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Village Squire, 1977-05, Page 14SHOP EARLY FOR Fother Dciy... Want a Super Gift for Dad ...Shop here, you'll find his favorite shirts, shorts, t -shirts, swim wear, ties, Jacs and all the newest accessories WE ARE ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP YOU J Swat. MOWS OP _ ,1 470 AIMS Phone 235-0991 The only thing that is old fashioned is our service Looking for alternative ways of earning a living, the couple looked at Tom's love of woodworking. "We'd always joked about me doing woodworking," Tom says. They thought at first of wholesaling his handiwork but gave that up after they managed to sell a building supply company a couple of his woodboxes but never got a return order. Then too, they realized to wholesale they needed a large operation. Then it was Carol's experience working in a store in Kitchener that came to light. They began to think of the idea of starting a store of their own to sell Tom's woodworking. The result last year on July 17 was the birth of The Country Craftsman. The shop is built into a part of the barn on the farm and when you really think about the decor, it brings a chuckle. Inside, the store has the same rustic charm that many in -town stores have but here the barn beams and old wood are real barn beams, not just decoration. Outside the shop has both a rustic and an in -town look with a display of old farm tools on the wall beside a charming entranceway. And adding interest is a nearby antique automobile that's one of Tom's prides. When they opened the shop (with what they feel now was a pretty small stock) their idea was that besides Tom's woodwork, they would stock only locally, handmade crafts. More experienced now, they realize that they have to broaden their scope but still everything but the miniatures in Tom's large log -house playhouses are made in Canada (those come from Mexico). Tom's contributions to the shop include those beautifully crafted dollhouses, toy chests, knick-knack shelves, picture frames, easels for children to draw and paint on, wood boxes for beside the stove or fireplace, beautifully decorated folk -art toys (decorated by a girl from St. Marys) and jewellery boxes. He also does custom building. "Just because it isn't there," says Carol pointing to Tom's corner of the shop, "doesn't mean he won't do it." Tom says he'll make anything if it's interesting and fun to do. Ifyou ,sawachild Aga death, just stand and watch? Well, that's what you're doing. Because of the worst drought in centuries, every day millions of Africans come a little bit closer to starving to death. Please don't just stand by and watch. Send a donation to support UNICEF's emergency relief distribution of thousands of tons of food and medicine in the stricken areas of West Africa and Ethiopia. And please be generous. We don't know how long the drought will last. Of how long the children will. UNICEF Canada (Africa) 443 Mt. Pleasant Road, Toronto Ontario M4S 2L8 12, VILLAGE SQUIRE/MAY 1977. All his items show the pride he has in his work. Over in his shop he shows the new tools he's recently acquired. When he first started, he says, he had few power tools and visitors to his shop often wondered how he could do such good work. They had more tools at home in their homeworkshops than he did as a professional. When they first began planning the shop the couple thought about antiques but discarded the idea. Carol remembers. Soon, however, they had to rearrange their thinking. Tom had put some antiques he had refinished in the shop as display areas for some of the crafts and it wasn't long before people wanted to buy them. So antiques, refinished in Tom's shop are now a part of the stock of the shop. Once the shop was built, Carol says, a concept of four interest areas came about: one for antiques, one for the woodworking, otie for crafts and one for foods. She had originally thought of having a lunch counter but gave it up when Tom convinced her it would mean too much work for her. So instead there's a cooler in the shop filled with local cheeses and other local products. A favourite in this section of the store is the home -baked bread of a neighbour. A good deal of what is in the shop is geared for the children with not only Tom's rocking horses and easels and doll houses, but dolls made by Carol and other doll makers. The stuffed dolls add colour to the toy section of the store. Although The Country Craftsman is in the middle of the country, it's not far from other shops. Its next door neighbour is The Country Spire. Many shoppers find a visit to the Country Craftsman relaxing because they can leave the children outside on the spacious grounds to play and have time to themselves for shopping. The Millers hope to add to that atmosphere in some of their plans for the future. Eventually, Carol says, she'd like to have a lunch area where people can sit on a deck and eat lunch with their children in a very informal setting. Another idea they want to pursue is for a second story for the shop which would give space for large items such as furniture.