Anne Lang's Emporium

ANNE LANG grew up in Exeter, and while in high school, fell madly in love with Dick Lang, a builder from Three Rivers. She married him the day after she graduated, and began a 42-year adventure with him. In 1979, in the smallest of the Newman building spaces on Sierra Drive, Anne opened up a bakery called "The Staff of Life", where she taught women to bake bread. She also carried 200 herbs, spices and teas. While shopping for display baskets at a gift show, Dick liked the greeting card idea, and that's how the store became a gift shop.

ANNE'S SUCCESS is partly due to her genuine desire to help. "When people ask for something, I try to find it for them," says Anne. "One day, a bride-to-be came in and asked if I could make a bouquet. I thought, 'I can make a bouquet', and that's how the store became an FTD flower shop. Then one cold day, a man came in wishing for a hot bowl of soup and I thought, 'I know how to make soup.' Next, a man came in hungry for a sandwich and I thought, 'I know how to make sandwiches.' And that's how the store became a deli."

THE STORE grew and Anne moved into both of the other spaces in her building, needing a bigger space each time. In 1984, it moved to its final destination – the house on the corner of North Fork and Sierra Drives. With Dick's remodeling talents and Anne's marketing skills, "Anne Lang's Emporium" has become just that – a place to find all your needs, a space of familiarity and a hub for our little community.