MARTHA IN DELCO
DOMESTIC DIVA STEWART DOES HOLIDAY EVENT IN GLEN MILLS
CONCORD >> Domestic diva Martha Stewart was turning up the heat in Delco this week.
Stewart dropped into Terrain Thursday night for a special appearance to press the flesh and push her new book, “Martha Stewart’s Pressure Cooker.”
The Glen Mills restaurant closed early at 4 p.m. to accommodate its very special guest, who arrived shortly after 5. The queen of happy homemaking was in town to host a holiday cocktail party to celebrate her latest book. Fans, who purchased tickets in advance, were able to receive a copy of the new book and meet Stewart in person to get it signed. While waiting in line for the meetand-greet, fans browsed through Terrain’s unique merchandise, sipped samples of the Martha Stewart Wines collection and nibbled on a selection of appetizers made by the Terrain staff, using recipes from the new book.
According to a Terrain spokesperson, the event in Delaware County sold out at 225 tickets in just two hours once they went online.
Diane Keeley of Media was there with her daughter Tara Snyder of Aston. Both are self-proclaimed Martha Stewart fans who said that they can’t wait to try out the recipes in the new cookbook. Snyder saw the announcement about Stewart’s local appearance on the Terrain Facebook page and quickly bought tickets for her and mom.
“I enjoy her food ideas. She’s very innovative,” Keeley said as she eagerly waited to meet Stewart. “Tara likes her gardening ideas.”
Upon arriving, Stewart surprised staff and guests by taking an impromptu, casual stroll through the Terrain store, while guests were waiting patiently in line to get their books signed.
“Everyone – including staff- was not expecting her to come through the store,” shared Diane Stulb, public relations and events manager at Terrain/Urban Outfitters Inc. “She was very gracious and stopped to talk to customers, ask them where they were from and even stopped to chat with our Director of Beverage Steve Wildly and snag one of the signature drinks, Cranberry Paloma, made from a recipe in Martha’s magazine.
“Martha Stewart’s Pressure Cooker,” published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, is the latest tome to follow a long line of cookbooks, including “Grilling,” “Slow Cooker,” “One Pot,” “Newlywed Cookbook,” “New Way to Bake” and “Vegetables.” The book is a guide to using a time-saving pressure cooker, and it is divided into three parts: a beginnerfriendly section of pressurecooker building blocks like beans, stocks, grains, and vegetables that can be assembled into simple dishes, such as salads, soups, quesadillas, burgers, and more; a chapter of more than 40 main courses made start to finish in the pot; and a final chapter of desserts cooked entirely in the appliance. Recipes include instructions for both stovetop and electric pressure cookers.
Stewart is an author of more than 85 major books on food, entertaining, gardening, organizing and weddings. She is an entrepreneur with merchandise lines of everything from kitchen wares and jeans, to crafts and bedding, Just this week, Stewart introduced an affordable shoe line at Payless shoe store. On the heels of being named brand ambassador for Aerosoles,
“You could say that I am obsessed with Martha Stewart. I went to my first tag sale because of Martha, I fold my sheets like Martha, I have soapstone in my kitchen like Martha, and I make my own pierogis like Martha.”
— Suzette Schofield of Wilmington
Stewart launched a limitededition holiday collection for Payless under the “Martha Everyday” label, with additional styles expected to be introduced in spring.
“You could say that I am obsessed with Martha Stewart,” gushed Suzette Schofield of Wilmington, who was all smiles after getting her book signed by the star. “I went to my first tag sale because of Martha, I fold my sheets like Martha, I have soapstone in my kitchen like Martha, and I make my own pierogis like Martha.”
Schofield said that she told Stewart she wanted to make homemade pierogis to bring her, but her husband said the star would never eat them.
“I told this to Martha and she said she would have eaten them right then and there,” Schofield said, sounding disappointed. “Wait until I get a hold of my husband – I am going to kill him!”
Attendees waited in line, some for as long as two hours, to say a word or two to the TV star and bestselling author, who was seated at a table in an enclosed room. Although Stewart signed each and every book, Terrain staff said that she would not have time to personalize them with specific names or phrases. Staff members at Terrain surrounded the star and snapped photos of guests, using their phones as they got their book signed. Most people said they found out about the event by being on Terrain’s e-mail list and receiving a notification. Others said that they saw it on social media. Reservations had cost $65, which included the wine and hors d’oeuvre samples, as well as a copy of Stewart’s book.
Stewart visited Terrain once before in November 2017 to promote her “Slow Cooker” book and this week’s event was arranged in a similar fashion. Staff said that Terrain events are planned to coincide with her appearances on QVC since Terrain is only 12 miles away from QVC Studio in West Chester. According to store staff, Stewart has occasionally stopped into Terrain unannounced to shop on her way to or from QVC.
“This is Martha’s second time to do a book signing at Terrain in Glen Mills,” Stulb stated. “She came last November to promote her ‘Slow Cooker Cookbook.’ She is a big fan of Terrain and often frequents our Westport store that is not far from her Connecticut home.”
As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, the celebrated entrepreneur has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, merchandising, and e-commerce. Stewart has evolved into a household name through the years. She established herself as a TV star, with two long-running syndicated television shows, “Martha,” which ran from 2005 to 2012, and “Martha Stewart Living,” which ran from 1993 to 2005. Most recently she co-hosts a food show, paired with rapper Snoop Dogg. In the fall of 2016, VH1 premiered a new show called “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party,” featuring games, recipes, and musical guests. Stewart is also publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and regularly promotes her merchandise on QVC home shopping network.
In one high-profile down moment in her career, the domestic diva did time in federal prison after being convicted of obstruction and making false statements in a stock scandal in 2004. It did not hurt her popularity.
In May 2008, URBN, the company that owns Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People acquired J. Franklin Styers Nurseries, the popular garden center at 914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, that was one of America’s most respected names in horticulture since
1890. Renamed “Terrain at Styers,” the new venture enhanced the typical notion of a garden center by combining a retail store, an event space, and a café. According to its website, “Terrain is inspired by the idea of merging house and garden to create an experience for all of the senses, as well as catering to its customer with a variety of products and services to captivate her imagination, enhance her life and bolster her community.” In
2016, URBN acquired The Vetri Family group of restaurants.
For up-to-the-minute information on Martha Stewart, visit www.marthastewart.com or follow her blog at www.themarthablog.com/. For more information on terrain, visit www.shopterrain.com.
“This is Martha’s second time to do a book signing at Terrain in Glen Mills. She came last November to promote her ‘Slow Cooker Cookbook.’ She is a big fan of Terrain and often frequents our Westport store that is not far from her Connecticut home.”
— Diane Stulb, public relations and events manager at Terrain/Urban Outfitters Inc.