Joe fell in love with Rose the moment he laid eyes on her. But who could blame him? With sapphire black hair and skin like peaches and cream, she was a vision, with a spirit just as sweet. Rose was equally smitten by this handsome and hard-working young mill-worker, who everyone called "Penny". After years of helping to provide and care for her five siblings, Penny was the good luck charm Rose had been waiting for.
They were married in 1937 and bought their first home three years later for $3,700. Penny continued to work in his native Glassport, a small mill town in western Pennsylvania, and chose to work in the hardest, most dangerous part of the mill because it paid the best. He now had a wife and kids to provide for, not to mention his eye on a 48-acre farm 100 miles north of Pittsburgh.
A Scoutmaster for 25 years, Penny believed that fresh air and the great outdoors raised healthy, happy kids, and his beloved farm provided just that—an 18th-century farmhouse, a barn, a pond for swimming, and lots of land for exploring.
Over the years, Penny built a zip line, a Ferris wheel, water slides, rafts and a putt putt course, and despite his long commutes to and from the mill, he always had time for a swim with the grandkids or a push of the tire swing.
Their doors were always open, and the old farmhouse became a summer retreat for loved ones near and far. While a new family of relatives arrived each week, Penny and Rose also managed to care for a total of 65 foster babies, all while raising their own four children and caring for Penny's aging mother. Their capacity for kindness exceeded most, always making room for just one more.
Penny sure did love that farm, but no love ever came close to his "Dear Rose," who after 54 years of marriage, never ceased to fill his eyes with wonder. When she passed in 1991, he mused, "I always saw Rose as though it were the first time I laid eyes on her."
Many years passed since that day Penny first laid eyes on Rose, lean-tos were built and became bunkers, sticks were rifles and roasted marshmallows, tires became battleships, and grandpa's shoulders turned kids into airplanes; their children left and returned with families of their own, but it has and always will be..."Penny & Rose".
Keri Gollance,
Owner PENNY & ROSE
PENNY & ROSE WITH GRANDDAUGHTER KERI
My initial goal was to launch a line of unique home fragrance products that doubled beautifully as home decor. As I assembled my products - floral diffusers, sprays and scents that I felt met this goal - my mind continually wandered to my grandparents’ farm in western Pennsylvania, where I and my cousins spent our summer days as kids. Each scent was filling me with some precious memory from the “good ‘ol days” down on the farm, and I yearned for those simple, carefree moments once again. I leaned into that desire, and thus, my goal extended far beyond what I had first envisioned.
I named the company Penny & Rose, a nod to my beloved grandparents, who taught us generosity, compassion, and kindness above all else, and I believe our scent stories reflect these same core values. Furthermore, each scent is named after a distinct memory gleaned from the farm, and each product is carefully selected and beautifully packaged in the spirit of discovery.
Because of Penny & Rose, I seek to leave a trail of kindness everywhere I go and encourage my customers to do the same. While the entire brand is immersed in my family’s stories, it is my hope that you’ll discover a scent for your thoughts as well, and be pleasantly transported to the simpler days that make up the scrapbook of your own life.
Fondly,