Written By Karen Nitkin
Little girls in frilly dresses, bunnies made of chocolate and gorgeous hats. What’s not to love about Easter? There’s a scent of spring in the air, a desire to clear away the dark colors of winter and replace them with soft pastels. And Carroll County stores are glad to help with heaping supplies of Easter-inspired goodies.
Artful Accessories: ArtWorks is a great place to stock up on those pretty extras that can turn your Easter ensemble from appropriate to amazing. The store specializes in colorful and creative hats, scarves, pocketbooks, jewelry and other items, many of which are one-of-a-kind. It’s easy to brighten a neutral outfit with this straw hat with a turquoise ribbon ($24 from Kathy Jeanne), a hand-died scarf from Leave it To Weaver ($45) and a pretty pocketbook hand-made from upholstery, by Maruca ($27).
The Sweetest Thing: Every year, Treat Shop owner Trevis Alban goes through about 5,000 pounds of chocolate, making bunnies, eggs and other Easter treats. He makes them from white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate and sugar-free chocolate, and even pink or green chocolate. Prices range from about $7 for basic confections to about $60 for the largest and most extravagant designs. The hollow white-chocolate bunny shown here sells for $16.99. The fudge and chocolate-dipped pretzels aren’t bad either.
The Treat Shop is located in the TownMall of Westminster, 400 North Center St., Westminster. Call 410-848-0028.
Sunday Best: Parents can dress their kids to the nines with a quick trip to Belk, a department store in Westminster’s TownMall. A frilly yellow dress with gauzy butterflies and a matching pocketbook (by B.T. Kids, $40) will make any little girl feel like a ray of sunshine, while boys can look their spit-and-polished best in Izod linen pants ($32), a striped shirt ($19, J. Khaki) and a smart sweater-vest ($15, J.Khaki).
Belk is located in the TownMall of Westminster, 400 North Center St., Westminster. Call 410-848-1200.
Animal Attraction: This time of year, maybe they could call it “When Bunnies Hop.” Despite its name, When Pigs Fly is the go-to place for those in need of a bunny fix – although it carries piggy paraphernalia, too. This consignment shop, art gallery and all-around cute-stuff store has wooden bunnies, painted bunnies, stuffed bunnies and more. This adorable pink-cheeked momma and baby sells for $14.50.
When Pigs Fly is located at 104 South Main Street, Mount Airy. Call 301-829-6952.
Wreathed in smiles: Decorate your house in Easter finery with beautiful, whimsical items from Inspiration Point, a spacious, sunny store loaded with gorgeous items for the home. These candle-holders ($10.95 each) and the 12-inch wreath shown ($29.95) are both from Raz, a vendor that comes up with a new line each holiday season. Buy them now – once these are sold, they won’t be in stores again.
Inspiration Point is located at 116 South Main St., Mount Airy. Call 301-829-4984.
Not So Eggs-travagent: Shop for Easter-table centerpieces at Rusty Stars, a Hampstead store specializing in rustic-looking home dcor and gifts. This lightweight bunny ($20.99) doubles as an Easter basket when filled with beautiful wooden eggs that are also for sale at the store ($11.99 per dozen). The eggs come from Primitives by Kathy, a Pennsylvania company, and are available in a variety of colors.
Rusty Stars Country Furniture and Collectibles is located at 1222 North Main Street, Hampstead, MD 21074. Call 410-374-0712
