Harpers Ferry residents Ellen Doebler and her sons, three-year-old Harrison, five-year-old Asher and 10-year-old Ethan, check out with Dogwood General Store owner Mary Ball on Dec. 3. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Crowds of Christmas shoppers bustled through the doors of Dogwood General Store earlier this month, much to the delight of the store’s owner, Mary Ball.

Located at 119 West German Street, Dogwood General Store prioritizes selling “useful household goods, sustainably sourced.”

“I’ve been calling it a sustainable general store. It’s useful, good-quality goods for the home and garden and self,” Ball said. “So, I’ve got a little bit of self care items — bamboo toothbrushes, essential oils and secondhand, natural fiber clothes — along with a variety of home staples, which I’m hoping to expand more.

“I will be adding more, especially in the gardening section. Come January, we’re going to have seeds. I’m working on sourcing some soil from a local soil producer/mixer closer to Frederick,” Ball said, referring to a supplier near Frederick, Md. “The first weekend we were open, we took suggestions for what people want to see on our shelves. Everyone wants a hardware store, it seems, so our hardware section is our way to provide a little community service! It’s just bits-and-bops of hardware — nails, picture hangers and screws — things that you just want to be able to grab downtown.”

According to Ball, cutting down on Shepherdstown’s carbon footprint inspired certain aspects of her business plan.

David and Peggy Bowers, of Shepherdstown, chat with Jamie Byron as he mans Dogwood General Store’s hardware section on Dec. 3. Tabitha Johnston

“One of my biggest motivations, after talking amongst the people in my friend group, was the fact that we all drive a lot to get basic things. We have a great community grocery store and Food Lion, so we’re covered in the grocery department, but there’s a big niche in the home staples and sustainable gardening areas that I felt was lacking. So this, I hope, will be convenient for the community to shop at and will help us cut down on our driving so much out of town,” Ball said. “I’ve heard wonderful stories about how the downtown used to have a pharmacy and a hardware store and an arts store, and everybody is nostalgic for that, so I’m trying to bring back a little bit of that — a place where you can visit during the week, not just on the weekend, adding to the usefulness of downtown.”

While attending the University of Virginia, Ball studied environmental science and studio art, which she then followed with a career working with environmental artists and photographers. Currently, along with running a store inspired by her environmental awareness and artistic eye, Ball continues to merge her two collegiate fields of study, through her work in freelance marketing.

“Over the past few years, I’ve been working in marketing for environmental and sustainable small business. A slow fashion brand I work with and a sustainable marketplace is where I got some of the input for the goods I carry in here. They were vetted as sustainable and ethical brands,” Ball said. “All the parts and pieces of my past are coming together with this!”

According to Ball, when she opened Dogwood General Store’s doors for the first time, with the help of her fiance, Jamie Byron, on Black Friday, she officially accomplished what had been, up to that point, a long-held dream.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to own a store or run some sort of space for community,” Ball said. “This came together quickly over the month of November. I just have loved interacting with people. That personal connection of greeting people, getting to know people and helping them find what they need, that’s a pretty special feeling. It’s been so satisfying, already, to have that small shop, personal interaction — that has been really fulfilling for me and I think for my customers, too.”

A group of shoppers browse through jackets in Dogwood General Store on Dec. 3. Tabitha Johnston

Dogwood General Store is open, Wednesdays through Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more, visit https://dogwoodgeneralstore.com/.

Sewing implements and instructions sit on display in Dogwood General Store on Dec. 3. Tabitha Johnston

A couple of shoppers exit Dogwood General Store, located at 119 West German Street, on Dec. 3. Tabitha Johnston