When you hear the phrase “going green” the colonial town of Williamsburg, Va. doesn’t exactly come to mind. Yet the self-sufficiency of that historic town was the inspiration for King Street Shoppe, which recently opened in East Berlin.

“This is not your grandma’s craft shop,” owner Rebecca Meixner said as she buzzed about the shop that is filled with locally made products.

The idea for the shop came from Meixner’s search for an alternative to shopping at a retail chain store and her fondness of history.

Three years ago, Meixner and her family were looking for an older home in their native Pittsburgh, but she said the oldest building she could find was built in the 1950s.

After researching different areas and finding a building that dates back to at least the 1820s, they quickly bought their present home in East Berlin.

The couple transformed their historically designated home at 122 E. King St. into a shop in the front and living quarters in the rear of the building.

A few added treasures came with the home when they moved in.

“We found a bayonet, a few bottles and other items we think are from the Civil War,” Meixner said.

She said when the Confederates were fighting in Gettysburg, they took livestock from the farm that one time surrounded her home and probably dropped a few things before they marched off.

When you walk through the door of the shop, the fragrances of dozens of different dried flowers and soaps greets you. The dried flowers come from Meixner’s garden. The soaps are handmade in East Berlin by Soap Treasures.

The furniture that’s for sale, and also used for displaying items, is from a local carpenter. Even the wall sconces and chandeliers were made by local artisans. Some jewelry, the paintings and a few other odds and ends are Meixner’s creations.

Meixner said buying locally made products is more than just supporting the local community, it’s knowing where it came from and what is in products.

“People really need to be aware of what they are eating, what chemicals are in the soaps they use and what is being put back into the environment,” Meixner said.

People are catching onto the idea of buying locally and more natural products, Meixner said.

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