How to Make Celebrations Special with these Arkansas products
One way to make celebrations special is with unique decorations and food. These Arkansas-made products make your house inviting, your food trays tasty and your cocktails top-notch.
Pink House Alchemy
Inspired by complementary patterns in roots, barks, fruits, herbs and botanicals, the alchemists of Pink House Alchemy (pH) produce simple syrups, bitters and shrubs that will make your cocktails and mocktails the star of the party. Not sure what libations to serve your guests? Visit their website for recipes that will take your drinks to the next level. Recipes include White Negroni, Bloody Mary, Lavender French 75 and Kids Halloween Punch. Purchase these pH concoctions in the 100-year-old pink house in Fayetteville that serves as their headquarters. You can also buy them online and at many locations throughout Arkansas and the U.S.
Aromatique
Patti Upton created the “Smell of Christmas” 40 years ago when a friend playfully challenged her to create a product that would entice shoppers in her gift shop. This led to the birth of a new product category in home fragrance, and Patti became an overnight success story with her mix of native botanicals, bark and nuts mixed with seasonal spices and essential oils. While the “Smell of Christmas” remains the number one seller for Aromatique, it has many other popular fragrances for all types of celebrations and everyday use, including Cotton Ginseng, Cinnamon Cider, Valencia Orange, Sorbet, White Amaryllis and Rosemary, just to name a few. In addition to potpourri, Aromatique also has candles, fragrance bags, refresher oils, room sprays and diffusers in its product line. You can buy them at Panache, the Aromatique Gift Shop in Heber Springs. Their website also offers a retailer locator tool to find nearby sellers, or you can order online. Patti’s granddaughters, June and Jordan, carry on her legacy.
Petit Jean Meats
If you need summer sausage for your charcuterie board, a whole smoked turkey to feed a crowd or something in between like hot dogs, bacon or carved ham, Petit Jean Meats is the obvious go-to. The bacon and hams are smoked for 18 hours with real burning hickory. While the company ships its products to retailers across the state and nation, many of its customers still come from as far as 75 miles around Morrilton, where Petit Jean Meats was started by Felix Schlosser, a German immigrant. Almost a century old, the company is still owned by the same family and has a rich, American dream history.
Hanna’s Candle Factory
One of the largest candle companies in the U.S., Hanna’s Candle Factory also sells potpourri, air fresheners and room sprays. Burt Hanna started the business in his 20s making potpourri in his basement. Today you can purchase these wonderful fragrance products at the Hanna Candle Outlet in south Fayetteville, where the company is headquartered. Look for specialty goods from their partnerships with companies such as Hershey’s and Jolly Rancher.
House of Webster
In Rogers, you'll find the House of Webster Gift Shop, housed in a charming barn-like building. Their shelves are overflowing with an assortment of homemade jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butters, relishes, salsas, mustards, syrups, salad dressings and other condiments. The shop's atmosphere takes you back to the 1800s when canning first gained popularity. Everything you buy fits perfectly among today’s modern feasts and party foods.
Arkansas Wines and Craft Beer
Arkansas’ wine country features family-owned vineyards open for tours and tastings so you can pick out that special bottle for your celebration. There are numerous wineries to visit along the Arkansas Wine Trail, including a cluster of vineyards in the Arkansas River Valley and others located in Northwest Arkansas.
Arkansas also boasts a big craft brewery industry. Northwest Arkansas even has the Fayetteville Ale Trail that people can follow and get their ale trail passport stamped. Arkansas wines and craft beer can be purchased to take home at all of these on-site locations as well as in many stores selling beer and wine.
As the holidays approach or you have a special anniversary or birthday to celebrate, make them special with all of these great Arkansas-made party essentials.
