O&A: Westmoreland Hospital shop celebrates 70 years in business

The Hospitality Shop in Excela Westmoreland Hospital has plenty of the staples that a visitor could buy for a patient, like snacks, cards, magazines, books, inspirational items, personal care products and flower arrangements.

It also has shawls, scarves, jewelry, handbags, umbrellas, toys, stuffed animals and more. In fact, it looks like a boutique that could be at home in downtown Greensburg, or maybe even Shadyside.

The shop carries patriotic items to appeal to the many veterans it serves, along with seasonal and holiday items, presently including Halloween and Breast Cancer Awareness Month merchandise. If you’re feeling lucky, you can even buy lottery tickets.

On Oct. 11, members of the Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary — which manages the shop — hosted a party marking 70 years in business. Shop records show that, on the request of Mrs. Marquis M. Smith and Mrs. John Coulter, the hospital board chartered the shop in 1949.

Anita Owen, a volunteer since the 1970s, when the shop operated in a hallway before moving into its present dedicated space, reminisced that silk flower arrangements were hot ticket items back then. Excela’s acting CEO John Sphon recalled milkshakes once hand-prepared at the snack bar.

It takes dedicated effort from about 80 active auxiliary members to keep everything running so well, agreed event co-chairs Joan Stairs and Sally Ann Novak.

“Our vendors tell us that having this kind of a boutique space is very unusual,” Novak said. “Our prices are right, too, so people coming in can find something they can afford.”

Seen celebrating the shop: Al Novak, Patti Buhl, Ron and Joann Eberhardt, Barbara Ferrier, Ellen Katter, Pat Truxell, Renee Frye, Billie Ketter, Kristin Ross, Stephanie Bayus, Kathy Fox and Delores McIntyre.