Woodstock Blog

Tag: Woodstock Trading Company

  • October Happenings At Woodstock

    September 27th 2014 was just a wonderful day for me.  Not only was it may birthday bash it was also our annual garlic festival.  Thank you Kris Noyes Trio for all the wonderful music and setting the mood for our next garlic crop.  I would also like to thank our buddy, Andre Gardner, and the 102.9 WMGK team for coming out to celebrate with us as well.

    AndreBuilding
    WMGK’s Andre Gardner
    Garlic
    The Woodstock Garlic
    MomCake
    MOM and her Birthday Cake

    We will be planting our next crop in about two weeks and I hope to get photos from all of you who have our garlic bulbs as to when you see some growth.  It still gets me so excited when I see the garlic growing in the winter.

    We have so much going on this week.  Hope you can join in person for our incense lecture, and if not, you can go to YouTube and Google Hangouts for either the live stream or for the video portion of Dr. Seth’s talk.  Friday, our wire wrap teacher is in from 4:30-6:30 followed by our drum circle.  We like to energize crystals in the full moon and we have put our water out to be in the full moon in time for the drum circle.  This is a very special moon since it is the harvest or blood moon and there will be an eclipse at the time of the full moon. What make this eclipse and full moon unique is the fact that you will be able to see the sun rise and moon at the same time.  Hopefully you can join us.

    As if that is not enough, on Saturday, Jugband perform at our Mad Hatter’s Lawn Concert.  This concert is in honor of Monstro.  He resembles the Cheshire cat with his large round eyes and abundant body type.  We recommend adorning oneself with an appropriate hat for this party.

    On October 25th we will have a Halloween Concert featuring Suburban Sensi and we recommend costumes for this special event, however, dressing as a hippie does not qualify as a costume.

    Without you, there are no parties…please join us…MOM

  • Mom’s Nostalgic Moment

    Received our allotment of Relix Magazines in our store and it was truly a nostalgic magic moment. So many of the articles and interviews are very powerful and personal to my life and the era in which we worked to put our store together. The article “What’s Become of the Betty Boards certainly had me remembering all the fans coming into the store with their tapes to get copies of the Grateful Dead concerts. We had to make a data base so that everyone could pick the shows they wanted us to put on tape for them. In turn they would trade with other fans and increase their library of music. How different it is today! However, we still have our tape library and offer anyone free dubbing of anything that we have. Some of the old timers have brought their tapes in for us to offer FREE to anyone. There was always some excitement when new tapes came in from the tapers sections and many of course from the “Betty Boards” found their way to us.

  • Patchouli Incenses

    I became aware of something I was doing for so long without much thought. I was applying patchouli oil directly to incense sticks. I guess without thinking, I was aware of a lack of convincing, true patchouli incense that isn’t choking and has a sweeter component to balance the bitter, earthy notes of patchouli. We do have some patchouli incenses, most of which I do have a high opinion. Having said that, I often feel the need for something more complex or balanced. Without being aware of that need, I added patchouli oil to some of my favorite incenses and it filled a void that I didn’t know I had until it was filled. This lead to the addition of other oils to incenses. Some had amazing, unexpected results (some good, some not). Clove oil on incenses gave them an interesting juicy fruit gum quality. I expected to get dental office and I got juicy fruit…go know.
    Failures involved lavender oil, which surprised me a bit, all citrus and any mints. The key to success is using a pure essential oil and a good sweet incense base. I especially have come to enjoy patchouli on sairanjani champa, satya super hit, satya natural, vampire blood, and goloka nag champa. Another point is to avoid getting any of the oil on the very tip of the stick that is to be lit. I also found that putting dots down the length of the stick with little patches without oil work best. That allows intervals of with and without patchouli to not fatigue the nose. Another point is to avoid getting any of the oil on the very tip of the stick that is to be lit. If the oil is ignited, it will burn like a torch and give off acrid sooty smoke…bad. I will continue to mess around with this process. Thus far, it has been interesting.

  • We Are Everywhere… We Are Family

    “We Are Everywhere”. This phrase is well known to the Dead Heads of the world, and it is very true. I bet that if you took a look in the closet of your next door neighbor, you would find a Grateful Dead shirt back there, along with a few skeletons (we DO NOT suggest going into the closet of your neighbor). You never know who is a Dead Head. It could be your doctor, teacher, lawyer, or bank president. It could be all of the above. We are everywhere! With that being said, the November issue of “Bon Appétit” magazine reminded us once again of this phrase.

    Located on page 38 of the November issue, in “The Foodist-Thanksgiving Edition” column, we find a small section labeled, “Hippie Thanksgiving!”…

    “Whenever I cook, I listen to the Grateful Dead. No music keeps me better company in the kitchen. The Dead is also the perfect music to eat by-and no, I haven’t been smoking anything.”- Page 38, The Foodist (Thanksgiving Edition), Bon Appétit Magazine, November 2013 edition.

    That little quote says it all. One of, if not the biggest holidays in American culture is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is all about family. Some may not think so, but the Grateful Dead is a family band. There is nothing vulgar or distasteful about their music. You could bring children and adults of all ages to the concerts. The Dead Heads always lend a helping hand. Grateful Dead is family. Try playing some Dead this Thanksgiving and see for yourself. Show the world that we are everywhere and we are family.

    If you are looking for something Dead to add to this Thanksgiving, or any other holiday, Woodstock has something for you. Get yourself a Grateful Dead Dancing Bear Ice Cube Tray and make decorative ice cube, gelatin, or even chocolate. We also have many wine and champagne glass available in-store. If you want something a little more relaxed, we have wonderful incense from around the world and excellent decorative, yet functional incense burners. Woodstock wants to make your family feel right at home and comfortable. Why? Because you are our family. It is all about the family.

    Peace,
    MOM, Seth, Jim, Guy, and the Woodstock Gang
    “We Are Everywhere”

  • A Point On Our Ceramic Incense Burners

    One of the things that make us distinctively blessed is that we have an outlet for one of our hobbies. We are (for lack of a better word) amateur ceramics workers. Many hobbyist ceramics folks end up with piles of bowls and cups filling their cupboards, basements, attics, etc. The only outlet most have is to give away their work to the often unappreciative. The recipients closet their gifts and only get to see the light of day when the giver shows up. I was inspired by a combination of the classic Japanese joss stick burners, tea ceremony bowls and incense ceremony (Kodo) bowls. The evolution of the process to create these was so much more involved than I could have imagined.
    The types of flaws I was getting (and still sometimes get) baffled every ceramicist I could find. I found a way to prevent those flaws (most of the time) over years of trial. My new way is a bit of a pain in the keister to execute, but it works. Even more tweaking of design has undone other little issues of their use. All of these steps have added up to become quite the process, but here is why we are blessed. Since we couldn’t ever hope to profit from these incense burners, we have no reason to sacrifice on any efforts, time, or material. In fact, we sold a couple of these last week, so what do we do? We run out and buy $300 worth of more ceramics supplies. What madness is this? It’s our kind, and I wouldn’t post this if I felt you wouldn’t understand.

     

    burner 4 burner 2 burner 3

  • Bead With The Doctor

    Hey Now! Jim from Woodstock here. Today, we have something special. Everyone has been getting in on the blogs as of late. Now we have someone else who would like to say a hello and give his input. That someone is Dr. Harvey Glass, or Doc, as we call him. Doc is Mom’s husband and our shipping department/bead department. He has written a little something for all of you today. It is kind of an invite to everyone. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the wise words of Doc.

    “The allure of beads is universal. In keeping with that, Woodstock Trading Company has collected many exotic and unusual beads from far and wide. Come look and see our bone, stone, glass, metal, and ceramic ‘eye candy’.
    Doc”

    Wedding Cake and Novelty Beads
    Wedding Cake and Novelty Beads

    Ladies and gentlemen, that was the words of the famous Doc. The man loves the beads and wants to share them with the world. We have some great stuff at Woodstock. Some of the beads are older than the store. The biggest issue is that the beads are difficult to sell online. We are working on a way for everyone to get them. In the mean time, you can only get them in store. We will let you know when these great beads will be available online.
    Bone and Horn Beads
    Bone and Horn Beads

    Take care everyone.
    Jim

    Stone Beads
    Stone Beads

  • The Afterthoughts of the 2013 Garlic Festival

    Every year, I look forward to our Garlic Festival and this year was no exception. I would like to give a big THANK YOU to The Jugband for supplying the most wonderful live music and making a happy bed for the next year’s harvest. That is an important thing, singing and playing music for the planting bed and the garlic. Without that, we would get a lackluster crop. I would also like to thank all the local artists and craftsmen who came out to display their original works. It was so nice to meet all of you and to see your wonderful work. Finally, I would like to thank all of the great people who came out to Woodstock Trading Company. We had so many and are so thankful that you came out and had a wonderful.

    Preparing the garlic bed for the 2014 crop. That black stuff is manure. We let Jim do that.
    Preparing the garlic bed for the 2014 crop. That black stuff is manure. We let Jim do that.

    The Garlic Festival has been going on for so long now; the exact date has slipped my mind. It is a true Woodstock tradition, up there with the Maypole. As we have done for so many years, we distribute the garlic from last year’s crop, grown in front of the Woodstock building.

    Mom giving away the first bag of 2013 garlic.
    Mom giving away the first bag of 2013 garlic.

    The next planting will be the week of Columbus Day weekend. The most exciting thing for me is seeing the garlic grow during the cold weeks and months of winter. Many of the recipients of the Woodstock bulbs contact me via Facebook and send me pictures of their fledgling garlic as soon as they break through the Earth. This is one of my greatest joys! To see new life in the cold of winter and sharing the wealth with all those who used our 2013 garlic bulbs, it is just marvelous.
    The growing garlic
    The growing garlic

    Fondly,
    MOM

  • Woodstock Belly Dance Lessons

    mom belly dancing photo

    Many, many years ago, (I mean many), I enjoyed the art of Belly Dancing and am so happy to be able to invite you to classes right here in Woodstock. What inspired me to look at this dance form was the fact that the music was inspirational and I could not just listen to it without becoming involved physically with the melodies. In addition, I considered that it raised my fitness level and concentrated on the inner body core, which now many years later, I am happy that I used dance as my fitness training (certainly for me more fun than the gym). Besides body awareness, it has helped me through the years with coordination and balance. It is truly one of the oldest and most beautiful dance forms.

    1266332_10151601259552466_1743681065_o

    We gather on the first and third Tuesday of the month from 5:30-6:30 with our wonderful teacher, Krista Sassani… Join us!
    BD teacher Krista
    Fondly,
    MOM

  • Everyone Needs A Little Pussy to Be Happy!

    And, here at Woodstock…we’ve got lots of pussy to go around!

    Two years ago when our beloved cat, May, died on Mother’s Day, (she was going on 20), this couple came into the store carrying a teeny tiny orange bundle of joy. They put this bright little orange kitten on the floor. Woodstock Trading Company's Mugsy

    Our Monstro touched noses with him, turned around and marched the kitten into the bathroom where he could find food and water. The two of them then promptly fell asleep in their beds next to one another. I turned around to thank the couple and they were gone. I have often thought of how happy I am to have had this little orange angel, Mugsy, come into our lives.

    woodstock trading company's mugsy He is our little electrical engineer. He likes to make the fax machine beep and loves to watch the shredder work. He also enjoys a ride on the sliding copy machine. He is family!

    Last Sunday, the door opened and this couple came into the store. They peered around the store and asked, “Do you still have an orange kitty?” I brought them into the office to showcase Mugsy. Of course, he was fast asleep on top of the high printer, like the king of hill. He responded to them, came down.They were delighted at how happy he is here and said, “We are the ones who brought Mugsy to you.” I was tingling all over with joy.

    They told me how they had found him in the woods that day. He was covered in leaves and debris. They had taken him home, cleaned him up and contacted a friend, who mentioned our recent loss and suggested we might love a new kitten at the store, a new pal for Monstro.

    Their recent visit was a particularly poignant moment, as Maverick and IO (EEE-OH), our beloved cats at our home for almost 20 years, both recently passed within a month of each other. Our home is a very different place without them.

    Mugsy's Godparents
    MUGSY'S "GODPARENTS"!

    Hence, our love for Mugsy is even more appreciated and intensified these days.

    DIANE AND JAY…THANK YOU, AGAIN!

    It has been a wonderful journey having both monstro and mugsy to keep us company and greet all of you. Monstro will get his day in the sun here soon on the blog! His story will be told…

    It is truly a wonderment to share your life with these little creatures. I cannot fully express to you the life-changing relationship you can develop with a cat.

    I hope you realize the adoption of any animal is a long-term commitment that has its ups and downs, good and bad. But, in the end…it’s all good!

     SO…YOU WANNA BE HAPPY? GET A LITTLE “PUSSY” IN YOUR LIFE!

    Visit the WTC ADOPTION KENNEL FOR CATS at the Voorhees Animal Orphanage!
    421 Cooper Road Voorhees Township, NJ 08043
    (856) 627-9111

    www.theanimalorphanage.org

    All cats adopted from our kennel will become automatic brothers and sisters to Monstro and Mugsy.

    We would appreciate your stories and photos! Email them to me at [email protected] or post on our Facebook Page!

     

    All the best to you and your pussy!   – “Mom”

  • For The Love of Music, Let It Be Live!

    For The Love of Music, Let It Be Live!

    The music scene can be difficult for local bands to get their start in the Philadelphia area, especially with the closing of two iconic venues, The Trocadero in Philadelphia and The Pennant, right here in Southern NJ. That is why, for decades now, I have offered my personal support and love featuring the talents of local bands on our lawn to give them a presence here. It is an opportunity to hone their craft, build confidence and spread the word. Woodstock Trading Company has helped to launch the careers of now well-known jam bands like Bohemian Sunrise, Splintered Sunlight, Leftover Salmon and The Disco Biscuits, who performed here on our lawn in the early 90s.

    Solar Circus at Woodstock Trading Company
    Solar Circus at WTC, circa early 90s

    Solar Circus also boosted their career here with the launch of their LP (yes, we are dating ourselves) They have since grown to become The Juggling Suns. And, Mr. Charlie also comes to mind. This psychedelic band has become a staple in Philadelphia and Southern NJ with new sounds and songs on the horizon for them.

    The Jugband performs at WTC 22nd Anniversary, 8/1/2010
    The Jugband performs at WTC 22nd Anniversary, 8/1/2010

    And, let’s not forget The Jugband! Fran is such a creative soul. He has recently gathered a new crop of talented musicians to reach well beyond the borders of the Dead, debuting this 7-piece electric reggae and rock cover band in bars throughout Southern NJ since launching their new sound at our May Pole Festival earlier this year. Their vocal harmonies and jugband twist on songs from Paul Simon, The Band, Allman Brothers and Marley will make you smile and shake your bones. Dana Smith, our esteemed pr guru here at Woodstock, joined the band as a vocalist after jumping up and singing a tune with them on a whim last summer right here on our lawn. Talk about getting your start at Woodstock Trading Company!

    Merle Saunders plants a tree at WTC. Circa early 90s
    Merle Saunders plants a tree at WTC. Circa early 90s

    We’ve also had the pleasure of spotlighting such great talents as Vince Welnick, formerly of the Grateful Dead and Merle Saunders, the acoustic yin to Jerry Garcia’s yang. Merle was a gracious man, who helped us to plant our dogwood tree. We rededicated this tree years later in memory of Merle. We put a little angel in the tree to commemorate his spirit. As Lori Constantine, a talented keyboardist played that day, a little bird came down to sing along beside her. The dogwood has now grown to provide a shady respite for those who come out to enjoy live music here.

    Society has changed so much since we opened our doors over two decades ago. With the advent of technology, people don’t interact as much. Live music is a binding force of nature. It touches the heart in a way that a recording cannot. It brings us together.

    I encourage local bands to make their mark upon the community. Call me at 856-424-6166 or email me your information at [email protected]. Let me know when and where you are playing, so I can encourage others to seek you out to enjoy your creative talents. We are already planning for our spring lawn concerts next year, so send me some demos and let’s get you out there where you belong…bringing joy and happiness to others through live music.

    And, I encourage all of you, the music lovers, to come on out and share in these momentus moments of newfound talent, so you can look back someday and say, “Hey, I know that band. Wow, look at them now!”

    Love…Mom