Tommy Shepherd, left, helps set up the welcome tent in front of his family’s new business location, during its grand opening Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Shepherds Blessings, LLC, opened its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday, at its first brick-and-mortar location, at 121 West German Street.

To kick off its grand opening, Shepherds Blessings, LLC, held a ribbon cutting ceremony, led by Mayor Jim Auxer. Goody bags, filled with item samples from the shop, along with bags of Mountaineer Popcorn, donuts and dog treats, were handed out to passersby throughout the afternoon, in front of the business.

“I’m going to try the Clay Lover’s Soap,” said Shepherdstown resident Patricia DiDonato with excitement, after purchasing the facial soap at the shop on Saturday afternoon. “I think it’s good to have a range of things available, like they have here.”

While the shop mainly sells items by its owners, Betty and Steve Shepherd, and their two children, Lily and Tommy, it also features a variety of items from a number of local artisans.

“As we moved everything into our shop, we found that we had room for more handcrafted items,” Betty said, mentioning the vendors include Happy Cat Stained Glass, card maker Blue Dot Art and wooden toys made by a 90-year-old man from Mercersburg, Pa. and Doggy Donuts. “We’ll also have a little portfolio of the cakes that Doggy Donuts can make for parties for dogs!”

Lily Shepherd, center, talks with customer Mary Podlesny, of Fredericksburg, Va., as her friend, Charles Town resident Skyler Wynn, left, looks on. Tabitha Johnston

Items that have yet to have been stocked in the store from other vendors, include handcrafted salt grinders, tea cozies, pepper grinders, coffee grinders and candy made by a third-generation candy maker.

Betty, Steve and Tommy work together to make and package organic tea, natural goats milk or coconut milk soap, sponges from the sponge gourd (grown by them in their backyard on River Road). Steve also sells single-origin coffee from around the world, which he can roast and grind according to a customer’s specifications. Lily is an artist, whose paintings can be seen displayed for sale in the shop.

“We all do it together,” Steve said, mentioning he currently is selling 10 different varieties of coffee, which he intentionally avoids intermixing, to protect the purity of their flavor. “We’re just stoked to be part of the Shepherdstown community! We think Shepherdstown’s magical — it’s an awesome town.”

The shop owners are more than willing to work with their customers, to offer them products that best serve their needs. For Betty, that includes avoiding using harmful chemicals in their soaps, which she colors through using olive oil/herb infusions.

“I tried to keep everything as natural as possible with our products,” Betty said.

Shepherdstown resident Patricia DiDonato browses through items in Shepherds Blessings, LLC, during its grand opening on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

Prior to opening the shop, Betty and Steve sold their items on Etsy and at markets throughout the region, including at markets in Shepherdstown. Betty is also a homeschool mom, and Steve was a heavy equipment operator for many years, until his retirement on July 1, 2020. The couple are excited to be moving their business to this new stage of life.

“It’s been a very exciting day!” Betty said on Saturday. “My husband expected a great turnout like this, but I did not. We just want to be a blessing to the community, and they’ve instead been a blessing to us!”

And for those wondering if the family surname is in any way connected with that of the town’s founder, Thomas Shepherd, the answer is “yes.” Steve said he is a direct descendant of Thomas Shepherd’s youngest brother.