County Charm delights customers with unique gifts
By SUZANNE KEENE
LEOLA Cuddly teddy bears,
smiling dolls, Amish quilts, hand
crafted furniture, and many other
crafts fill the rooms of Country
Charm House of Crafts in Leola.
Blanche Myer, proprietress of
Country Charm, opened her
business at 247 Main Street in
Leola on March 1 and will be
holding her grand opening this
week.
Blanche had previously worked
in several gift shops and decided to
This teddy bear rocker made by Dawn Roser, York, is the
third one made and the first of its kind offered for sale.
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RD 1
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RD ?, Box 390
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open one herself when the op
portunity presented itself.
“This is my first adventure,” she
explained with a smile.
When the building that once
housed the Country Bear gift shop
became available, “I just found it
was an opportunity and I took it,”
she said.
Local craftsmen make most of
the items in her shop, selling them
on consignment. Blanche said she
had to search for a number of her
suppliers, but added that many of
It.
Curt Cassady
District Sales Manager
519 Golden St., Lititz, PA
717-626-1065
Northampton Farm Bureau
Coop Assn.
300 Bushkill St
fatamy PA 18085
215-258-2871
the craftsmen who sold their goods
in the Country Bear also sell in her
shop.
While many of her customers are
tourists, Blanche said some of the
local people also come in to shop.
Right now her daughter, Sandy,
helps her wait on the customers,
but she anticipates that by sum
mer she will have to hire someone
else. '
Blanche said the shop is her
venture, but her husband, Don,
helps out whenever possible.
“I really feel like we work at it
together,” she said.
Don makes clothes racks to sell
in the store and fills in for her at
the shop whenever he can.
Part of the shop’s appeal comes
from the uniqueness of the goods
within. The quilts are handsewn by
local Amish and Mennonite women
and some of the furniture is made
by a local craftsman who will
customize furniture for Blanche’s
customers.
“I like the challenge of finding
something that’s attractive and
unique,” Blanche said, describing
her search for items to sell in her
shop.
One of the most unique items at
Country Charm is a wooden teddy
bear rocker made by Dawn Roser
of York County. The rocker comes
with a safety belt to secure small
children and has gadgets attached
for them to play with. Dawn signs
and dates each chair and will
engrave the child’s name on the
bottom as well, Blanche noted. She
has made only three such rockers
so far -the first one for a gift, the
second one for her child and the
third one for Blanche to sell.
“That will hold value for a long
time,” Blanche said looking at the
little rocker.
Blanche said she also enjoys the
challenge of helping her customers
find a quilt to fit their decor or
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New Holland PA 17557
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Lititz PA 17543
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R D 2 Box 122
Hawley PA 18428
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helping them select the colors and
patterns to have one custom made.
Custom-made quilts are availble
to both local and out-of-town
customers, Blanche said. She will
take the the customers’ order and
then send them samples of the
material that will be used in their
quilt so they can see if it will match
their room and needs.
Raised on a Lancaster County
farm where her father still farms,
Blanche is familiar with the
county’s customs and traditions.
Her knowledge allows her to guide
customers who want a traditional
Amish quilt in the right direction.
“Anybody that really wants a
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ADDRESS
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be
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 5,1984-819
- —ighte», Sandy, talk over an order
in the front section of Country Charm craft shop.
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traditional quilt will want that, ”
she says, pointing to a quilt made
in bright solid colors.
Amish women, she explained,
use only solid colored material in
quilts for their own homes.
When Blanche finds a few spare
minutes in her busy schedule,she
enjoys swimming and working in
her rose garden.
But most of the time she is in her
shop, pleasantly greeting
customers, helping them find Just
the right gift, or thinking up new
ideas for her shop.
“I’ve got all kinds of ideas,’’ she
says with a with a twinkle in her
eye.
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