She opened the shop in 2013, but her story begins many years before that.

“I was always interested in art and graphic art. I got a job as a graphic artist right out of high school at Scott Aviation in Lancaster, New York.”

She was promoted to Senior Artist and then to Supervisor before the company decided to close the print shop. She stayed on as a subcontractor for 25 years, taking over the shop while doing printing for Scott Aviation, as well as that of local companies. After meeting her husband and commuting from Westfield for some time, she decided to close the shop as digital printing was beginning to come in.

Without a job to go to, she found projects to fill her days, including gutting and enlarging the kitchen and putting it back together with help. After the kitchen remodel was completed, she decided to use her large beach glass collection combined with stained glass projects to sell at Westfield Farmer’s and Artisan’s Market. The couple bought an engraving system to enable her to try her hand at stone engraving and when that took off, they decided it was time to build a shop

Custom-made ornaments and room and house signs can be ordered in acrylic or wood in any name and theme until Dec. 23. Photo by Beverly Kehe-Rowland

On my first visit, a large display of pendants made from sea glass in shades of greens, teals, blues and amethyst-colored purple got my attention right away because it was located directly across from the entrance. On the table, below the display, were many larger pieces of sea glass that were just as the artist had found them on the beach.

“I have collected it my whole life. My parents had a summer home in Canada at Morgan’s Point on Lake Erie. I have garbage cans full of it,” she said. “I still go down to the lake and collect it. That’s my getaway.”

Surprisingly, there were a few pendants made from small pieces of metal and pottery which had been smoothed by the lake, as well.

“You never know what you’ll find in the lake.”

Sea glass charm bracelets and more pendants with added tiny baubles in the shape of bunches of grapes, keys, unicorns and other interesting designs were on an adjacent table. On the same table were spoon rings, bracelets made from silverplate spoons and forks and a cute little bell pendant made from the end of a hollow knife handle. Some shark’s tooth jewelry made from teeth her brother-in-law had brought during a visit from Florida were also on display.

Kate Mayer, owner of Gale Street Studio, points out a personalized ornament on the studio Christmas tree. Photo by Beverly Kehe-Rowland

“Some customers bring their heirloom silverware to be made into custom pieces,” she said.

A few small stained glass windows are backlit by the natural light entering from the shop’s windows. Her very detailed, beautiful drawings of homes and businesses hang on the studio walls. Interspersed, throughout the shop, amongst the handmade pieces are pretty, pink Depression glass dishes and other interesting finds from yesteryear and like the sea glass jewelry, the prices are very reasonable.

“We buy things we like at estate sales and I don’t think we should gouge people,” she said. “We’re all in the world trying to make a living.”

There is a large supply of rocks to choose from for engraving, but customers are welcome to bring their own. Smaller projects can be engraved year-round, but large rocks can only be engraved outside in the spring and fall when the weather is less humid.

Aside from inexpensive gifts, perhaps the most popular item Mrs. Mayer sees going out the door this time of year are her custom made wood and acrylic Christmas ornaments, door signs and wall hangings. Although some rainbow bridge options for remembering a deceased pet and personalized cutting boards are not quite as popular, they are definitely Christmas gift-worthy. These items with any name or theme can be ordered until December 23.

A plate of cookies and a dish of chocolate fudge sit near the check-out area for customers to nibble on as their purchases are tallied.

“I do this mostly in December, but I often have slices of banana bread, homemade peanut brittle, etc at other times. I love to bake,” she exclaims.

She was one of nine children and baking at Christmastime played a big part of her growing up years.

“My mother wanted tins and tins of cookies. We all would bake a different type. Each of us would do about five,” she explains. “She wouldn’t get mad if we messed up. She wanted us to learn. It was a wonderful way to grow up.”

The daughter still fills tins with Christmas cookies, peanut brittle and fudge and with her husband, delivers them to friends and shut-ins.

“Everyone wants cut-outs and my granddaughters come on my birthday each year to make cut-out cookies.”

For many years, it has been her tradition to create unique ornaments for each of her three children with their names and dates on them. The ornaments are one of a kind, sometimes taking much effort to find the perfect materials or starter items to convert into the end result.

“They depict something monumental from their year,” says the mother. “It is the highlight of their Christmas.”

She has continued the tradition with her five grandchildren.

Her late mother gets the credit for the daughter’s varied interests and ability to create.

“We were not allowed to sit in front of the TV a lot and when we did, we had to work on something. We had to keep our hands and minds busy,” she said. “My mother canned everything and I’m the only one that cans and still cans.”

Besides previously mentioned hobbies, the creative woman enjoys counted cross-stitch, flower and vegetable gardening, baking and decorating cakes for her grandchildren and motorcycling with her husband. She is President of Westfield Farmers and Artisans Market, where she can be found on Saturdays during the summer, and a member of the Westfield YWCA board.

Her husband and shopping partner, Steve Mayer, who is retired from the former Westfield Dodge, is very supportive in her business endeavor.

Gale Street Studio is located at the corner of Route 20 and Gale Street in Westfield, just 30 minutes from Jamestown. They can be reached by calling (716) 753-0367 and are open Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop’s juke box, a gift from Mr. Mayer, will entertain the men and older children while the women shop. A child-size Indy 500 pinball machine which dispenses grape gumballs, will hold the young children’s attention for a few minutes.

“I had to get grape gum balls for the area,” she said referring to the Concord Grapes grown near Westfield.

Mrs. Mayer has offered a few recipes, including one for her children’s must have banana bread.

Kate’s Banana Bread

1 c sugar

1 stick butter

2 eggs

3 bananas, mashed

2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream together the sugar and butter. Mix in the 2 eggs. Add 3 bananas and mix well. Mix in flour, baking soda and vanilla until well-incorporated. Add chopped walnuts, if desired. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Kate’s Peach Cobbler

1 1/2 c flour

2 tsp sugar

1 stick butter

1 large can sliced peaches, drained or 1 quart home-canned

3/4 c sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Incorporate flour, sugar & butter until crumbled as for pie crust. Press into a 9-inch pan. Spread drained peaches over crust and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and spread with topping.

Topping

2 egg yolks, beaten

1/2 pint sour cream

Combine egg yolks and sour cream. Spread over cobbler. Return to oven for 20-30 minutes or until top golden, but not brown.

Kate’s Salsa (Makes approximately 16 pints

1/2 bushel tomatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

5 onions, chopped

4 hot peppers, chopped (Seeds may be added later to make a hotter salsa, if desired)

2 green peppers, chopped

4 sweet banana peppers, chopped

2 T pepper seed

1 c sugar

1 c white vinegar

2 T garlic powder

3 T horseradish

salt & pepper to taste

1 small can tomato paste (more if a thicker salsa is desired after boiling down)

Using a very large stewpot, stir together all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat slightly and boil down 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Pour into sterilized pint jars and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes each.