[Sponsored] Chestnut Woodworking & Antique Flooring and Tarot in Thyme: Sibling Businesses That Get Along Swell

For many customers, the first step inside Chestnut Woodworking & Antique Flooring in Kent might elicit an initial surprise—followed by unexpected delights. That’s because the showroom that occupies the first floor of the charming two-story Victorian house on North Main Street is stocked with an entire shop’s worth of earth-friendly metaphysical products curated by Chestnut’s sister store, Tarot in Thyme.

“When we originally opened the showroom at Kent Barns in 2016, we began bringing in some eco-friendly products, antiques, and other unique finds,” says Regina Olson, the proprietor of Tarot in Thyme who manages the showroom with her partner and Chestnut Woodworking’s founder, Bob Friedman. “Bob is very pro-preservation, and has been reclaiming wood from old barns and houses on the East Coast for over 25 years,” she says. “Since the business had a naturally eco-friendly theme, we thought that it could be a good fit.” 

In the winter of 2019, they moved the showroom to the larger space on North Main Street and the metaphysical side of the business really took off. “I had been studying astrology and tarot for several years by that point,” says Olson. “We created this amazing new space that had all of the antique flooring and lumber displays, as well as the antiques and products, and there was space for a new little room on the side for tarot readings."

Today, Olson has expanded the shop’s inventory from antiques and rare finds to clothing sourced from companies with ethical labor practices, a variety of gems and crystals, apothecary goods, tarot decks, and jewelry. Olson and Tarot in Thyme’s growing team of practitioners also offer a variety of alternative wellness services, including tarot, astrology, and psychic mediumship. A naturopathic doctor specializing in virtual tongue readings and a massage therapist offering affordable sessions that incorporate Swedish-style massage, craniosacral therapy, and Reiki round out their offerings. Tarot in Thyme's tarot readings have even become so popular that the Mayflower Inn in Washington, Connecticut brought them on as the in-house tarot reader for "Tarot & Tipples" on Saturday afternoons, as well as by appointment.

Customers who head into the shop hoping to learn more about the woodworking side of the family business will still be pleased to find real-life examples of Friedman’s work in the shop’s gorgeous antique wide plank flooring, farm tables, island, and countertops, and a sample wall demonstrating a variety of surface treatments. A quick trip down the street to Wilson's Bakery & Cafe by Highwatch Recovery Center is another great way to see examples of the antique aak flooring and hand-hewn beams in situ. Customers can also make an appointment to visit Chestnut Woodworking’s lumberyard in Cornwall, where they can get the full tour of the available reclaimed woods Friedman currently has in stock—from rare American chestnut and hemlock to antique barn siding, hand-hewn beams, live-edge pieces, and more. 

To learn more about Chestnut Woodworking & Antique Flooring, visit Chestnutwoodworking.com. To learn more about Tarot & Thyme, visit Tarotinthyme.com.

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