, they moved across Bridge Street to the former home and office of the Waitsfield town clerk, built in 1848. That became All Things Bright and Beautiful and stuffed animals became tenants on shelves lining all the walls and every available space in all 10 rooms. While neighborhood businesses have come and gone, the strong sense of community the sister’s treasure has been a constant for 52 years. They believe that local artists and merchants are allowed to live their dreams here, citing the new locally-owned bagel business and the couple who recently opened the antique shop on the corner.
400 UNIQUE ORNAMENTS
Gaelic began her wood ornament business with 12 designs in 1968 and now creates 400 unique ornaments with the scroll saw she keeps in the kitchen before hand painting them. She does custom ornaments of family pets upon request. They are continually rewarded by three generations of customers returning to update their collections for their grandchildren. Recently a customer, given his first bear some 23 years ago, came in to share the story. When Gaelic is out and about town, it is not unusual for a child to identify her as “the teddy bear lady” or have to answer, “Are you, you or the other one?” Both give her pleasure. Gaelic finds it heartwarming and affirming. She would not want to be doing anything else.
Soon after founding their ornament shop, they recognized they were in the midst of inspiring, multi-medium artists and the probability of creating a successful local crafts fair was high. Over the next 13 years they gathered 90 artists to come to the annual September event before turning over the reins. It is not their only treasured Valley event. In 1993, they were asked to start a farmers market and accepted. Although they are no longer officially involved, they never miss a Saturday market and feel fortunate to have the farmers and artisans who enrich their lives.
52 YEARS
After being in business for 52 years and asked how it began, Gaelic said they felt they could make everything happen by working hard and having an attainable dream. Quite the philosophers as well — believing that we are all on paths we were supposed to take and, borrowing from their favorite quote from Joseph Campbell, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a track that has been there the whole while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living.” They would do nothing any differently. Gaelic said she and Bonnie think of themselves as the center of a vinyl record constantly turning at the same speed while the world around it does its own thing.
A bad fall Gaelic sustained last year might be the only thing she would change, but to her it is just another challenge. With grit and continued rehabilitation, she feels she will fully recover and, in the meantime, she works, draws, journals, and radiates joy and a sense of mischief while minimizing her accident. She naps and says naps should never be overrated and having Bonnie’s company and engagement never gets old. Maude, their 19-year-old cat, can also be counted on to appear and purr.
Bonnie’s canvas is her perennial garden. She has not only learned from mentors but is often gifted their plants and enjoys sharing hers. She thinks of gardening as trial and error and having to find where a plant works. Her garden, open to the public, houses many of Troy Kingsbury’s metal sculptures capturing whimsy and clever recycling of car parts, garden tools, and countless other finds. His efforts and hers are a match made in Valley heaven. She admits that schlepping the mulch is getting harder and that she rests at some point. Her rewards are the pretty colors, and birds and bees that come along. She uses no pesticides and buys locally or nearby. Bonnie not only finds being in the shop and their gardens magical but also her full-time accounting work with Russ Bennett and Northland Visual Design & Construction. “I am with nice people who are making good things come true. In both atmospheres it is us, our, we, not me, myself, and I. There is no judgment but a belief that everyone has something to give that allows us to soar.”
NEVER MISPLACE THE WALL
In the sisters’ presence it is as it should be — even the rotary phone that hangs on the wall. Neither Gaelic nor Bonnie has a cellphone — claiming they never misplace the wall. Gaelic knows Bonnie is at her office during the day or at the store where they are talking to and answering each other so there is no need for devices or a machine. They own a computer for business but you won’t find news networks on their small TV. Their news sources are The Valley Reporter and the vegetable aisle at Mehuron’s!
Be it restaurants, businesses, shops or building usage over the years, they have recorded it in their memories and eagerly share stories and how lucky they feel to have known so many wonderful people. The thriving arts community they are part of reinforces the path they chose to travel. Simply stated, Bonnie said, “The Valley is us — it’s part of who we are.” The pandas and all the other creations are part of The Valley as well and, when sold, go out as remembrances of the shop and the indomitable women who own it.
