Amber Martin knew she wanted to start her own store ever since she had her first job in Carlisle, Pa. in 1995. That ambition has now been realized with the opening of Harmony Society, a goods and clothing store, last year, now located at 136 W. High St. in Carlisle.

In 1995 she worked at a store called “Classic Rags” in town and at that time she says, “it was the cool place to go.” She says, “I had always wanted to go into fashion, I liked working with people, getting to go to trade shows and getting to pick out what would go in the store, I knew that was the direction I wanted to take, I’ve always wanted to do it.”

Martin went to Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, one of the few all women art schools. She majored in fashion design and minored in textiles. “I always loved vintage clothing and the process of picking it, finding the most rare unique piece that has some kind of interesting quality, whether it’s the texture or the print,” she says.

Martin says, “I can’t believe it’s been a year already, I never expected that we would have moved the shop’s location in our first year but when the opportunity presented itself, it was a no brainer.” She says, “Since moving, our foot traffic has definitely increased and a lot of that traffic seems to be college students.”

When she opened Harmony Society in Carlisle she says, “I wanted to open a shop that was a workspace where we could do classes and meet other likeminded people that were crafters” to help “connect people with a similar vision.” She wants it to be like a “modern general store” so that Harmony Society doesn’t have to just be one thing, it can be “a lot of things.” Martin says, “I have always enjoyed sharing with people,” so she wants Harmony Society to be a store full of goods she likes that she can share with people.

Overall she says, “Things have gone better than I ever expected them to but I don’t quite feel successful yet. There are just too many things I need to do before I can say that.” Martin says that the most challenging part of running a shop “is allowing it to grow and taking the necessary risks to do so.”

Martin wants to start supporting more businesses that are owned and operated in the United States. One of the brands she has started to carry is “American Trench” which started when two guys wanted to find a raincoat made in the U.S., but could not, so they decided to start making their own and have since expanded the brand to carry things such as wool socks and flannels. All of their products are manufactured in Redding, Pa. at a mill that has been around since the 1800’s so it supports local workers as well.

She is also carrying “Jungmaven,” which is a brand from California. The owner’s motto is “everyone in a hemp t-shirt by 2020,” he supports hemp farming and makes “really high quality products.”

Martin likes carrying vintage clothing because in a way it is recycling. She also hosts monthly craft nights and other craft workshops. She says she would love to see students involved in the workshops and is open to having students teach workshops as well if they have a particular craft or skill they would like to share. She has held incense-making workshops and knitting workshops so far. She posts upcoming classes on the website: www.harmony-society.com. Some of the upcoming classes include beanie and sock knitting.

Harmony Society is located at 136 West High Street Carlisle, PA 17013. It is open Mon-Wed 10:00 – 6:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 – 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10:00 – 6:00 p.m.