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Shop: The Rooted is York's new art and event space


If you go

What: Live music, ice cream bar and free photo booth for First Friday

When: 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 3

Where: The Rooted Artist Collective, 101 N. Newberry St., York

More information about the collective: Find them on Facebook .

For more #FFYork festivities: Visit downtownyorkpa.com/firstfridays .

Two months ago, five Dover Area High School graduates were your average group of friends.

They hung out at local coffee shops, went hiking, painted together and even lived together at some point or another since graduating high school about eight years ago.

On May 1, when together they opened the doors to a new art shop in downtown York, they became partners.

The group opened The Rooted Artist Collective, at 101 N. Newberry St., so they'd have a place to show their work, one of the owners Carrie Peck said.

Though all five were heavily involved in the arts growing up — Peck as a painter, Jessica Flynn as a poet and visual artist, Meghan Weaver as a photographer, Bobby Yagodich as a musician and Dustin Nispel as a spoken word artist — they never talked about working together as a collective until last winter.

"It was kind of a shared vision that we had that nobody really shared with each other until we were in our late 20s," Peck said.

Once they started talking about it, the ideas started rolling and eventually snowballed into opening a space, where they could not only sell their own work, but feature work from other local artists as well, Peck said.

"With all of our inspiration splashing off of each other in the way we would brainstorm, we just realized we had so much passion behind it," co-owner Flynn said. "(The idea) took off and ran with itself and we just ran after it."

Since opening in May, The Rooted has stocked works from more than 30 local artists, Peck said. The approximately 400 square-foot space includes a white wall covered in paintings of all sizes, a jewelry case and several book cases and tables filled with books, CDs, purses, dream catchers and other hand-made knickknacks.

Items range from $2 for small spray-painted glass jars to $1,000 for some of the larger paintings. But The Rooted's jewelry and stone collection, which ranges from $3 to $285, has been the most popular, Flynn said.

The shop carries Native American-style jewelry made from things like buffalo teeth, coyote claws and African bones, as well as jewelry made from metal and chain work and things found outdoors.

However, showing local art is not the only driving force behind this new collective. Flynn and Peck said they want The Rooted to be not only an art space, but an event space where the community can gather.

The Rooted hosts free open mic nights every second and fourth Friday at 7 p.m., offers face painting for children on Second Saturdays, helps with Creek Fire every fourth Saturday and participates in First Fridays. For July's First Friday, The Rooted will have live music, an ice cream bar and a free photo booth.

The collective also plans to host more concerts and comedy nights, and eventually expand so they can sell sandwiches or smoothies out of their kitchen.

"We just want so much in this little space," Peck said. "We're trying to make it work as best as we can."

Hours and information

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

Location: 101 N. Newberry St., York

More information: Visit www.facebook.com/therootedartistcollective

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