A bit of Bucks County on Palmer Square

Dry goods store seemingly offers something for everyone

By: Courtney Gross
   A lamp made of a wood-shop metal vice and antique bathroom accessories is braced to a table. Across the room, red patent-leather shoes sit perched on a small stool.
   Spaghetti-strap dresses and trendy jackets hang in the center of the modest-sized store, and welcome mats made of multi-colored flip-flops greet shoppers at the door.
   To Bucks County Dry Goods co-owner Stewart Ross, the women’s clothing and home goods boutique is an expression of his and co-owner Natalie Page’s tastes in art, furniture and fashion.
   "When people walk in here it makes them smile," Mr. Ross said, standing behind a counter decorated with sunglasses and headbands. "It’s kind of a shopping experience that’s different than most stores."
   Palmer Square’s newest addition opened its doors March 10 and according to its owners they have already been pleasantly welcomed to town. In business since 1994, Bucks County Dry Goods has stores in Lambertville and Doylestown, Pa.
   "A lot of the other stores in Palmer Square are classy, chain stores," Mr. Ross said of the location on Palmer Square West. "People are bored with that. People want to see unique independent stores."
   Although Princeton has great retailers, co-owner Ms. Page said, they are not like Bucks County Dry Goods.
   "I think that we offer something different," Ms. Page added. "We’re a specialty store. We’re not a big chain store. … People come to us for something different or unique."
   From paintings by local artists hanging on the store’s back wall to books on Barbie or The Beatles on its front table, Bucks County Dry Goods was named for its range of offerings. In addition, Mr. Ross said, the two owners both hail from Bucks County.
   Mr. Ross called their prices "affordably expensive," and said their clothing attracts patrons in their 20s through 40s. But its eclectic merchandise, including hand-made jewelry from around the world, can appeal to buyers of any age, he said.
   Bucks County Dry Goods also offers an array of home furnishings, including tables and modern chairs.
   And no matter what, Ms. Page said, the merchandise is always changing.
   "Clothing, like in our homes anyway, you’ve got basics and basics are important," Ms. Page said. "Then you kind of learn how to jazz things up. We like mixing styles, old and new stuff. We like mixing very simple things with something that’s a bit funkier."
   The concept is evident in the store’s embrace of in-vogue fashions and designer denim with furniture or home goods constructed from older materials.
   Mr. Ross said the store’s success could eventually enable expansion beyond Princeton and bring it to more places between New York City and Philadelphia.
   But first, it’s settling in Palmer Square.