Eureka Thyme -- a race against time?

Thyme out? -- Not if Marsha Havens can help it. Havens' shop, Eureka Thyme, opened four years ago and remains open despite perilous economic times.

That dream is Eureka Thyme, located in The Quarter on East Van Buren in Eureka Springs.

Four years ago she opened it as an herbal gift shop. It has since grown and flourished beyond all expectations. It now features the works of 179 local artists and draws instant praise from visitors who walk through its doors.

Literally 'non-profit'

"It's been a success in every way," Marsha laughed, "except financially."

This single mother of two is bound and determined to find a way to keep the store open -- maybe as a non-profit entity eligible for grant funds.

"In the truest sense -- I am a non-profit now," she said. "I'm open to anything, if I can get over this hump."

Marsha said she's been able to get by so far because of dear friends who make a point of shopping at the store, the monetary donations from friends and "people I barely know," and because of "a landlord willing to work with me."

She is not sure how it will happen, but she has a sense it will -- all because of the terrific response she's had since the beginning, and because it's been "so right."

Marsha Stewart?

"It is my lifelong dream -- that has come to be," she beamed. "I was a freelance court reporter for 30 years. I moved to Eureka Springs 15 years ago from Berryville because Berryville, my hometown, got too big for me.

"I've always loved arts and crafts," she continued. "I wanted to be Martha Stewart of the Ozarks, making a living making living wreaths, incense, bath salts and potpourri. Hence the name 'Eureka Thyme.'

'A life of its own'

"At its inception in 2004, Eureka Thyme was meant to be an herbal gift shop, but it wasn't long before it took on a life of its own," she said.

"It just snowballed. Everything came to me, it just walked in the door in one fashion or another. It was all so right, everything just fell into place.

"I have grandmothers who knit scarves and make rugs, a retiree making fantastic wooden bowls, a disabled woman who paints rocks and remarkable top-notch artists. I am amazed at the quality."

When faced with the prospect of closing the store because of financial concerns, Marsha said her first thought was for those grandmothers, retirees and disabled persons who finally had an outlet for their homespun wares.

"It was the grandmothers and the little people that worried me," she said. "What would happen to them? It was breaking my heart."

Marsha's gift

It came to be, she recalled, that one spoke up to say their experience with Eureka Thyme gave them the confidence they needed to market their own work -- that it was Marsha who had given them that gift, and they could go on.

Marsha says her heart is lighter knowing the "little people" will be okay but she's still determined to make it work. A recent closing party was turned into a "staying alive" celebration with many of her artists in attendance to urge her on.

An uphill pull

She knows she's facing a daunting task, but she has some ideas to pursue and is open to suggestions.

"The business is 50/50 local and tourists," she commented. "I have to increase the tourist end of the trade. I'm not sure how to do it. Maybe a move to a downtown storefront to get the tourist walk-by trade."

Marsha says she has put together a portfolio of Eureka Thymes' artist offerings to distribute to interior designers. She has also attended work sessions at the Rogers Chamber of Commerce to guide her in her efforts.

"I am passionate about my business, otherwise it wouldn't have just come to me -- and come to be," she said. "I will be open through the end of the year regardless."

Open to suggestions

In the meantime, she looks forward to hearing from those who have ideas and suggestions to keep Eureka Thyme open forever.

Not just for her, she said, but for the "little people," such as nine-year-old Heidi Kirk who makes and sells good luck charms, Heidi who dropped by recently to give her an "invisible seed of hope," the hope to carry on.

Eureka Thyme is open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily, and later on Saturdays. For more information, call Marsha at (479) 363-9600.