Mara Russo and Thomas Russo bring eclectic, handcrafted gifts to downtown Cooperstown.
The couple launched The Last Firefly at 39 Chestnut Street in late August.
“We are originally from New Jersey,” Mara Russo said. “But for the past 30 years, I’ve been coming to Cooperstown for summer vacation and my husband is a baseball fan, so I wanted to move to Cooperstown when he retired. That’s not what I’m doing at all. My background is in literature and art. He was a lawyer for 30 years.
Although new to Cooperstown, the Last Firefly concept began decades ago and its local iteration represents a full-circle moment, Russo said.
“The idea for this store actually came from Cooperstown Country Crafts,” she said. “Every summer we went to Cooperstown Country Crafts. We loved the idea of it. There was nothing like it in our hometown of Scotch Plains. I thought I might be able to replicate that in Scotch Plains, as I did at my husband’s previous law firm.
“I had been making handmade things, hand-painting furniture, and making jewelry to sell at house parties, but I wanted a brick-and-mortar space,” Russo continued. Like Cooperstown Country Crafts, we bring in other craftsmen, but we’re not a co-op…so we accepted things on commission. ”
Russo said the store’s name also has meaning.
“We started camping in Cooperstown, then stayed in an apartment, and then we were able to buy a lakeside campground,” she said. “It had a nice little porch, and one summer, before the store opened, we were sitting on the back porch and I said, ‘It’s a perfect night, but there’s one thing missing. There were no fireflies that year. He was like, “Whatever, who cares?” And when December comes around, you’ll find this package under the tree. When I opened it, I saw a mason jar full of tiny electric fireflies, and I burst into tears. To me, it just represented the fact that even though my husband was teasing me at the time, he listened and then made this big romantic gesture. When we were planning to open a store in New Jersey in January, we were considering names and I said, “It’s the perfect name.” As a gift and a nod to Cooperstown, I decided to do this. I’ll call it “The Last Firefly.” ”It stuck, and people liked it. ”
Otsego County focuses on handmade, “very eclectic” items, Russo said.
“It’s a small store, maybe 400 square feet, in a carriage barn next to the house,” she said. “From kids to seniors, there’s a little something for everyone. About three-quarters of the store is feminine items, and then his section is vintage sports memorabilia (mostly baseball), which I love. When I say vintage, I mean vintage. There’s no ordinary T-shirt. This is more unusual.”
Russo said she and her husband purchased the property six years ago.
“We were able to buy John Mitchell’s house at 39 Chestnut,” she said. “Mrs. Mitchell used to run a knitting shop here, so I thought it was kind of nice to continue the handmade tradition here.
“It took us six years to open the store, and one of the reasons for that is that my husband is interested in theater and joins a local theater company that puts on Shakespeare and plays every summer.” continued Russo. “I left the shipper in New Jersey, so all the jewelry is handmade by me, and much of the pottery is also made by me. I acquired the pottery at estate sales and auctions, as well as hand-painted furniture, sun catchers, and mobiles. These are all my items.I also have leather products such as small wallets and keychains, as well as Nepali knits (made in Nepal). I also have some vintage Trolls from my childhood (hats, gloves, scarves), but they’re virtually sold out…and, of course, sports gear.”
Last Firefly will likely operate seasonally, but “since we opened on Aug. 30, it’s been gaining momentum,” Russo said.
“I had errands to run every day,” she said. “I primarily run a gift store…In Scotch Plains, the majority of my business was September through December and holiday gifts. Unfortunately, there is no heating in the building, so we will probably be closed for the winter. “It’s going to reopen on Memorial Day, but if the weather is nice, we might open as a pop-up,” he said.
That reaction is shared by local residents and tourists, Russo said.
“We’ve had some tourists stop by just off the main street, but I’d like to thank people both inside and outside the village, as we’ve had a very welcoming and positive response from everyone,” she said. . “I have children of seniors, men, women, locals and tourists. It was wonderful and exactly what I wanted. A lot of people said, ‘This place is really magical and I love it here. I love coming to the show, it’s so fun to see, it’s so diverse,’ and that made me feel really good.”
Regular business hours during the season are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Russo said the store will be open by appointment only, with the possibility of pop-ups.
Russo said she is considering having the store participate in the Village’s Stroll the Streets event in December, and plans to hold a jewelry-making event at some point.
For more information, search “The Last Firefly, LLC” on Facebook or call or text Russo at 908-419-4993.
