On a quiet corner in downtown Eagle, where sidewalks invite you to slow your pace and linger a little longer, The Cottage on Second blends easily into the rhythm of the neighborhood. Inside, the atmosphere shifts again—quieter, more intentional.
At the back of the shop, past carefully arranged home goods and gifts, is the Haberdashery. It’s here that owner Jennifer Zebio is shaping something less obvious than a retail space and closer to a gathering place, built around the simple act of stitching.
Before opening The Cottage on Second, Jennifer spent more than two decades working as a private banker. Her days were structured, fast-paced, and outwardly successful. But after retiring and moving through a season of raising her daughters and caring for a grandparent, she began to look for something different—something that felt more personal.
The turning point came during an Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C. with her grandfather. A visit to a small gift shop there stayed with her, not for what it sold, but for how it felt. The idea of creating something similar—something rooted in experience rather than transaction—began to take shape.
In 2023, she purchased The Cottage on Second, continuing a long-standing Eagle business while gradually redefining what it could be.
“I’m a very traditional person,” Jennifer says. “So much has gone online. I’ve always been drawn to things that are in-person, that bring people together.”
That instinct led her back to home arts. After trying quilting, she found embroidery and needlepoint offered something she hadn’t expected. The work required focus, but it also created space for stillness.
“I found a sense of calm in it,” she says. “And I wanted to share that with other people.”
The Haberdashery grew from that idea. Here, the word takes on a different meaning—not a definition, but a feeling. A place where materials are only the starting point, and the experience is what draws people in.
In Eagle, where community life still centers around walkable streets and familiar faces, that kind of space resonates. Interest in needlepoint and embroidery has quietly returned in recent years, as more people look for ways to step away from screens and into something tactile.
At The Cottage, that shift is visible not just in what’s offered, but in how people gather.
Classes in the Home Arts Studio have become central to the experience. Beginners sit alongside longtime stitchers. Conversations move easily—from patterns and techniques to books, travel, and the details of everyday life.
Open stitching sessions extend that rhythm, inviting anyone to join. What begins as a project often becomes something more—a shared table, a conversation, a sense of belonging.
“Haberdashery isn’t just about stitching,” Jennifer says. “It’s about creating community.”
In Eagle, that idea feels less like a concept and more like a continuation of something already here—one stitch, one conversation, and one connection at a time.
What begins as a simple stitch often becomes something more—a shared table, a conversation, and a sense of belonging that keeps people coming back again.