After 35 years in business, the last 12 of which have been in the familiar location on the square, Margaret Williams is hanging up her “closed” sign for good.“I said I was going to retire at 80 and I’m a few months shy of that,” she said.
During Williams’ 35 years in business, Margaret’s has held a little of anything that interested its owner.
She is a registered nurse with an interest in vitamins and herbal medicines, so she brought those to the store along with her vast knowledge of which remedies work best for what ailments.
She began taking painting classes in the 1970s and, as time passed, felt a need to pass along what she learned to others. So, she began to carry arts and craft supplies and teach painting classes.
“I’ve just dabbled in a little bit of everything,” said Williams. “Everything sort of works together because I think painting is one of the best therapies there is.”
A side benefit of working with things you love is that you know the people who buy them share your interests. So, many of the customers who have walked through the doors of Margaret’s over the years have become close friends.
“All the people that come to painting classes get to be family,” she said. “I’ve got some people that come to see me who took painting when they were youngsters and now they have children.”
She still plans to keep giving painting classes out of her home and she didn’t want those who relied on her supplements to go without, so she arranged a new home. They can now be found at Body Kneads.
