Family owned and run for three generations, the Cottage Herb Farm Shop has a “charm reserved for another era” (Albany Times Union, 1976). Anyone entering this unique shop is greeted by an aromatherapy of herbs and spices, old New England charm visuals, and by Miss Ginger, a gentle Golden Retriever. Passed down through three generations of women, Daryl King-Bradt keeps this unique shop filled with a potpourri of delights.
The shop owes its origins to Beulah Southwell, a Renaissance woman hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, who founded the shop in 1942. In the late 1930s, Beulah and her husband, Dr. John Southwell, bought a farm in the New Hampshire mountains, where she would come to grew and dry a variety of herbs. Beulah’s French grandmother, who was forever growing and talking about herbs, inspired Beulah to try her own hand at them. Beulah’s talents were first recognized when, one Christmas, she created a card that read, “Seasoning Greeting for Your Christmas Turkey,” complete with a sachet of seasonings. Beulah’s friends loved the card, as well as her herb blends, and wanted more! Inspired to share her knowledge of herbs, she decided to open up a shop, which she decorated with a beautiful collection of antiques procured at auctions in New Hampshire.
So, with bundles of field herbs, bottles of herbal vinegars, wild herbal honeys, preserves, and tea blends, the Cottage Herb Farm Shop opened in Albany, NY in 1942. Adding to the charm of the shop, Beulah would serve peppermint tea in the afternoon to welcome her customers. After passing the shop on to her daughter, Mrs. Betty-Jane King, an expert gardener, Beulah continued to be involved with the shop into her 90s. The shop's storied history includes a long line of greeter dogs: “Sam,” a Bedlington Terrier during Beulah’s day; his Bedlington successor Sam; a gold-star Golden Retriever, Ruggles, for over 10 year; Miss Ginger, the biggest of them all; and now Teddy, the English Golden Retriever puppy.
The shop owes its origins to Beulah Southwell, a Renaissance woman hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, who founded the shop in 1942. In the late 1930s, Beulah and her husband, Dr. John Southwell, bought a farm in the New Hampshire mountains, where she would come to grew and dry a variety of herbs. Beulah’s French grandmother, who was forever growing and talking about herbs, inspired Beulah to try her own hand at them. Beulah’s talents were first recognized when, one Christmas, she created a card that read, “Seasoning Greeting for Your Christmas Turkey,” complete with a sachet of seasonings. Beulah’s friends loved the card, as well as her herb blends, and wanted more! Inspired to share her knowledge of herbs, she decided to open up a shop, which she decorated with a beautiful collection of antiques procured at auctions in New Hampshire.
So, with bundles of field herbs, bottles of herbal vinegars, wild herbal honeys, preserves, and tea blends, the Cottage Herb Farm Shop opened in Albany, NY in 1942. Adding to the charm of the shop, Beulah would serve peppermint tea in the afternoon to welcome her customers. After passing the shop on to her daughter, Mrs. Betty-Jane King, an expert gardener, Beulah continued to be involved with the shop into her 90s. The shop's storied history includes a long line of greeter dogs: “Sam,” a Bedlington Terrier during Beulah’s day; his Bedlington successor Sam; a gold-star Golden Retriever, Ruggles, for over 10 year; Miss Ginger, the biggest of them all; and now Teddy, the English Golden Retriever puppy.