In Business / January 2006
Cottage Industry
By Pat Lawrence
Jane Johnston’s business is all around her. The Amish farm that is home to Antiques in the Cottage is part vocation, part avocation and three parts fascination. She moved to the Mid Ohio Valley from Houston in 1991. “The first time I saw an Amish buggy, it captured my heart.” Jane dabbled in antiques for over twenty years, and occupied a booth at Belpre’s Memory Mall for four year, so her marriage to a gentleman who lived on the old Amish farm in Waterford, Ohio, was a perfect match in many ways. Outbuildings to their 110 year old house included a cottage, a wood shop and a fine red barn. The apple orchard and the original Amish fencing remain, though the cattle are gone, and the outhouse still stands. Jane says, “It’s a three seater. People try to buy it all the time!”
The farm has grown into an antique shopping destination. Jane and her husband first filled the three-room grandparents cottage with the antiques they had collected. Then they remodeled the barn and welcomed a dozen artisans and antique vendors to display their specialties. They have fixed up the wood shop, and filled it with primitive antiques and vintage tools, household items and farm implements.
Jane says, “There once were over thirty Amish families living in the area. We would like to recreate that sense of time and peace, give people a retreat and the opportunity to experience the sweet spirit of a simpler time.”
The old red barn is heated, though Jane says, “It is a barn. So, in winter, we keep the hot cider flowing all day long!” The antique dealers feature a variety of items, from vintage linens to feed sacks. Talented local artisans display their work, but the emphasis is art rather than crafts. The Johnstons have decorated the old dairy barn with horse-driven equipment and once-essential items, like cider presses, corn huskers, lard presses, hutches, wood stoves and corn separators, that city people find intriguing.
It’s all for sale. Jane says, “With over 4000 square feet downstairs and another 4000 square feet upstairs, we’re planning on turning part of the space into a gathering place, and perhaps, a restaurant.”
Members of both Amish families that previously lived on the farm have visited. Jan says, “It was especially gratifying to welcome Mr. Henry Miller, the gentleman who originally worked in the wood shop, and see his face when he saw his name over the door.”
Antiques in the Cottage is usually open four days a week, but in the winter months, they open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Jan says, “The Barlow-Waterford area seems to be booming. People want to get away from the city. And, we take it for granted,but it is such a pretty drive.” Jane’s welcome is part tour, part salesmanship. She delights in sharing the stories and history of the farm. She is still making plans to expand and, although they have sold several of the Amish buggies they found, she still has one, a hallmark of the past. Jane’s future is looking bright -and back- surrounded by the place and people she loves.
For more information, call 740-749-3449 or visit Antiques in the Cottage, 298 Kitts Drive, Waterford, Ohio.
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Femme Fair 2006
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