The Hare.

Back in March, as we prepared for Easter, I thought it would be fun to focus on the hare and its significance to us.

One of the most-asked questions we hear is: “What inspired your shop’s name?” The “Hart” portion of the name is more obvious – it’s our last name! And it comes from the old English word for "deer" or "stag" (more on that soon).

But the "Hare" part ~ and why we chose it ~ may not be so self-explanatory. First of all, the two words are only one letter apart. (And they make for a nice symmetry in the logo, do they not?)

Of course, that's not the only reason we chose it. The jauntiness of hares has always enchanted me: they are long and lean in body, leg, and face and are rather untamed in attitude, complete with sharp elbows and long, ridiculous ears.

The inception of The Hare & The Hart coincided with a trip to England back in 2016. Because of that trip (and others since), we are incredibly inspired by the small shops in the villages of the Cotswolds ~ and elsewhere ~ for the look, feel, and artisan product offerings in our shop.

The name of our newborn business would evoke the British pub and include both animals: the hare and the hart (deer)!

(Oh! If visions of Mr. McGregor from Peter Rabbit frequent your nightmares, you will not want to look up the meaning of “jugged hare” ~ and don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

Every March, I am reminded of the uniqueness of hares (of which there are 30 species!) They are related to rabbits, but are different from rabbits in many ways, one of which is that they do not burrow underground.

Hares are a staple of British folklore, and every March in the US there is a nod to them during the college basketball playoffs.

The phrase “mad as a March hare” comes from a long-held view that hares behaves strangely and excitedly throughout their breeding season, which in Europe peaks in the month of March. Their odd behavior includes boxing at other hares and jumping vertically for seemingly no reason.

Although the phrase in general has been in continuous use since the 16th century, it was popularized in more recent times by Lewis Carroll in his 1865 children’s book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” in which the March Hare is a character.

Of course, at The Hare & The Hart, the hare is not tied to just one season. You will always find them here year-round!