Little Button Craft & Press
658 South Ave. | 585.371.7891
hours: Tuesday – Saturday: noon -7 | Sunday: noon – 4
Button Craft & Print is getting fuller by the week and that’s part of Shelby Przbylek’s plan to make it a success – not just for herself, but also for the 70 craft vendors who make shopping and learning there unique. Her motto: “Craft Lives Here.”
Most months a featured artist/ vendor dresses the window. Those slots are filled for the next year. For November it is EvenOdd, two women who make upcycled bags and utility packs from old inner tubes. Ashley Cellulara and Eliza Sullivan have crafted a full set of sizes and shapes. December is Holiday Month, spotlighting everyone with pop-ups, classes, and events.
Years ago, Shelby had a dream that she would like to buy a craft store when she retired. She got into crafts out of boredom, when a nasty bout of Crohn’s disease landed her in the hospital for a week. She watched all kinds of YouTube videos and taught herself to knit and crochet. Her health setback and two college degrees were followed by lots of college debt, but she still dreamed of retiring to her own shop. To her great surprise, owning her own shop just happened and much earlier in life than she imagined.
Shelby, who has a bachelor’s degree in child development research from SUNY Geneseo and a second degree in nursing from University of Rochester, already had a job. She started working in the ICU at Highland Hospital where she met Madelyn Posey, who with her wife Jennifer Posey, created the shop about 18 months ago.
Shelby had started teaching Knitting and Crochet at Little Button and got to know many customers that came in and out of the shop. By the time Maddy asked her about taking over, she could hardly contain her excitement. “I loved what Little Button did for the neighborhood and I was full of ideas on how to bring it to the next level.”
She said the transition was a whirlwind of paperwork, meeting people, and planning. Her goal for the shop is to be as close to 100% locally-sourced products and classes by 2018. To her, local means within a 100-mile range of the city of Rochester. She is very confident that between the many gifted local artists and her efforts they will reach this goal.
She still enjoys working as a nurse at Highland Hospital and manages her Crohn’s with a meat and dairy free diet, medication, yoga and staying as calm as she can; that is avoiding being on pins and needles (ha-ha). Favorite food places include John’s Tex Mex, Harry G’s and local coconut ice cream.
Shelby, who has lived near Marie Daley Park for almost four years, is the proud dog owner of Max, a six-year-old German Shepherd and Lucy, a one-year-old rescue dog that is some kind of pit mix. One or the other regularly come to the shop with her.
As for her last name, once you say it a few times, it gets easier and yes, she is 100% Polish. Shelby grew up in Gates, went to Gates H.S. and for nine years, oversaw all kinds of arts and crafts as a camp counselor. Her parents live in Greece and her older brother lives in Seattle.