A story from our community
The Places We Shop - Lillipies
I was excited to paint in Lillipies Bakery because, although I hadn’t been in the store before, I was familiar with their story. At the Arts Council of Princeton, I had the privilege of teaching Sofia Schreiber, who illustrated the book, “Pie For My Birthday” by Lillipies owner, Jen Carson. Sofia had done other illustration projects for Jen while she was in high school, so I had seen other vignettes of the bakery before.
Since Lillipies is a bakery and bakeries tend to open early, I couldn’t fit my painting time into a Wednesday afternoon, as I did for most of the other stores. I had to show up early, which was around 8 am. As it was so early, and I hadn’t yet had coffee, I forgot the canvas that I was supposed to paint on. Sheepishly, I excused myself to run home and get arguably the most important part of the project. But not before buying a blueberry muffin and a coffee. Holy moly, was that delicious! I also bought bread, which, when I had it later with dinner, was incredible.
Walking back into the store some 20 minutes later, I couldn’t believe how packed it was. People couldn’t entirely fit into the store. It didn’t feel tight because the big glass windows make everything feel more spacious. But it was amazing how many people, and friends, were there on a random Tuesday in March. Well, it was St. Patrick’s Day, but still. (I did welcome the Irish songs over the bakery’s speakers.)
I loved watching little kiddos come up to one of the staff members and chatting like they were old friends. It turns out that Jeff from Lillipies is also the same fellow who does “Storytime with Jeff” in the local area - and a huge hit with the littles. He was high-fiving the enthusiastic young customers and making everyone smile.
When I paint, it forces me to observe. One of the signs that made me laugh so hard was a simple message, “They Are All Sourdough,” positioned high above the racks of bread. I imagine that question might be asked every few minutes, and if this sign can stave off just a few inquiries, it might save the sanity of those working there.
After I created the entire scene, I was ready to paint the final details, including the bread. But to my astonishment, almost all of the bread was already sold. I had to rely on a photo to get those details into the painting.
A few months later, I got to sit down and enjoy a scone with Sofia, who had just graduated from college and was looking to start her creative life. I couldn’t help but reflect that Jen Carson had not only created this beautiful bakery and written a terrific book, but she had nurtured Sofia with her illustrations and Jeff with his musical ventures. I’m sure there are countless more creative people she has made space for and encouraged. Small business owners do more for our communities than we can measure in dollars.
(Written from the heart, without the use of AI.)
Since Lillipies is a bakery and bakeries tend to open early, I couldn’t fit my painting time into a Wednesday afternoon, as I did for most of the other stores. I had to show up early, which was around 8 am. As it was so early, and I hadn’t yet had coffee, I forgot the canvas that I was supposed to paint on. Sheepishly, I excused myself to run home and get arguably the most important part of the project. But not before buying a blueberry muffin and a coffee. Holy moly, was that delicious! I also bought bread, which, when I had it later with dinner, was incredible.
Walking back into the store some 20 minutes later, I couldn’t believe how packed it was. People couldn’t entirely fit into the store. It didn’t feel tight because the big glass windows make everything feel more spacious. But it was amazing how many people, and friends, were there on a random Tuesday in March. Well, it was St. Patrick’s Day, but still. (I did welcome the Irish songs over the bakery’s speakers.)
I loved watching little kiddos come up to one of the staff members and chatting like they were old friends. It turns out that Jeff from Lillipies is also the same fellow who does “Storytime with Jeff” in the local area - and a huge hit with the littles. He was high-fiving the enthusiastic young customers and making everyone smile.
When I paint, it forces me to observe. One of the signs that made me laugh so hard was a simple message, “They Are All Sourdough,” positioned high above the racks of bread. I imagine that question might be asked every few minutes, and if this sign can stave off just a few inquiries, it might save the sanity of those working there.
After I created the entire scene, I was ready to paint the final details, including the bread. But to my astonishment, almost all of the bread was already sold. I had to rely on a photo to get those details into the painting.
A few months later, I got to sit down and enjoy a scone with Sofia, who had just graduated from college and was looking to start her creative life. I couldn’t help but reflect that Jen Carson had not only created this beautiful bakery and written a terrific book, but she had nurtured Sofia with her illustrations and Jeff with his musical ventures. I’m sure there are countless more creative people she has made space for and encouraged. Small business owners do more for our communities than we can measure in dollars.
(Written from the heart, without the use of AI.)
About the Contributor
Barbara DiLorenzo is thrilled to be the 2026 Princeton Public Library (PPL) Maker-In-Residence. Building on a painting series she began in Ipswich, MA, over two decades ago, she returned to the idea of focusing on the organic retail landscape of our independent retailers in a small town. The PPL reached out to several Princeton loop businesses for this project. In return for letting her paint on-site for a few hours, each shop will get to keep their painting.