Everyone loves an open house, and when it also kicks off the holiday decorating season, well, the response is overwhelming. It seems like this year many people are anxious for a reason to be happy, and Beyond the House has many ways to help with that. Tinkess Photo

RUSSELL – Shopping at Beyond the House, located at 144 Craig St. in Russell is an invigorating experience, regardless of the season, but when you find yourself there during their Christmas open house, it is something very special.

The reason it feels special is multi-faceted. Part of the reason is because of all the amazing products which can be combined to create magnificent décor, part of it is because of the “buzz” created when so many obviously creative people are drawn to the same location, but the key, it seems is the helpful, knowledgeable staff and their willingness to listen, consider, and then make well thought out suggestions.

Some people would describe Beyond the House as a garden centre, and while it certainly does fill that need, it also offers an extensive selection of beautiful indoor plants and giftware, regularly offer workshops and classes and are extremely supportive of the local arts community. It is a place where it is difficult to not feel the creative juices flowing, especially at this time of year when they add so many things that speak of the holiday season that will soon be upon us.

Beyond the House is the creation of Cindy Cluett and has been in its current location going on thirteen years. Cluett is one of those business owners who don’t just talk about being a part of the community but become actively involved. Her Christmas open house might be a great business decision, but it is also a way of providing something to the community in a time when we are facing so many global challenges.

“I think we all need something more uplifting,” said Cluett. “I think with everything going on in the States and, you know, the wars around the world. I think we just need something to look forward to, and something that’s just a little bit merry right now. It’s been a hard year.

“We have this, our annual Christmas open house,” adds Cluett. “We always do it the first weekend in November, and we just want to give people… we want to thank our customers number one. So that’s why we do all the treats, all the home baked goods that I make, and my daughters help. And then we do some sampling of some of the foods that we have in the store. We get Rebecca from Westport seeds to come out, and she talks about different ways of doing microgreens throughout the winter, and then, we also give samples of all the workshops that we offer throughout the winter season.

“And its let’s go and basically show people what we do, because everything we do here is custom. It’s not the grocery store, right? You know, Production Mode stuff. It’s like, everything we do is unique and we just like being able to offer something a little bit different. We’re the only garden center around, actually, that does this type of work, that does hand crafted winter arrangements, wreaths, garlands, all that stuff. We like it to be an idea space.”

Cluett says that this year people’s interests seem to be more geared towards natural. “I think people just want to go back to basics, get rid of all the glitter and the sparkle and that, you know,” said Cluett. “And they’re actually banning glitter now, in Europe, it’s been banned, and it’s coming here. So, it’s like people are just going more into the natural tones and the, you know, fun, festive, but, you know, you add a bunch of color here, there and everywhere.

We’ve seen a lot of felted ornaments. We’ve seen a lot of woodland kind of style ornaments, and really, there’s stuff for everybody.”

There certainly is, and walking around, you can feel that sense of wonder and expectation that continues to live in most people at this time of year. It’s a feeling of hope and possibility, and who, in 2024 couldn’t use a bit more of that?

For more information on Beyond the House, you can visit their website at beyondthehouse.ca, but for a better experience, stop in. You’ll feel it too.