MANCHESTER, N.H. – Just in time for the holiday season, what had been an empty storefront on Elm Street has been transformed into a gathering place and shop for artwork, crafts and other locally-themed gifts.
Located across from Market Basket, near the new Red Oak apartment building and in right between Willows on Elm Café and Manchester Pawn, Green Envy Wellness is the brainchild of Manchester entrepreneur Helen Ryba.
The store opened just after Thanksgiving after nearly a year of planning. Ryba had operated a warehouse nearby where she sends monthly curated gift boxes to customers across the country. After plenty of planning, and help from her son, Ryba decided to turn this space into a retail extension of what she was already doing.
“This front was just open and there was nothing here, so I just decided, ‘why not put in a shop?” she said.
While most people begin to slow down when they turn 65, Ryba found that she was doing just the opposite as she hit that age earlier this year. Then again, going full speed is nothing new for Riba, who has received local Emmy nominations in her role as producer of “The Chef’s Plate – A Taste of New England.”
“Most people at my age start thinking about retirement and then I open up a shop. It might seem odd, but when others ask why, I ask why not?” She said. “Why slow down? I’ve always been this way. I think if I ever slowed down, I’d probably just keel over, and I don’t want that! I just really want to keep on doing what I love.”
Some of those “foodie” type items that might have made a cameo on her former show or made their way into curated monthly gift boxes are available for sale at the store in addition to other home goods and works from local artists.
The store also holds a gathering place room, which Ryba says will soon hold candle-making seminars, but may also hold other craft-based classes potentially with food and drink sourced next door from Willows, and could possibly be open to groups looking for a place to meet.
More information on the store can be found online at greenenvywellness.com.