Heart of the Home was begun by Phyllis Castells and her daughter Catalina in 1994 as an expression of their combined love for handmade American crafts and functional, well designed pieces for the home and garden. As we grew from a small Mom & Daughter business on a side street into this much larger store in the center of Main Street's busy atmosphere, we have tried our best to stay true to our original vision. Catalina moved on to other dreams a couple of years ago but Phyllis still finds herself invested in bringing the best of useful American Crafts to an appreciative customer. We take great pride in seeking out and presenting unusual creations in our historic 18th century home at 28 South Main Street.

Phyllis came to this enterprise after spending a number of years as a data-processing recruiter. She returned to art school to fulfill a lifelong dream and after 4 years of truly exhilarating effort received a BFA from Rutgers and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. She realized that her next big vision was to have just the kind of store you see when you come in, but to make sure that all the customers felt welcome, could touch these wonderful things and would be taken care while dealing with us. We still strive to make sure that these basic ideals are met.