Welcome back all you sunny faces! We have once again found ourselves at the first Sunday of the month, and we are now halfway through 2026 (eek!). Summer is sneaking up on us, but who needs air conditioning when you have Stomping Grounds? We’re pretty cool…
I’ll wait for the laughter to die down.
Right, let’s get into this month’s goodness!
Note: if your device doesn’t let you see the photos, please click “Read Online” in the upper right hand corner of the email!
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A SUNNY DAY OUT
Here in Geneva we are lucky to be on the best Finger Lake, Seneca Lake, with gorgeous sunny waterfront parks primed for relaxation. Whether you’re in Geneva or not, we’ve got the recipe for a perfect day off in the sun:
Refreshing Mocktail
Step 1: Pick your syrup
Passion Fruit-Citrus
Lavender
Hibiscus-Cardamom
Step 2: Mix up your drink!
Passion Fruit Mule
INGREDIENTS
2 oz of Passion Fruit Citrus Syrup
.5 oz of fresh lime juice
One bottle of ginger beer
Fresh mint leaves and lime slices
DIRECTIONS
Fill a mule glass with ice, then add Passion Fruit Citrus Syrup and fresh lime juice.
Top with Ginger Beer, then stir.
Garnish with fresh mint and lime slices.
Blueberry Lavender Lemonade
INGREDIENTS
1 oz Portland Syrups Lavender Syrup
1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 oz muddled blueberries
6 oz sparkling water
Ice
DIRECTIONS
In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine syrup, lemon juice and muddled blueberries, then shake.
Add sparkling water to shaker, then immediately strain into glass.
Garnish with dried lavender sprigs or a lemon wheel.
Grapefruit Hibiscus Fizz
INGREDIENTS
1 oz of Hibiscus-Cardamom syrup
1/2 cup of ruby red grapefruit juice (unsweetened)
Chilled sparkling water
A ruby red grapefruit, sliced into cross sections
DIRECTIONS
In a tall glass with ice, add Hibiscus-Cardamom syrup, the ruby red grapefruit juice and a few ounces of sparkling water.
Stir to combine, then add a grapefruit cross section for an extra pop of color.
[All recipes from the Portland Syrups website.]
You can pop your delicious bevvy in one of our cute tumblers for easy transport:
Beach Reads*
*Beach not included, but these also work great in the hammock or on a picnic.
Romance:
Local author!!
Non-Fiction:
Classic:
Mindful:
Mystery:
Vintage Find:
Find tons more vintage beach reads in-store!
Summery Scents
Mediterranean Lemon
Nāpali Passion Fruit
Santal Vanille
Notebooks + Journals
HI BARBIE!
A high-quality traveller’s notebook to document every single beach you go to
Stunning AND clasps magnetically so no sand gets inside ;)
Toss all the ingredients into your new favourite tote, and we’ll meet you on the pebbled shores of Seneca Lake!
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NEW ARRIVALS
Father’s Day Feature
PSA: We have stuff for dads too! A huge shout out to all the fathers, grandfathers, and father-figures who keep our lives sweet as pie.
(A bit of a stereotype, yes, but a great book)
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FEATURED FRAMING
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COMMUNITY UPDATES
We are so thrilled to announce that our beloved team member, Bella, is engaged!!!
Isabella and Patrick met in 2022 while studying at Clarkson University. After graduating, they moved to Rhode Island while Patrick attended grad school, and adopted a kitten, Stroopwaffel. They now reside in the Finger Lakes area, where Bella is working towards their MA.
Patrick proposed on May 4th on a camping trip in the Adirondack Park. Bella grew up in the Park, and always loved the forest. Knowing this, Patrick arranged a trip to a cabin for both them and their friends, who can be credited for photos.
Bella is looking forward to combining their tool collections. Patrick is excited to claim joint custody of Bella's cat, Cannoli. Together, they hope to build a environmentally-conscious commune for their friends and family.
The STUNNING ring!!!!
Congrats Bella! Wishing you and Patrick all the best.
An extra note: this newsletter is being sent out as I, mysterious newsletter author Barrow, am on a flight back to the US from the Netherlands, where I have been studying since January! I cannot wait to be back at Stomping Grounds and see all your beautiful faces in person. Thank you all for keeping me company from afar, and please enjoy a few bonus pics of my time in Maastricht:
The beautiful river (and the oldest standing bridge in the Netherlands)
Fun in the sun
Crash landing onto the ancient city walls
So many cobblestones…my bike was not a fan
A trip to the Van Gogh Museum! Not pictured: me sobbing
Me with my lovely friends
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BOOK CLUB
24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week by Tiffany Shlain (2019)
Because I sometimes wish Stomping Grounds was less dependant on social media, I was intrigued by Tiffany Shlain's book, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week. Social media is useful for many things, but scrolling can sometimes feel detrimental to our overall well-being. This very newsletter was launched, in part, to communicate with Stomping Grounds customers who want to keep in touch with the store but aren't willing to engage with Meta's algorithms. Maybe those customers want to take their digital resistance a step further by completely turning off screens for a full day every week.
In 24/6, Shlain says that weekly unplugging lowers stress, increases creativity, and deepens relationships. She argues that traditions like Shabbat or the Sunday Sabbath are culturally and psychologically important, and that shutting off screens for one day a week is a modern way to incorporate sacred days of rest into our lives. The book suggests methods for implementing this change, even for kids, and motivates commitment by showing how time spent on screens can be redirected toward greater happiness and fulfilment. The book inspired me to think about how I spent time before endless scrolling was invented, and to consider what habits and hobbies I could rediscover if I enforced better boundaries around screen time.
Shlain recently spoke at the Women's Rights Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls as part of Women's Right to Run weekend. During her visit she signed several copies of 24/6 for us. They are available at Stomping Grounds for a limited time.
Stay cool out there, and see you next month!
