The Home and Garden Emporium

A determined young wife. A derelict hardware store. A war in Europe that pulls men away-and pushes one woman to build something entirely her own.Tucson, 1917. When newlywed Irish immigrant Ellie Smithfield steps off the train in the desert city, she expects a life of stability. Instead, her husband Edward takes off for the battlefield in Belgium, leaving Ellie stranded with a string of overdue bills and his late uncle's hardware store sealed in dust since 1914. Desperate not to return to the New York City tenement and the dead-end life she hoped to escape by marrying well, she takes a risk to change everything. Despite little cash and the disapproval of the men of the town, Ellie dreams of refashioning the store into a place where women can find the perfect cake pan or a rake for making a Victory Garden. Having experienced Irish discrimination in New York, Ellie stands up for a Chinese friend and a German customer. When Spanish Flu arrives in town, It is Ellie who finds a seamstress to make better masks, arranges a soup brigade, and arranges a service when a beloved customer dies. You'll love eclectic cast of neighbor women and customers who help and hinder her as she builds The Home and Garden Emporium.When the handsome bachelor next door threatens to become more than a friend, Ellie stands by her wedding vows until a shocking telegram eclipses the life she expected and opens the door to a second chance at love.The Home and Garden Emporium celebrates found community, female enterprise, and the alchemy that turns hardship into opportunity.