Charlotte Shields-Rossi | staff writer

Blair and Jenn Koss both had grandmothers who worked in factories during World War II, making them real-life “Rosie The Riveters.” When it came time to open up their store, they decided to pay homage to their grandmothers by naming it Rosie’s Workshop. A core value of the workshop is promoting sustainability.

“We upcycle from found objects — we are taking old equipment that is collecting dust in the closet and breathing new life into it,” Blair said.

The small business started in 2019 as a holiday pop-up shop in Ross Park Mall. In the spring of 2022, they moved to Lawrenceville, opening up a permanent location on Butler Street. What was once a mid-century industrial supply awning company was transformed into the homebase of Rosie’s Workshop.

When strolling down Butler Street, people can see colorful window displays and upbeat music that draws them into Rosie’s. When entering the store, customers are hit with an explosion of color. Fun and vibrant socks line the walls, drum sets have been turned into coffee tables, the room is lit by lamps made out of guitars and the smell of hand poured soy candles burning wafts through the air.

Lou Morris started working at Rosie’s in September as the retail manager. Morris is in charge of displaying the merchandise and curating a specific environment for customers. They said there is an importance to the music, smell and appearance of the shop.

“They hear the music, they peek in and they’re like, ‘Whoa, was that a guitar lamp? That vase is shaped like an avocado.’ I feel like people just get drawn in by the odd things,” Morris said.

Not only does Rosie’s sell merchandise, but they have a second floor where they host workshops and have an event space. Before the second floor was available for use, Rosie’s staff had to do construction. They replaced the stairs and added walls before opening to the public. They host workshops on candle pouring and making camera lights, where attendees refurbish and wire old cameras and turn them into lights.

“Anybody with a dream, we want to have galleries, be able to host parties, intimate concerts,” they said. “Just different creatives and people who are passionate about what they do.”

Nicole Behanna has a history of working in sustainable businesses. She started working at Rosie’s in September as the event space planner. Behanna helped build the event space as well as plan workshops.

She believes that Rosie’s stands out in comparison to other event and workshop spaces.

“Our space is unique. It is an industrial space,” she said, “We bring a very unique perspective with sustainability and we are able to really connect with the people in Lawrenceville”

Rosie’s Workshop attempts to promote sustainability in multiple ways. Koss said that there is another aspect to sustainability that is community based rather than environmental.

“That is when people shop at a small business like Rosie’s, the employees that they’re seeing, that money they’re spending is directly being paid into the local economies, to employees, to other artisans, to other suppliers, and that’s something you don’t get with large businesses,” Koss said.

Going beyond sustainability, making customers smile is a big part of Rosie’s Workshops mission.

“It’s to put positive energy into the universe and make people’s lives a little better. We really work hard to be a local neighbor to the Lawrenceville Butler Street community,” Koss said.

Not only does Rosie’s Workshop bring joy to its customers, but it also creates happiness among the employees.

“I’m all for small businesses. It’s really all about the community, and working with the people around you to create something that puts a smile on your face. Finding the perfect gift for someone, finding something that you’ve been looking for and working together,” Morris said.