Adrienne Guerke next to Norah’s photo and memorial angel wings
Fields of Gold turns grief into goodness
By Michele Gillis Photos courtesy of Fields of Gold
Sometimes, soul-crushing things happen in our lives that just don’t make any sense. But beautiful things can take shape when you pull yourself out of the ashes and rise again. That is exactly what happened to Adrienne Guerke. Guerke opened Fields of Gold, a unique holistic shop located at 2944 National Pike in Chalk Hill Plaza, on May 13, 2023.
“There is so much out there that people don’t think of or know that is useful,” said Guerke. “How can you even think when you are in that time of need? I felt like there had to be more. I had to survive this. I had two other children. I had no qualms that this was the end for me, too. But, I knew there had to be more.” Through a wellness retreat, Guerke started finding hope and relief through natural healing modalities such as yoga, meditation and essential oils and knew she wanted to share what she discovered.
The vision for Fields of Gold began in 2018 after the sudden and unexpected death of her third and youngest daughter, Norah Claire Guerke, of SIDS, at just 111 days old.
“I knew I had to share this with other people,” said Guerke. “I have to let people know there is hope. When you are that deep in grief, I would pray to God that I would just be able to breathe because some days I couldn’t even catch my breath. The chest pain that comes with the anxiety and grief is so overwhelming that I needed a break from the pain. Those were the things that could get that deep feeling out of my body, even if it was for ten minutes.”
Fields of Gold is located at 2944 National Pike
Eventually, she realized that the lessons she was learning were all tied back to nature and to things that we are all inherently given. She also realized that if they could help her, they could help others, so the idea for her store was born. People who lived on the mountain were using what the Earth gave them as they sourced their land, but it wasn’t being offered to others who visited the mountains. “This would be the perfect place to offer a shop that provided healing modalities,” said Guerke. Her planning started with journal writing. It began as a business plan that took about two years to come to fruition. “This is a lovely store that focuses on items for healing,” said Bob Merlin, a customer of Fields of Gold. “It also has books, plants, clothing and jewelry. It is a great little place. Take a ride up the beautiful mountain above Uniontown. Lots to see and do, now including this great little store. They have lots of great stuff, and the store was started based on a compelling vision.” Guerke grew up in Hopwood but left when she went to college and never saw herself living in or near mountains as an adult. Guerke and her family were living in Pittsburgh when her daughter died and had started camping in the mountains because nature was healing for them. “We loved camping, and it helped us escape the city,” said Guerke. “So, after her death, we needed the most peace we could ever feel in some capacity.”
10 • Southwestern PA Business Journal • September 29, 2023
