Bag Lady Tour III

Our tour concludes tonight with the last five stops, consisting of four shops and the Wellington Country Inn Bed & Breakfast. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with the owners of the Wellington Country Inn so I only have photos from the outside.  

I hope you enjoy these shops and please note again that the photos on this blogspot belong to me and are not to be used without permission.

Also please remember that all content of these photos belong to the owners of the shops specified and original artwork belongs to the artist that created it and they are copyrighted to those specific artists and protected under U.S. Copyright Laws. 

Dolls and Minis

Dolls and Minis is a quaint shop loaded fully with everything you can imagine, in miniature. I had a great deal of fun exploring all of the offerings, from miniature plants to furniture and even foodstuffs! All so tiny it fits perfectly into the little houses that are displayed there.

I was excited to find the miniature spinning wheels. After all, every house needs a spinning wheel! I peeked into the little windows of shops and pubs and homes, feeling quite like a Peeping Tom as I witnessed the little world in which these tiny people live and work.

 It is truly a wonderful experience that will remind you of what you felt like as a young girl. The wonderment of a miniature world. Also carried there is a vast selection of dolls. Owner Dawn Reese is a doll maker working in porcelain who opened the business 6 years ago at her home and moved into Wellington 2 years ago.  She has been making dolls since 1989. She carries house kits as well as all of the furnishings. If your little girl is ready for a dollhouse, this is the place to go. In fact, if you are ready for a dollhouse, this is the place to go. This is an amazing shop that I have no doubt you will enjoy!

Dolls and Minis is located at 106 W. Herrick St. in Wellington. 440-647-1519. Store hours are Tues. 1-5 p.m., Wed. thru Sat. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. or visit online at www.dollsandminis.com

Black River Antiques 

Black River Antiques is one of those shops that has such a variety of treasures, you can spend hours exploring it. Two floors house thousands of antiques, vintage items and collectables.

The bottom level is made up of individual vendors who keep booths there. You will find everything from artwork to glass bottles to baskets to clothing and hats to tools.

There is no telling what will turn up next as the inventory is constantly changing.  Owners, Tom and Betty Brown started the business 11 years ago and fill the store with memories of the past. Currently, they have a lovely wedding gown that had been displayed in one of Wellington’s own historic homes.

 If you are interested in vintage jewelry, they have a large selection of quality pieces on display. This is a wonderful place to find a special gift for someone who appreciates the history of a unique find. So, whether you are shopping for yourself or someone special, you are sure to find just the right thing here.

Daisy, shown with Tom and Betty, is the real boss around here!!

Black River Antiques is located at 105 E. Herrick Ave (St. Rt. 18) in Wellington. 440-647-9424 or visit them online at www.blackriverantiquesshop.com or email blackriverantiques@live.com

 Hours are Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sun. 12 noon – 5 p.m.

All Ohio Train and Toy Company 

 

Al Ohio Train and Toy Company is the store for big boys. Owner Mark Fundak opened the store in 1992 and carries model trains and other collectable toys. Here you will find Die Cast, Slot Cars, Train Sets and a nice selection of miniature accessories that go with them. I was fascinated with the Miniature Amusement Park set up in the store with a train that runs around it. It’s an amazing little display complete with moving ferris wheel and other rides and the sounds that go with them.

Unfortunately, I was so caught up in the display that I forgot to take any photos of the actual trains! Well, I guess you will just have to stop in and see it all for yourself. I also found a large selection of die cast tractors in every brand there is and including CAT.

I also found many lovely die cast cars and remote control cars as well. If you are looking to add a nice train set to your Christmas display or thinking about starting your boys into the hobby, this is the place to go.  This is an old fashioned toy store that carries a little bit for the girls as well, with Cabbage Patch dolls and doll houses. So stop in and take a step back into some wonderful memories. You won’t be sorry you did.

All Ohio Train and Toy Company is located at 109 E. Herrick Ave. (St. Rt. 18) in Wellington and opened by chance or appointment, mostly on weekends. You can probably catch the owner there on Saturdays from about noon until 5 p.m. Call ahead to be sure 440-458-2949 or 440-458-8990 or visit them online at www.allohiotrainandtoycompany.com or email allohiotrains@gmail.com

Wellington Country Inn

 

Wellington County Inn Bed & Breakfast is on the National Registry of Historic Places and was built around 1884. There are four guest rooms, one of which is a suite and all have queen sized beds and private bathrooms. Guests have full use of the Public Rooms including the Front Parlor, Lobby with sitting area, Dinning Room and Sun Room. The owners, who I was unable to connect with in time to post this, are warm and kind folks who I am sure you will like. They are located in the heart of Wellington so shopping is just a short walk from the Inn. They are also just 9 miles south of Oberlin College and 40 minutes from Cleveland.

Please note: the Wellington Country Inn will not be on the tour the first weekend but will be participating the second weekend.

Wellington Country Inn Bed & Breakfast is located at 218 E. Herrick Ave. in Wellington and online at www.wellingtoncountryinn.com or call 440-647-5646.

The Grainary

The Grainary is a stained glass and gift shop housed in the original granary building on my family’s farm.  We opened the shop in 1990 although Carol has been doing stained glass since 1984.

We offer a large selection of stained glass items including kaleidoscopes, sun catchers and window hangings, small windows, angels, faeries and butterfly ladies.

We also offer a large selection of handcrafted items including porcelain Old World Santas, candles and other unique items.

You will find hand woven rag rugs, placemats, toilet tank runners and mug rugs among table runners in a variety of sizes and textures.

We also offer a good selection of Wool and Alpaca fiber processed right here on the farm in our Cottage Mill for the hand spinner and felter. If you are looking for a unique spindle for spinning, we offer stained glass spindles that are well balanced and wonderful for spinning fine yarns.

Or if you are looking for a starter or hard working spindle, our handmade wooden ones painted in many different colors in both top and bottom whorl styles are sure to suit.

And don’t worry, if you are just starting, I have no problem helping you get the feel for your new spindle.  We also offer mini spindles that actually spin finer fibers and are easy to slip into your bag for on the go spinning. Here you will find a variety of items to decorate your home or offer as a gift.

So if you are looking for a unique place to shop, please stop in and see what we have to offer.

The Grainary is located at 18359 Rowell Rd. Wellington and is open by appointment or chance. Please call ahead to ensure we are there. 440-935-5685

If you are interested in having your fiber carded into roving or small batts, please call 440-653-1377.

Well, that concludes our little tour. I hope you have enjoyed this review and certainly hope you will stop by and visit some of the shops you have read about here. All of us small business owners appreciate your support.

It’s time for me to get back to my looms now. I hear them calling!!!

Thank you for stopping by and we hope to see you on the Bag Lady Tour.

~Vickie

Bag Lady Tour II

Here is the second of three installments regarding the Bag Lady Tour. I hope you enjoy these shops and please note again that the photos on this blogspot belong to me and are not to be used without permission.

Also please remember that all content of these photos belong to the owners of the shops specified and original artwork belongs to the artist that created it and they are copyrighted to those specific artists and protected under U.S. Copyright Laws. 

Spencer Feed & Supply

 

Spencer Feed and Supply may come as a surprise to some of you who think it is nothing more than a feed store. Although this is a serious feed and building supply center, owner, Julia Carle makes sure there is a lot of fun items for just about everyone. If you want to shop for your pets, Spencer Feed offers a large selection of dog and cat collars and leashes in a rainbow of colors as well as toys and treats.

For you ladies, there are a lot of cute shoes, boots and handbags to choose from and the bird enthusiast will find a great selection of bird houses and feeders.

This store is huge so take your time to explore all it has to offer. This is also a great place to pick up some spring plantings as well as garden furniture and ornaments. So don’t go thinking it is just a store for men, there are lots of items here for the girls too!

On Sun 4/21 there will be a Cutest Pet Contest. This will be a sight to see, when customers bring in their dogs, cats, rabbits and even a skunk has been known to show up here! Julia says there is no telling what sort of pet may show up for this customer appreciation event!

Visit Spencer Feed and Supply M-F 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sat. from 8-5 at 227 N. Main St., Spencer. 330-648-2111 or visit them on the web at www.spencerfeed.com

Spencer Restaurant

Spencer Restaurant is a quaint little establishment with a lovely country décor and home style menu. It has been under current ownership for 7 years. I was there in the early afternoon, past the lunch crowd and prior to the dinner crowd, allowing me to shoot photos without interrupting the routine of the staff.

 There were diners enjoying a delicious looking fish meal and I am told the fish is worth coming in for. The owner, John, is also the cook. You can tell from just one meeting that he takes great pride in his restaurant and it certainly shows in the clean and tidy dining room. This is definitely a place to sit and enjoy a good meal with good friends in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere.  And of course you won’t want to miss the homemade desserts that are made right there in the kitchen daily. You can see what my choice is!

For the Bag Lady Tour, Spencer Restaurant is planning a special luncheon menu so be sure to take your lunch break here. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. Oh, and did I mention the homemade desserts?

Enjoy Spencer Restaurant Tues. Wed. Thurs. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

Located at 107 E. Main St, Spencer 330-648-9669

Olde Carriage House

Felted Figure (my favorite sheep)

The Olde Carriage House is found in a unique outbuilding on a Victorian Estate that has been in the owner’s family for two generations.

Felted Scene

The original carriage house is temporarily being occupied for other uses, so the shop is set up in the original summer kitchen. This unusual building still has remnants of the original chimney that would have been used with the wood burning cook stove.

Miniature Water Color

Here, Artist Margaret Herrmann Dreher transforms this building into a lovely shop featuring her miniature water colors that are so detailed and beautiful you would think you were looking at a large painting.

Miniature Water Color

I was in awe of the tiny works but thrilled by what she does with fiber!

Since this is a fiber oriented blog, I couldn’t resist shooting many frames of her intricate felted scenes and figures.

Felted Figure

 I am hoping in the near future, Margaret will honor us with more of her time and creations. Until then, enjoy the photos and be inspired, as I was.

Felted Scene

The Olde Carriage House at 9238 Spencer Rd., Homerville, is open during the Bag Lady Tour only but the artist can be reached at 330-625-3625 or email her at herrmann1949@aol.com if you see something you like.

Honey Bee Treasure

Honey Bee Treasure is housed in a beautiful red barn and offers everything you could possibly want from nature’s purest food. Owners Valerie and Wayne Weiss maintain 23 colonies and Valerie makes a variety of goods from the honey that they harvest.

There, I found soaps, candles, hand creams, chocolates, beeswax lip balms, gourmet jelly beans in the shapes of little hearts and of course honey. Lots of honey, in a selection of different types, in all sizes of containers you could think of and even creamed honey!  

You will also find tea spoons, honey pots, honey drippers and probably many things that I overlooked. When I was there, I interrupted Valerie in the middle of batching jellies for the Bag Lady Tour. She also offers gift baskets and for the tour, Honey Bee Treasure will be offering an in store drawing for a lovely gift basket.

Honey Bee Treasure is located at 6080 N.L. Sections Line Rd 21, New London 419-929-1110 and is open Mon. and Wed. 10 a.m. -5 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. 3 p.m. -6 p.m. and Sat. 9 a.m. -12 p.m. or by appointment. Visit them online at honeybeetreasure.com

Hook’s Greenhouse

Hook’s Greenhouse is a family owned business in operation since 2001 that offers a large selection of plants for your vegetable or flower gardens. Owners Charlie and Elizabeth Hook are on the go year round, working hard to offer lovely, healthy plants to us in just about any variety you would need or want.

Plants in the Grow House not yet ready for sale



In the past, I have found lovely plants that I have never been able to find locally before. It is here that I purchased my wonderful Eucalyptus plants last year that I so adored and featured on this blog last summer. They offer fruit crops, vegetable and floral flats, and hanging baskets as well as some houseplants.

I can attest that the strawberry runners I bought from them last year produced very sweet, juicy berries in a nice medium size. Just perfect for eating fresh from the vine or if they would have made it to the kitchen, would have been equally as perfect for strawberry short cake. That is, IF they would have made it to the kitchen! For the Bag Lady Tour, they will be offering a special on Mini Roses and Pansy Baskets. Early vegetables will also be ready including onion sets, seed onions and seed pots.

Hook’s Greenhouse is located at 50740 St. Rt. 18 in Brighton. 440-647-5480 and opened for the month of April Mon. tough Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. 12 noon to 5 p.m. or visit them online at www.hooksgreenhouse.com Please check with Hook’s to find hours of operation after May 1^st.

Well, that is it for the second installment of my three part series on the Bag Lady Tour. I will wrap up with part III tomorrow.

 Felted Scene by Margaret Herrmann Dreher

Thank you for stopping by.

~Vickie