Last summer I met WHITNEY DAHLBERG for the first time and we began a conversation that has not yet ended. I was so drawn to her story that I reached out and asked if she would be willing to chat with me here on the dock. Although she is quite shy and not keen to toot her own horn, Whitney agreed and I am so glad she did.
Owner of The MUSE a lovely shop in Frederick, Maryland — the journey Whitney traveled to open her own store nearly 15 years ago is deeply inspiring to me. Although it might appear from the outside as easy or lucky or any of those funny words we assign to projects that look like they just popped into being, what you will hear from Whitney is that she was thoughtful, deliberate and took great pains to plan as carefully as she could for her sweet shop that celebrates the artisanal and handmade.
Did she have to take a leap of faith? Yes, she did, of course. However, she tempered the shock and scale of the jump by creating a strong groundwork for her venture. Nearly fifteen years later, She can look back and see that all the months she spent planning and preparing have paid off in dividends.
The Muse has all sorts of beautiful wares — handmade and more than 70% of the time they are locally sourced– as well as creative workshops and classes to help people local to Frederick pump up their mojo with new techniques and skills.
It was so fun hearing Whitney’s story– take a listen and see if you don’t find the same!
All photos courtesy of Whitney Dahlberg
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