An open appeal for the Hershey community to engage with us at the Hershey History Center
Our store and makers market are at the Hershey History Center.
We have one of the best views in one of the best retail settings in Hershey.
Our western vista sweeps left to right from the two iconic brick HERSHEY smokestacks, to the American flag-topped Kissing Tower and Fahrenheit rollercoaster in Hersheypark, to the glamorous Hotel Hershey high up on Pat’s Hill.
It’s an occasional treat to see cadets from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy ride by on horseback on a narrow strip of grass on the edge of the parking lot. Norfolk Southern trains roar by multiple times each day, visible through a window with a leftward turn from our front counter.
We’re across the street from the Tanger outlets and about equidistant to Hersheypark and Troegs Independent Brewing, all three major tourist draws.
Yup, we’re in the thick of things over here at the Hershey History Center. And yet a significant portion of the Hershey community isn’t familiar with Stay or, even more surprising given its 20 years at 40 Northeast Drive, the history center.
When we ask customers, they are more likely to say they are from Palmyra, Elizabethtown, Hummelstown, Linglestown or out of the area than Hershey.
Of course we have loyal customers from Hershey for whom we are forever grateful. We just want more of them.
So as we near our store’s first birthday at the history center, and with the front-lawn portion of our monthly makers market beginning on May 18, it seems like a good time to reintroduce ourselves and what we do — and to appeal for more community engagement with Stay and the history center.
Made in USA
I’m Neal Goulet. A native of Maine, I arrived in the midstate from Missouri in 1991 to work as a reporter for the York Daily Record. I then spent more than 20 years in public relations, mostly operating a one-man shop.
Stay Apparel Co. grew out of blog posts I wrote about my passion for Made in USA products. Not wanting to be a mere spectator, in fall 2016 I came out with a couple of Hershey-branded products, a knit hat and a felt pennant.
We introduced Stay in fall 2017, selling online and, through the ensuing years, participating in hundreds of area pop-up markets. We offer graphic tees with a sense of place and a bunch of original and curated U.S.-made stuff.
For Christmas 2023, we operated a pop-up shop (the Holly Jolly Trolley Stop Pop-Up Shop, of course) in an unheated former trolley building on the front of the history center property, a long-ago dairy farm that later operated as part of Milton Hershey School’s Pinehurst No. 35 student home.
That was a prelude to opening a permanent store in June 2024 in the Milk House building, on the back of the history center property.
We’re in the Milk House building at the Hershey History Center.
We started our Makers at the Museum makers market that July, providing a forum for dozens of talented local artisans to showcase their wares, from jewelry and pottery to candles and woodcraft to treats for humans and pets alike.
The market runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., usually on the third Sunday of the month, February through November. Admission and parking are free. We typically have a food truck. Our store is open during the market, as is the history center museum.
Generating foot traffic
Given our beautiful central setting, it might come as a surprise that we’re struggling to generate consistent foot traffic.
We promote our store and makers market on social media, with news releases, flyers, yard signs and exhaustive word of mouth. We continue to work to find new ways to reach people.
Just another 100 shoppers, say, spread out across five hours would make a significant difference at any one of our makers markets.
Our market offers an opportunity to shop for high-quality, affordable, locally handcrafted goods but also to engage with the people who made them. These artisans are here in person, literally and figuratively standing behind their products and eager to engage with customers.
The Barnyard patio behind our store at the Hershey History Center.
Even a small purchase means a great deal to a maker, but this isn’t just about money. It’s about demonstrating that “shop small, shop local” aren’t just meaningless buzz words but something the community desires and embraces.
Stay is small and local, as are the artisans who participate in our makers market. You’ll find us at the history center, a local treasure.
This is my appeal to the Hershey community to visit us and see what we have to offer.
Including our great view.