The riddle begins like this: What do you call a business that’s part yarn shop, part art gallery, part collectibles and antiques, part floral shop, part children’s clothing nook and part design emporium?

If you’ve stepped inside Cobblestone Moon near downtown Kalispell, you know the answer.

Penelopé Bennett and Tammy Thompson started their unusual gift shop — they call it an upscale and eclectic galleria — last August after deciding to join creative forces. They became friends while doing a CrossFit exercise program, but had known each other for years through various artistic venues they’d been involved with.

Each of them brings specific strengths to the business.

Bennett, who’s been sewing since she was 11, makes one-of-a-kind children’s clothing such as “pillowcase fairies,” little girls’ dresses fashioned from pillowcase material with durable but wispy wings that can be attached at the child’s wrists for full “fairy” effect.

She often “upcycles” fabric from old garments to create extraordinary children’s garments.

Other seamstresses have one-of-a-kind pieces in Cobblestone Moon’s children’s nook, too, including hand-smocked dresses by Darcy Hearn.

The shop, located in a retrofitted older home across from Flathead Industries (the former Sportsman & Ski Haus) at 183 First Ave. E.N., is also the home base for Bennett’s floral business, The Paisley Florist. She designs bouquets for weddings and other special events in the basement of the store.

Bennett additionally dabbles in upcycling furniture and comes up with whimsical pieces such as her “cork” chair, which has a special pouch under the seat for storing wine corks.

“We want the shop to be an inspirational hub where people will always find something distinctive,” Bennett said.

Thompson, who operates a business called Woolen Collectibles, has set up a small yarn shop at Cobblestone Moon where she gives knitting lessons. She stocks natural-fiber and organic yarns, including wool, silk and cashmere.

Thompson also is a pattern designer for knitted garments and has had patterns published in magazines such as Knits, Knitters and Love of Knitting. She creates designs for yarn companies such as Zealana and makes show pieces.

“I write the patterns, and they use [the knitted items] at shows,” she said.

Her patterns also are sold on the Ravelry website (www.ravelry.com), a knit and crochet online community.

Thompson and Bennett utilize every inch of their store for display space, including a spacious bathroom that’s jazzed up with a variety of collectibles.

“We love merchandising this way,” Bennett said.

The front room of the shop eventually will be transformed to more of an art gallery and already has some interesting displays, such as a collection of color “magic lantern” slide prints made by Erin Burke-Webster of Whitefish. She uses 113-year-old glass plates originally viewed with a projector called a magic lantern to create her prints.

“We want to be a venue for new artists and give them a chance to display,” Bennett said, explaining that aspiring artists often don’t have the financial resources to open their own galleries.

Thompson’s daughter, Katy Thompson-Graves, has a display of her artwork there, featuring bright-colored paintings that often contain an eye motif.

Another display includes handmade lamps by architect Ben Wright of bWright Lights.

Various vendors have brought in a variety of collectibles.

The creative juices of Thompson and Bennett flow through the shop daily.

“We bounce ideas back and forth,” Thompson said.

Bennett said they embrace a “why not?” attitude. More often than not they both agree: “Let’s do it.”

Customer feedback has been encouraging.

“We’ve had a lot of people discovering us,” Thompson said. “We have a little bit of everything.”

Bennett added, “People are really loving it. They’re very excited about the variety.”

An area outside of Cobblestone Moon will be used for various outdoor events and exhibits this summer, and a class schedule is taking shape.

Store hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. The store is closed on Monday.

Parking is available in a lot in back of the store. For more information, call 756-8746 or email cobblestonemoon@gmail.com. Shoppers also can follow Cobblestone Moon on Facebook.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.