Our Story

Trellis Marketplace is a collaborative shop that first evolved from a small boutique inside of Shoppes On Market (206 South Market St.), now called Hub on Market. Laura, and her business partner, Starr’s boutique was called At Home, where they sold an assortment of vintage goods and furniture, and became the first main retailer for Dixie Belle Mineral Chalk paint in the Elizabethtown area. When they heard that Shoppes On Market was closing down, naturally they didn’t skip a beat! They found a beautiful, century-old, renovated church building and quickly mapped out their new boutiques within these walls. By August of 2017, Trellis Marketplace was ready to roll with its boutique partners that took the leap of faith with them!

At the same time as starting this new business venture, my mom, Laura was diagnosed with stage 3 metastatic breast cancer. Our world was completely turned upside down with this news. In the midst of building something from the ground up, going through chemotherapy, and being a present mother to 5 kids and a pup, my mom clung to where she could have creative control. Her passions soared through working and growing her brain child that is Trellis Marketplace, connecting with her vendors and local community; my mom found deep solace here at the shop. Most days, she poured whatever she had left into this place. By October of 2018, Laura was getting more and more sick. She found it hard to bear, the reality of not being here for her family, here for her shop and her vendor community she had grown and connected with so deeply.

One day, she looked at me and asked in the best way she could, “If things don’t get better, will you be able to run the shop?” I stared blankly, trying to process where she was in her head. With locked eyes, a confident, “Yes,” came out of me. We had a conversation of firm business commitment at the front desk , followed by a hug that I won’t ever forget.

Just a short month later, my mom would be admitted into hospice to help alleviate her illness. She asked me again once more during this long weekend, “Will you take care of Trellis?” I had no hesitation at this point: “Yes, I will keep it going.”

It was the the last beautiful, sunny, fall day when she passed. Her room was spacious and flooded with natural light. We were surrounded by family and friends that came out from Washington, her beloved home state. Afterward, people kept coming up to me, reassuring me that I did not have to take on the business if I didn’t want to. I mean, at the time I was just a 21-year-old hobby artist who had just gone through a life changing experience. The odds weren’t super in my favor.

Though I felt the pressure of taking this on, I had the best example of perserverance by observing my mom. I have spent my whole life, as far back as I can remember, going to thrift shops, hardware stores, garage sales, in search of the next best find or parts to a new creative project my mom couldn’t wait to put together. As far back as I can remember, she had a knack for creating unique displays and curating mid-mod and vintage furniture. I am so blessed that she was a kind, honest, creative, and loving person who cultivated a support network that came to my aid.

Several months into guiding Trellis to this next chapter, I wanted to do something that my mom wanted to accomplish but didn’t get the chance to. I was talking with Susan Zeager, owner of Whippoorwill, on how to celebrate our next birthday in business; my mom always wanted to hold an outdoor vintage makers market / farmers market type of event. Susan inspired and encouraged me saying something like,“If your mom wanted to do something, she would just set a date and aim for it! She wouldn’t sweat the small stuff, she would just do!” She was so right! My mom had the bones of this event all laid out in a word document. I dug that up and got right back to where she left off.

In September of 2019, Trellis Marketplace celebrated its 3 year anniversary with an outdoor Fall Festival consisting of over 30 vendors. This was my first shot at working with new vendors and trying to pull off a sweet farmers market feel in the large Lutheran church parking lot beside our shop! I’ve come to really enjoy hosting these types of events at least twice a year. I found it valueable to help our local artisan & maker community establish sales, get their names out there, and maybe selfishly find some unique makers that would be a good fit for our shop!

Between communicating with the shop’s 29+ vendors, working on our online presence, marketing Trellis and its vendors, keeping the shop tidy, and prioritizing excellent customer service, you can see how much community through collaboration means to me. Trellis Marketplace is something so much bigger than just a shop. It’s a place where makers, artisans, curators and collectors can try to find a practical source of income through small business while fostering their creativity. It is my passion to give a fresh platform to people who push the envelope of style, home decor, furniture and so much more. All of us at Trellis pride ourselves in being a tight-knit group of creatives, striving to bring a different perspective to our community, in the growing downtown business district in Elizabethtown, PA.

You can expect our makers to carry a variety of handmade treasures, on-trend and unique home decor, vintage and new gift items, up-cycled and repurposed furniture, skin care goods, essential oils, and so much more!

- Charley Montgomery (Visual Merchandiser & Manager)