Enjoy live music, a fashion show, food, wine and beer tasting, free samples, discounts and more on Sunday, June 19 from 1-6 pm.
Greens N Grains Natural Food Store and Cafe, located in downtown Egg Harbor, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary as part of a three-way event. Owner Kathy Navis invites you to sample many of their locally-sourced farm and fermented products including regional beers, wine, ciders and taste a variety of organic special offerings from the G&G Cafe.
In the same big purple building which was originally the historic Baraboo Hardware Store, her Spa Verde, Door County’s “green” salon is celebrating its 5th anniversary as a healing center emphasizing wellness and education in a chemical-free environment. Spa Verde offers massage, body treatments and skin care, using only organic and natural products. On Sunday, June 19 you are invited to take a tour of the facilities and enjoy a free chair massage.
In the center location, you will find something new as Dawn Patel invites you to celebrate the return of the Brilliant Stranger – Ecotique, a gallery of fine art, original wearables and handmade guitars. Dawn and her partner, luthier Dale Kumbalek have created and assembled a collection of eco-friendly wardrobe basics such as leggings, tunics and separates along with Dawn’s handmade, one-of-a-kind, wearable art. Dale’s handmade acoustic guitars complement Dawn’s original paintings and prints. You will also find jewelry by regional artists as well as weaving, scarves, bags and beadwork from Guatemala. The Brilliant Stranger is a working studio, where custom orders are welcomed by Dale and Dawn, always on site to answer questions about their art and their life’s’ work.
The Grand Opening festivities on Sunday will include a Fashion Stroll beginning at 2:30 pm, featuring a selection of original designs created by Dawn Patel. She will provide the narrative as MC, while 6 or more lovely Door County models will rotate throughout the grounds in a fashion revue. Live music will be provided by finger-style guitarist Ron Holmgren playing Dale Kumbalek’s Tonewood Musical Instruments. Visitors to the Brilliant Stranger are invited to take 15% off of clothing all day on Sunday.
If the Brilliant Stranger seems familiar, you might be among the fans of Dawn’s original boutique located for seven years in Fish Creek. In the two and a half years since she closed that facility, she has hosted runway events and outdoor fashion shows, opened an etsy shop and continued to spread the words, “Reduce, ReUse and Recycle” throughout the fashion world.
“It’s been quite a trip, with many friendships forged and memories made,” she explains “…and all using materials that someone tossed out or gave away.”
Her two greatest passions, art and recycling, grew into a business of their own as the Brilliant Stranger evolved as a distinctive line of wearable art centered around the motto “More Art, less waste.”
Dale Kumbalek has been working with wood for more than 40 years. In 2008, he became interested in building musical instruments and began focusing on guitars in 2014. Dale prefers working with hand tools whenever possible, using power tools only for some of the larger tasks. From an artist’s perspective, each of his guitars is designed one at a time and built freeform without the use of molds.
“I am an eco-friendly builder using sustainable materials, staying away from endangered varieties of wood,” Dale says. “My materials come from all over the world including local wood when possible. I select each piece based primarily on it’s acoustic properties and secondly on it’s visual beauty. The spruce and cedar I use for my guitar tops comes from northern British Columbia, Canada or Alaska and is rated as some of the finest in the world.”
Celebrate with all with all three locally-owned, Door County businesses located in the big purple building at 7821 Highway 42 in downtown Egg Harbor on Sunday, June 19 from 1 – 6 pm.
