ORIGIN: Bantam Tileworks was founded in 2005 by Darin…read moreRonning and Travis Messinger. LOCATION: The studio/shop is located on a corner of Bantam's main thoroughfare -- Route 202. CONCEPT: The studio/shop produces handmade, custom-glazed tiles and tableware. EXPERIENCE: Walking into the shop I was warmly greeted by one of the employees, who also encouraged me to visit the studio in the back where two co-workers were painting glaze on tiles while chatting. Photo-taking was approved. Custom tiles can be intimidating as the cost is much higher than Home Depot, however the support and guidance from employees deflates much of this worry. The process of glazing, and color variations that result, were patiently explained to me. I was encouraged to take tile color sample at home, with no need to return, in order to see how the colors would appear in the intended setting. Depending on budget, a single decorative tile to a room wrapped in tile is given the same levels of care and guidance. As I browsed another customer was selecting glaze for some tableware. Glazed mugs are an inexpensive way to bring the beautiful colors into a home, with a cost of $15 to $20 each. TIPS: Contact information for expert tile installers who have experience with Bantam Tileworks are provided.

The work from Bantam is excellent at very reasonable prices. Will definitely visit again!read more

I may not be the target, high paycheck Litchfield county person this store is trying to appeal to,…read moreso take my rating with a grain of salt. Plus, the store is closing tomorrow in 2/19/18, so get your shopping in now with their deep discount (it seems up to about 50%). A lot of things in the store are very pretty, but really overpriced. There are no hidden treasures here you're going to overpay for, and some of the items seem to have a few liberties taken with their description. One of my shopping companions, an admittedly self taught glass collector, point out one "hand blown" bowl that was quite clearly pressed, including the makers mark. I wish the shop luck with their new adventure into the online!

i expected to find a lot more antiques and it was mainly european and reproduction antiques which…read moreat least were labeled reproduction. definitely a very limited selection with higher prices than i would expect.

Got bulbs?? Van Engelen sells wholesale bulk goodies for your garden. Need 1000 daffodils to…read morenaturalize your acre of empty garden? Well obviously you don't live in California but you WILL want to shop here, well either here or Costco ... but I prefer Van E. Shipping can be pricey depending on where in the US you are located. If you need something less than a million bulbs, and are looking for something more like 10 or 20 daffodils or tulips then shop with the retail arm of their company, John Scheepers. One thing I love about Van Engelen is that while you have to buy 50 or 100 of tulips and daffodils etc...their lilies are fabulous deals and sold in as small a quantity as 5 bulbs, so that you can get a great deal on what are typically very expensive bulbs in retail stores, but not have to buy a ton of them. Same with their freesias, which have an amazing scent...the yellow smells like pepper! Best time to shop is fall so that you can get the pick of everything, though they do have some fab end-of-season sales.

I am a landscape architect, and ordered 600 of their Majestic Mix tulips for a very good client and…read morefriend. As pictured in the catalogue, the mix consisted of mostly pink, yellow and coral, with an occasional lavender or very dark purple. What bloomed was approx. 40 percent black, 40 percent red and a smattering of white. It was the ugliest tulip mix that I have ever seen in my 45 year career. I reached out to them, explaining that I of course was refunding the retail cost of the labor and materials to my client, and asked what they would be doing to make things right with me. This was sent to customerservice@vanengelen.com. I never received a response. I will never buy any sort of bulb from them again. Reed D.

Staff are very helpful and readily available . Wide variety of items and worth the hunt!read more

What a very nice antique store! Well organized with a lot of fantastic antiques at very reasonable…read moreprices! This is probably one of the better antique stores that we've found in CT. No junk sold here and I'd highly recommend if you enjoy going antiquing!!

Place was very cutely decorated! It was a lot smaller inside than I expected, and claustrophobic…read more There are only a few tables at the counter, a large round table that looked like 5-6 were sitting at, and 4-5 bar stools seats facing out the front window. There's an upstairs with a coffee table, a bean bag chair and two chairs (and lots of artists wares for sale on the wall). There are a few tables outside, so waiting until it's warm enough or ordering To-Go would be my suggestion. I shared pictures of the beautiful breakfast plates we received. The food was delicious! The sausage I asked for in my Eggs Benny was delicious! They were clearly homemade sausage that had a nice rosemary flavor. My husband's breakfast star was the chef made ham steak slices, and the rosemary sourdough toast. Yes, I recommend the food here! We were rather disappointed by the temperament of the person we assumed is the owner... when asked if they would please lower the music a little, because I'm healing from a traumatic brain injury (and it was blasting commercials and music; it wasn't a pleasant music track or album), said with an attitude "Sorry I can't control where the speakers are", and from that point seemed a lot less friendly. Her attitude didn't ruin the taste of the food, but this was a special outing (my first in 3 years since falling on black ice), near Goodspeed Opera House. This is a touristy area and people that run breakfast/brunch spots are usually friendly and eager to help with small requests. Often interactions with the restaurant staff adds greatly to the experience. Her sour grapes and refusal to help me feel comfortable by lowering it a smidge (I was already wearing noise cancelling ear buds, just so you understand how loud it was and that she didn't turn it down even a tiny bit), made breakfast less nice. We won't be returning ~ there are so many restaurants struggling to survive after Covid, we'd rather spend our time and money there.

This is a truly special shop - remarkable goods - delightful staff - all very helpfulread more

Fantastic massages by phenomenal professionals. This an incredible place to get an amazing massage…read more Don't be afraid to tell them where on your back that your aches are coming from. They'll identify the issue and work to resolve it.

Great massage and service! Been coming here since 2017!…read moreElizabeth and her staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Whether you need a signature Swedish or therapeutic massage, they are able to relieve tension and provide relaxation in a clean environment. They are up to date on the newest techniques and are able to make adjustments for injuries. They also have a customer program where you can receive special discounts of up to 30% off if you join their email list. So if you're in need of a good massage or facial- I would highly recommend them.

The staff is friendly, and the hours have recently been extended to be more convenient for their…read morecustomers. Fun fact: It was the first Hybrid (Medical and Recreational) Cannabis Dispensary Facility to open in Litchfield County. Located directly off Route 8, they have a consistent inventory, and loyalty program for discounts and perks. I find their commitment to the community through giving back an excellent incentive to use this spot for my go-to recreational cannabis needs. For instance, at the moment they have a perishable food donation drive for the Thanksgiving holiday. They match donations and offer their customers a discount for participating. A win/win for everyone. I recommend checking it out if you are in the area and signing up for the rewards program.

Rude, unwelcoming staff. Man who was supposed to help at the front desk got annoyed with us for…read more"talking in circles" when the reality was he wasn't listening to what we said (seemed maybe high or wasted as he wasn't comprehending things and then was pissy about it? ) Yes, also prices are high as noted in other reviews and they have "sales" that bring them to almost appropriate. But, the major issue for me was how unpleasant the two people you have to interact with to place an order were and how un knowledgeable/confused/condescending. Not the experience you want to have on the way to enjoying cannabis.

Life saver. After being mauled by a dog and suffering severe stress and chronic stress /…read moreinflammation I started noticing my eye sight seemed off and not as sharp as it was. Chronic stress can do a lot to the eyes , and I never really pursued the situation until my eyes kept wandering causing massive migraines , vomiting and even inability to see light on phones or even dark to light - I went in for a routine eye exam, which then turned into a very thorough exam, which made me feel really taken care of , we discussed every single one of my concerns, and she didn't rush me at all, and because she didn't rush me, funny enough a lot of my symptoms fit perfectly into the new neurolenses - I trusted her, even though the price was quite high, and I am my first week wearing glasses for the first time in my life, and I can't even believe how I was living without these. If anyone's reading this, definitely get your eyes checked because if I didn't, I probably would've done further damage to my eyes

I went from perfect 20/20 vision to major eye issues (dry eye, episcleritis, corneal erosion),…read morelikely connected to my MS. Other doctors either brushed me off or told me it was just aging. Dr. Patel was the first to truly listen, take my MS into account, and work with me to find real solutions. Thanks to her treatments and care, my vision has improved so much without glasses. She and her staff are kind, compassionate, and genuinely care about their patients. I'm so grateful I found her. Highly recommend to anyone who feels like they're running out of hope.