Phoenixville will turn into ‘Gilmore Girls’ town Stars Hollow for one weekend
For one weekend, you'll be able to live your Stars Hollow dreams.
As Kenzie Hamblin watched Gilmore Girls unfold in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, she looked around Phoenixville and thought, “I literally live in this town.”
And now, that’ll be actually true — at least for a weekend.
On Friday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Sept. 27, a smattering of Phoenixville shops will transform into staples from the show in an event that Hamblin and business partner Mallory McDaniel organized.
All across downtown, existing shops will dress up as Stars Hollow storefronts, from Le Chat Club, to Doose’s Market, to the Dragonfly Inn, and, of course, Luke’s Diner. Hamblin’s shop, Silly Little Art Shop at 28 S. Main St., will become Al’s Pancake World, serving up piping hot art kits and more.
Visitors can expect themed events, redecorated interiors and window designs, specialized merchandise, a map to collect stamps from participating shops for a prize, and maybe a handful of grumpy Lukes serving them coffee.
The plan was sparked about a year ago, when Hamblin saw another similar pop-up in a nearby town. It was fun, she recalled, but she knew Phoenixville could do better. The borough has the bones to do so: There’s an “amazing creative, collaborative energy” among the small business owners, and a genuine investment from the community they serve, she said.
“We have all this magic that exists in Phoenixville,” Hamblin, 35, said. “I want people to experience that, but then also get to have that fun of experiencing the magic of Stars Hollow — as much as any place can create that.”
For the uninitiated, you may ask: What is it about Stars Hollow, the whimsical, quirky New England small town in which Gilmore Girls is set?
The show, a quick-witted, comedy-drama that follows the lives of a mother and daughter, ran for seven seasons in the early 2000s and has amassed devoted fans since. Among those fans, the town has become a desirable, beloved place. It has it all: It’s close-knit, supportive, and yes — walkable. It taps into something people just seem to crave: connectedness and community, Hamblin said.
“People live in suburban wastelands, where you live in a house, and you don’t really know any of your neighbors, and you don’t have a downtown; you have a shopping mall,” she said. “And I think people want to live somewhere like Stars Hollow, where it’s very community-oriented.”
And you may ask, what is it about Phoenixville?
“I lived here before it was cool to be from Phoenixville,” said Julie Miller, whose pottery shop at 24 S. Main St. will become the Dragonfly Inn. “There’s such a strong community in the downtown, and a want for the downtown to survive, and a want for it to be this special, quaint little slice of heaven that it has become. I think that really equates with Stars Hollow.”
And the response to the town coming to life has been pretty resounding. Hamblin organized a small group of businesses to participate in this year’s event, with the goal of drawing a couple hundred people downtown. When she posted the initial social media flier, though, it got more traction than she could have predicted — more than 100,000 views and 5,000 shares in the first 24 hours.
Within the community, other businesses wanted to participate. And beyond the community, new customers have dropped by, scoping her shop out ahead of the event later this month, she said. (@starshollow.pa on Instagram is giving updates to the weekend’s offerings.)
The business owners aren’t entirely sure what the magnitude of the turnout could be, but they’re excited.
Miller, 36, said the enthusiastic response has been “amazing, and also a little terrifying in the best way.”
She’s creating a line of dragonfly teacups and teaspoon rests. Themed pieces from other local artists will also be on offer in her shop. And to tap into the coziness of the inn, complimentary tea and cookies will welcome visitors.
“It’s just really exciting for the potential,” Miller said. “Hopefully that just means that this is going to continue and be like another amazing thing that happens in Phoenixville that we get to do once a year.”
Studio 323, at 323 Bridge St., will become Weston’s Bakery, offering fall-themed baked goods from a local microbakery on Saturday (“Who doesn’t love baked goods on a homemade plate?” owner Abby Wheeler, 31, noted), alongside other local artisans’ creations through the weekend.
“As a creative space, a themed assignment to transform our space is what we live for,” Wheeler said.
Though Jason Hafer, 48, isn’t overly familiar with the show himself, his staff is enthusiastically helping transform Reads and Company into Stars Hollow Books. There will be a Gilmore Girls-themed book display up front, and the staff plans to be decked out accordingly in plaid.
Though a town might be content with its slate of other annual events, “we have like this great young business ... and they’re bringing like their creativity and their passion to the town, which is I think what makes things so great,” Hafer said.
And over at Al’s Pancake World, Hamblin and McDaniel, 34, will be dressed as waitresses, serving up art kits in takeout containers, alongside a collection of other merchandise they’ve made.
“I deeply, deeply want our town to stay quirky and fun and strange and weird,” Hamblin said. “The only way for [small businesses] to stay and to grow and to be successful is if we can get people to come to town to ultimately enjoy themselves and spend money and enjoy Phoenixville for what it is and fall in love with it. If there’s any way I can be a part of that, to build success for our town in any small way, then that’s what I want to do.”
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