POTSDAM -- Maple Run Emporium, 49 Market St., will celebrate its five-year anniversary April 1.

The shop opened in 2011 with a two-hour tasting attended by more than 100 people and a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce.

To mark its fifth year in business, Maple Run Emporium will host five Sampling Saturdays. Every Saturday in April from noon until 2 p.m., visitors to the shop will have the opportunity to sample a maple treat.

Maple Run Emporium has evolved over the past five years from a shop specializing in maple to a kitchen store and gift shop as well. The inventory has expanded to include cookware, knives, home-keeping products, books, bake-ware, textiles, gourmet foods, scents, and craft brews. The array of local pottery, paintings, woodturnings, and baskets ultimately developed into an Artisan Gallery.

The shop also built a line of Maple Run Emporium brand products, which includes over a dozen maple-scented items for the kitchen and bath, five maple teas, a maple coffee, three maple seasonings, five flavors of pancake mix, a garlic press, and five colors of silicone spatulas.

In 2015, Maple Run Emporium received a license from the New York State Liquor Authority in order to carry locally brewed Maple Porter. The shop has since added Pumpkin Ale in season, and four flavors of Kaneb Orchards Hard Cider.

Maple Run Emporium has participated in many Potsdam annual events over the years and some of the most memorable moments in the shop’s history happened on those occasions. During the 2011 Summer Festival, wood-turner Jan Close was Maple Run Emporium’s first guest artist. He displayed a collection of maple bowls, as well as works in cherry, black walnut, and other woods. It was a turning point, as the shop had initially carried maple exclusively, but since that day the shop has featured a variety of woods.

Another unforgettable occasion was on Fright Night 2014, when the Thomas family of Windy Hill Maple in Colton set up a “Wax on Snow” tasting on Market Street in front of the shop. It was a dark, rainy, cold night, but the sugar-makers were boiling syrup and drizzling it on shaved ice “snow” to make candy for the Trick or Treaters. None of the children knew what this process was, so the event became an educational showcase for an old tradition and is a landmark in the shop’s history.

Maple Run Emporium founder and owner Mary Hilton said that one of the best things about having a small specialty shop is developing a rapport with the clientele. “I know many of my customers by first name,” she said. “I’ve watched families grow from the first baby bump to a little preschooler walking and talking. I’ve gotten to know college students and their parents and can congratulate them when they graduate.”

Hilton says one of the most customer-connecting experiences she had was when she launched the Maple Run Emporium Garlic Press on Amazon.com. She arranged a special price and reached out to her email list of customers, asking them to try the product and then review it. “It felt like a tightknit little family participating in this project together. People were happy to be asked and I was delighted when they accepted,” said Hilton.

Maple Run Emporium has also been developing an online presence through its e-commerce website, www.MapleRunEmporiums.com, as well as on Pinterest, Twitter, You-Tube, and Facebook.

Future plans are to build on the activities the shop has developed over the past five years including introducing new products, expanding the Maple Run Emporium brand line, increasing the brand’s online presence, and participating in local events.

“Five years is a major milestone in small business. The time has passed so quickly. I am really grateful to this community for being so supportive,” said Hilton. “I invite everyone to come in for our Sampling Saturdays and Anniversary Celebration in April.”