Village Squire, 1978-05, Page 19Carol Jones, manager of The Hollo%, holds one of the
hand -made dolls.
If you are in the mood for something out of the ordinary, an
unique place to visit is The Hollow. a boutique specializing in
hand-crafted items. Located within the Benmiller Inn complex. it
features locally crafted merchandise.
"The idea of the shop was to be a showcase for local artists."
said Carol Jones. manager of The Hollow. The store, owned by
Benmiller Inn, vias first opened in January 1977.
"The shop is part of the Benmiller complex, and it has been
felt for years this type of thing was needed here in conjunction
h the Inn," said Carol. '
"Itis a good outlet for local craftsman and I think it is a
different type of shop from anything else. in the area." 1.
It houses pottery made by Michael Ward of Blyth and woven
placentats and other items by the "Country Weaver" who is
EveIvn Hardy of Goderich.
There is also a display of dolls by Mary Nelson of Lucknow.
knitted dolls by May Hallam of Auburn. and apple head dolls by
Linda Plant, originally from Lucknow, now living in London.
Bob Avlcsworth. a silversmith from Stratford displays his
hand-crafted jewellery. Also from Stratford are candies by Rheo
Thompson.
Attractive '.all hangings display Dutch cross stitch embroidery
by Tyne deGroot of Bcnmiller. as well as. sketches of flowers by
Mona Mulhern of Goderich.
Also on display are hand-crafted wood objects like goblets and
candlesticks by Ray Hativa of Auburn.
Down at
The Hollow
Providing a showcase
for top local craftsmen
BY FRANCES BARRICK
Local food items sold in the shop include maple syrup and
sugar from Robinson Maple Products in Auburn, and preserves
by Blanche Pownell Garrett from Auburn, whose cookbooks "A
Taste of the Wild" and "Canadian Country Preserves and
Wines" are also available.
"Fifty per cent of the merchandise is locally crafted." said
Carol. with the remainder consisting of non -local crafts and other
unique items.
"We do have regular things not just crafts." she said. "for we
try to make a mixture of both so they compliment each other."
One unique piece of work that sells well are the stone cats.
This item. produced by Arlene Stephens. a portrait artist from
Peterborough, consists of a picture of a cat hand -painted on
stone.
Another popular selling item. is the silk screening of old flour
sacs from the original grist mill in Benmiller on cotton and
terrycloth to produce beach towels. aprons and bags.
Other special objects include jewellery from Toronto,
hand -blown lamps from California. pewter from the United
States and brown sugar crystals for coffee from England. These
crystals are served with coffee at the Benmiller Inn's dining
room.
There is a need for crafts people to get their things on the
market. according to Carol who buys the merchandise from the
artisans to be sold in the store.
The standards of exhibited crafts are very high. for Carol
conducts a quality control inspection before the merchandise
VILLAGE SQUIRE/MAY 1978. PG. 17.