All Over Albany

The Cottage Herb Shop

Remember the cute little shop around the corner in that movie "You've Got Mail?" The Cottage Herb Shop kind of looks like that. But it sells all kinds of wonderful gifts from finger puppets to table linens to garden tools. And in the middle of winter, it's filled with picnic mats, straw bags and other harbingers of spring.

Beulah Southwell opened the little neighborhood shop decades ago. Today it's run by her granddaughter Daryl King-Bradt.

The Cottage Herb Shop features locally-grown and prepared fruit preserves and herbs made according to family recipes, from herb mustard sauce ($69.95 $6.95) to egg omelet fine herbs ($4.95) to herbes de Provence and even catnip. The everlasting wreaths made of dried flowers are not to be missed ($36) and if you're looking for an eclectic mix of teas,
cookies, and whimsical chocolates, you can find them here. You can also get handmade insomnia pillows (scented with The Cottage Herb Shop's own herbs, of course) and sachets, as well as hand-dipped candles ($5.50/pr).

The Cottage Herb shop also offers thoughtful kids' gifts like finger puppets, Crabtree and Evelyn lotions, soaps and powders, plus stationery, ornaments, gift books, light throws and scarves. If you're just stopping by to buy a gift, you can also get greeting cards and gift wrap or a gift bag.

Here's the thing though, if you want to visit the shop, you probably have to plan ahead. The Cottage Herb Shop is open Monday through Friday from 12:30-5. On Saturday afternoons they're open from around 12:30 to about 4 (their words). The hours are a little fast and loose--so you may want to give them a call to make sure they're open before you go. And it's on State Street in downtown Albany where it's all on-street parking, so unless you live locally, it's hard to just "stop by." Still, a visit to this hidden gem is well worth it.