Meet Liz Jacobson, Owner of Treasures & Tales in Croton-on-Hudson

There are treasures to be sold and tales to be told at Croton’s eccentric gift shop/boutique.  The treasures? Everything from funky frocks to delightful décor. The tales? Let’s start with the most fascinating one of all. Liz Jacobson, owner of the local boutique, says she thinks the store is haunted.

 “We've had many people report seeing ghosts (including me), hearing footsteps, smelling cigarette smoke (when there was no one smoking in the vicinity),” she said. “We've had the door open and close many times on its own—several of us have heard it. One person was pushed toward the store from outside. Clearly the ghosts have got my back,” she joked.

Indeed, Treasures & Tales, located in a two-story Victorian home on Grand Street, has a personality that is as colorful the attention-grabbing decorations Jacobson places on the lawn and the bright pink carpet that awaits customers inside.

“This lovely old house I'm in has attracted me and held me spellbound for years,” Jacobson, who opened he business two years ago, said. “What secrets lay beyond its white picket borders? What magic was behind that old oak door? It called me, as it did many people. I was the one who answered.”

Before answering the call of the old house, Jacobson was an actress/”beach mom” from California (She has also lived in Sweden with her husband of 23 years). She fell in love with Croton when she moved here with her family, but she also became concerned for the town’s future.

“The economy had hit the skids, stores were closing left and right, and it felt like Croton was becoming a ghost town. It wasn't, but it felt like it,” she said. “This store was my way of saying there's hope. All we needed were new ideas and new energy to reinvigorate our lovely little town. Sometimes folks just need a little inspiration, and I hope I do that. I just spoke with a woman yesterday, who told me I inspired her to open a jewelry shop in Chappaqua. That was so great to hear!”

It isn’t hard to figure out why Jacobson might inspire other business owners with Treasures & Tales. Jacobson takes a creative approach to business-owning that makes it all seem fun. For example, when she had the grand opening of the shop’s toy annex this spring, Jacobson held a kid-tastic event complete with cupcakes and face-painting.

When Jacobson isn’t serving or inspiring the community, she is entertaining it. She plays in the local band Cool Shoes. “I'll admit we're not half bad, and are a great group for getting people up and dancing,” she told us. Then, there’s the occasional fun of traveling with her husband and the constant adventures of being a mother of two teenage daughters. “For some reason I don't have a single gray hair and I have no idea why,” she joked.

Liz Jacobson is behind the business at , located at 139 Grand St., Croton-on-Hudson.