Highland variety store opens, giving local artists, small businesses a place to grow
A new shop offering artisan goods such as soaps, coffees and sauces, and really cool art from local artists opened Tuesday in Highland.
Highland Emporium is the latest addition to Highland Square and can be found next door to Schlafly Highland Square.
Owner Carol Eckhoff said she researched small, old-town squares and learned that many of them had a go-to place for everything. That place was known as a variety store, or an emporium.
Eckhoff said that with the emporium, inspired in part by “It’s a Wonderful Life” (“... Merry Christmas, Emporium!”), she would be able to provide a place for local artists and artisans to vend their wares and test their products.
Acknowledging that starting a small business is not easy, Eckhoff said that not having a place to conduct that business and test products is a big challenge for small business owners.
She created Highland Emporium to provide that space to small businesses and local artists in and around Highland.
“We wanna help small businesses grow,” said Eckhoff.
Eckhoff works with the Small Business Development Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as part of their navigator team. She said she helps small business owners work on growing their businesses and applying for business loans.
With the emporium, Eckhoff also provides the opportunity for the business owners to learn how to market themselves.
Eckhoff said they would create a video for each vendor to share on the emporium’s social media. Each artist will also be able to post the video to their own social media.
“Everybody wins. And it stays local,” said Eckhoff.
A quick tour
Eckhoff showed me around the emporium, starting with an introduction to artist in residence Trish Dixon of Glitter Bug Designs.
Eckhoff calls Dixon her “Ace #1 Support,” and customers will often find her behind the counter ready to help.
Dixon also has her own workshop at the back of the store. Her work includes furniture repairs and refinishing, jewelry, home decor and florals.
The first display I was shown is what Eckhoff calls the “SIUE Art Section,” located in one of the store’s front windows.
The space currently features unique, one-of-a-kind glasswork by local artist Steve Vick, who teaches glass blowing at SIUE’s art department.
Eckhoff wanted to provide a space for student and faculty artists to display and sell their work.
In the other storefront window are works from Buena Vista Art. If you like steampunk (think sci-fi meets modern tech and Victorian-era machinery) and cyberpunk styles and industrial art, this stuff is for you.
Pieces in this collection include lamps made from copper, salvaged pipes and other machine parts and Edison light bulbs (very cool!).
There’s also a variety of jewelry made from beads, metals and vintage silver spoons.
At the back of the store is a separate little room that features Eckhoff’s specialty: the CBD products.
With a background in medical pharmaceuticals, Eckhoff is very knowledgeable about the products and strives to overcome the stigma attached to CBD products.
She said that too many people think that CBD is marijuana and will make people high.
The products are made from hemp, not marijuana, which is a different variety of the same plant, according to Eckhoff. Most of the merch has very little to no THC, which is what produces that “high” feeling.
And Eckhoff isn’t going to just sell the CBD products. She wants to answer people’s questions, educate them on the benefits of CBD and CBG and recommend what might work for whatever ails them.
There are a variety of products, something for everybody, including pets, she said.
She hopes that customers who do purchase these products come back to share how they’re doing since using them. How did it work for them? Are dosage adjustments needed?
As with any medication, each person will react differently to the products.
“It’s [about] finding your sweet spot,” said Eckhoff.
Other vendors and merch currently at the emporium include:
Woodcarved works from Terry’s Turnings
Judy’s Cakes, Cookies and More (The cookies are almost too cute to eat.)
Jan’s Naturals
KWL Science
Dark Soil
Phathead BBQ Sauce
Larry’s Wood Burning
Eckhoff said new food products — small-batch ice cream and locally-raised meat products — are coming soon.
Watch the emporium’s social media for upcoming tasting events that will be added soon.
About Highland Emporium
Highland Emporium will have a lot of fun, different things, according to Eckhoff, who wants to encourage anybody to be there.
It may be the best available space for your products, she added.
Anyone interested in having a space at Highland Emporium can come to the store or contact Eckhoff via the website or Facebook page.
Highland Emporium is located at 917 Main St., Highland.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. They are closed Sunday-Monday.
For more info, call 618-651-4061, visit https://highlandemporiumil.com/ of find them on Facebook.
