Village Squire, 1978-04, Page 43DAYTRIPPING
SPP.INU FASHIONS
FOR EASTER
IN THE LOFT
O►EM MCMDAYS
Brox's Olde Town Village sits near the main intersection in Elmira.
Spring is no time to be taking the
backroads so to resume the Daytripping
feature this month we took the shortest
possible route to explore Elmira.
The Elmira area, of course, is one of the
most picturesque areas of the province, not
so much because of natural scenery but
because of an entirely different lifestyle on
view there. Elmira is the heart of the
Pennsylvania Dutch area, or the Mennon-
ite area as it's more often called. No matter
what road you take to enter the town you're
likely to see a horse and buggy some where
Village along the way. As spring wears on you'll
see farmers working in their fields not with
the huge tractors, but with a team of horses
and simple tools. The striking part of it all
is that the 19th century and the 20th are
side by side. Modern farms are contrasted
with the old way of doing things.
Elmira itself has taken on this same kind
of contrast. While old in some ways thanks
to the Mennonite traditions, it's new,
bright and chique in others. The
outstanding example of this is Brox's Olde
Town Village. In the past couple of years
it's become a big attraction in the town. It's
located near the intersection of Highways
85 (the main street) and 86 and so nearly
everyone passing through sees it.
It carries through the blend of the new
and the old. Much of it is chique and
modern but the little reminders of the
old-fashioned Mennonite way are always
present. Many of the most popular kinds of
modern shops are there, but right in the
middle is Brubacher's Country Store, an
actual store that relocated inside the new
development.
The Village is a fascinating departure
from most shopping centres. It has 14
shopping areas specializing in different
Brox's Olde Town
a unique shopping
things but there are no walls and few
dividers between them. The shops sprawl
across different levels of the building,
upstairs, downstairs and in between. There
are interesting views down over the shops
below from open balconies of the shops
above. There are interesting staircases.
Wood is used extensively, as are plants to
soften the lines of the building and give it a
more relaxed atmosphere.
The shops include:
The Village Gift Shoppe, featuring area
handicrafts and gifts with the Pennsylvania
Dutch flavour as well as gifts from around
the world.
Village Card Shop featuring what else,
cards.
The Flower Barn: a greenery place
complete with all kinds of hanging plants
and a fountain.
The Potting Shed: with all kinds of supplies
and information for gardeners.
The Fudge Machine: featuring 12 flavours
of fudge made daily.
The Balcony Gift Shoppe: This shop leans
more toward things for the home including
occasional tables, lamps, clocks, mirrors,
plaques and hand -framed prints.
The Lamplighter: is actually a group of
eight mini -shops located in one area
including The Canadiana Balcony, The
Wicker Corner, The Needlecraft Shoppe,
Kathy's Kandy Corner, the Bath Shoppe,
Bags Plus, Just for Kids and Candles and
Things.
The Village Loft: Offers fashions for the
men and women.
The Kitchen Pantry: This shop is on the
lower level and features local handicrafts
including quilts, ceramics, etc. and such
local baking delights as Shoo Fly Pie.
Brubacher's Country Store: recreating the
VILLAGE SQUIRE/APRIL 1978. PG. 41.