19th Century Buildings Painted in Rainbow Colors Attract Customers For Agricultural Products SHARTLESVILLE (Berks Co.) Historic preservation and rainbow colors have given this small rural town a new look and provided a growing outlet for Pen nsylvania agricultural and craft products. After five years of restoration, preservation, cleaning and paint ing, Barry J. Block and Karen Kinnane have this late 19th cen tury village literally “blooming with color!” It has become a strik ing advertisement for Pennsylva nia products and culture. In 1986, the pair purchased a tiny 19th century log house in the town’s commercial district. A year of intensive restoration brought back the little house’s quaint charm. The two then decided to expand their efforts to include several other vacant struc tures in the Victorian village. Buy ing an old country store and a Vic torian two-family home kept them busy for another year. “A lot of restoration here is straightforward,” Karen said. “We keep peeling off later changes and siding, much like peeling the skin off an onion, to get to the useable inside part. Then we replace any of the original structure which is damaged or missing, especially the decorative gingerbread trim which provides character to these structures. The trim was often removed in mid-20th century “remuddling” in an attempt to modernize old buildings. We also replace all modem asphalt roofing with authentic 19th century style standing seam tin roofs. These two changes alone bring out the Vic torian charm of the structures.” “To ensure that -passers-by notice the progress, we transform each completed restoration with a “Painted Ladies” color scheme.” Karen said, “I don’t consider our paint jobs a success unless we see lots of black tire marks in the street in front of a newly painted building. That’s how I know peo ple are noticing the improve ments.” laughed Karen. “Painted Ladies” is a generic term indicating the use of three or more harmonious colors which emphaisze the lacy gingerbread trim on these hr The “Painted People cannot resist hunting up Karen Klnnane to find out what kind of person would live in a hot pink and vivid Purple house. Ladies” movement began in San Francisco, Cal. in the 19605, when a hippy commune decided to paint their plain gray Victorian house. A trip to the city dump garnered them 17 partially full cans of paint, each a different color. Pro ceeding to paint the entire house, they utilized all seventeen colors. Needless to say, their house was noticed! Many owners of similar homes which had been painted one or two. subdued colors began to use three or more bright colors to emphasize the architecture of their buildings and the “Painted Ladies” movement was bom. It rapidly spread to Cape May, N.J. and now to Sharlesville. “Painted Ladies” buildings are the subject of six best-selling books by Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada as well as a glossy calen dar each year. Larsen and Poma da’s next book, due out October 1992 will mention the “Painted Ladies" of Shartlesville. After restoring three of their seven properties, Barry and Karen were faced with the task of putting them to good use. The first struc ture, a small log house with a tiny bam out back was easy. It was rented as a home. The 19th cen tury store building on Main Street became a general store again, with a unique twist It is called the Shartlesville General Store. The hot pink and vivid purple building across from the Fire House was reopened as a showcase for all Pennsylvania made products. It features Pennsylvania jam, jelly, pickles, relishes, sauerkraut, stuffed pickled peppers, honey, egg noddles, candy, locally made brooms, quilts, potholders, pin cushions, woodenware, folk art ornaments, dried flowers, fresh flowers and produce in season. These items are displayed in an authentic 19th century store com plete with oak counters, display cabinets, lamp chimney rack, broom holders, even a floor model seed display case. Also for sale is a large assortment of antique advertising such as colorful tins, soap powder boxes, butter chums, seed packets with delightful illustrations of old-time veget able' id fit br ' early “Painted Ladles” is a generic term indicating the use of three or more harmonious colors that emphasize the lacy gingerbread trim on houses. The “Painted Ladies” movement began in California during the hippies movement when a commune painted their Victorian house with 17 partially full cans of paint found at a city dump. The Sharltesvllle General Store features all Pennsylvania-made products such as Jam, sauerkraut, homemade brooms, folk art ornaments, and more displayed in anti que cabinets and oat counters. seed catalogs, lard pails, butcher tools, candy boxes, egg boxes, mason jars, antique toys and vin tage fabrics. Youngsters flock to displays of “penny” candy in old fashioned “serve yourself” jars. Favorites like rootbecr barrels, salt water taffey, jawbreakers, dots, pipes, whips, rock candy, red hot dollars, cinnamon bears and fruit slices are all Pennsylvania made “Being on the Hex Highway (Old RL 22) in the heart of Pen nsylvania Dutch Country, we have lots of tourists in the store. From the start we refused to sell tacky plastic things that said “Souvenier of Pennsylvania” on top and “Made in Hong Kong” under neath. We wanted to give visitors a real “taste of Pennsylvania” so we hunted up authentic, old fashioned Pennsylvania jams, jell ies, preserves, pickles. It was great fun to “taste lest” the potential products. To find suppliers we vis ited every farm stand and farmer’s market we could find,” said Karen. “We bought one of every food item that was made in the state. If it passed our rigid “taste test” we added it to our stock. We particularly tried to patronize small, family type operations whenever possible. We stock old timey things Grandma used to make and supermarkets don’t car ry, like tomato jam, quince jam, grape butter, peach butter, quince Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 14, 1992-B9 honey, rhubarb jam, jelly, con serve, real homemade catsup, seven-day pickles, sauerkraut, egg noodles, bread and butter pickles and fabulous stuffed pickled pep pers which are so gorgeous I sell more of them for shelf ornaments than for eating, even though they are no-fat and no-cholesterol!” The store’s philosophy is that selling only Pennsylvania pro ducts gives die tourists an accurate look at Pennsylvania culture, adds money to the local economy, gives the buyer a superior product and acts as free “goodwill” advertising when tourists share their purch ases with friends back home who will want to visit that colorful, quaint town where they sell the most fabulous local food and crafts. “We sell several types of local ly made com brooms, even a child’s size, displayed in old fashioned broom holders, That’s a useful souvenier.” Karen feels. “We sell quilts, many produced by Old Order Amish and Mennonite women who prefer to work at home on their farms instead of in a store or factory. They also pro duce quilt tops, crochet and woven rugs, pot holders, pin cushions, patchwork Christmas ornaments, patchwork pillows and animal shaped pillows made from parts of antique quilts. We make patch work quilts to order in sizes from doll to King. Color combinations are limited only by the client’s imagination. We also repair anti que quilts with vintage fabrics. We have delightful wooden berry carriers in various sizes and anti que berry baskets are available to HU them. These berry carriers are indivi dually made by a local woodwork er and they are extremely popular with customers because they are so handy around the house. The divided ones are great for carrying cultery and napkins to elegant, impromptu picnics. The ones without dividers are used by knit ters and quilters to carry work in progress and they are great toy carriers for children. Of course they arc fine for berry and veget able picking too. One of the divided berry carriers with a selec tion of eight locally made jams and jellies is a unique and lasting useful gift. The shop features charming, hand-painted wooden Christmas ornaments which are designed, sawed, sanded and painted by one local woman. These Victorian style ornaments depict an antique teddy bear on a hobby horse, a Pappa mouse and a Mama mouse in period clothing, Amish children, holly, bells, country geese, Santas and an anti que sheep pull toy. After launching the General Store, the couple’s next challenge was to restore and utilize a Main (Turn to Page 829)
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