Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Visiting Sharon's Country Store

A few weeks ago, I had the unusual chance to visit one of our advertisers in person. Well, not the person (she was unfortunately not there the day we visited) but her store.

I refer to Sharon's Country Store in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho. Sharon came to us as an advertiser in mid-April, and I thought that was just great because we were planning a trip to Sandpoint (not far from Bonner's Ferry) in early May. So I deliberately swung up to see her store.

As an interesting note: I had to stop at a grocery store and ask directions at one point. When the man found out I was looking for Sharon's, he said "Oh, everyone knows where Sharon's is!" Apparently it has quite an excellent and widespread local reputation.

Once we found the store (right on the highway, by the way) it was easy to see why.


This store is small but packed with diverse products. Here are some of the things they carry:

Old-fashioned candies and sweets.


Bulk foods.


A nice array of old-fashioned toys.


A beautiful selection of hand-made, hand-braided rugs.


Sewing notions and fabrics.


Furniture and wooden clothes-drying racks. (I am a HUGE fan of clothes-drying racks. I can't even begin to tell you how much money you'll save by not using a clothes dryer.)


My jaw hit the deck when I saw these stoves. I had a serious case of covetousness. Breathtaking.


The quilts and rocking chairs were beautiful and (I believe) all Amish-made.


The girls tried out the rockers and proclaimed them supremely comfortable.


Except for being in a modern building, this is one fantastic old-fashioned general store. I admit I'm a sucker for places like this. (Sure wish it was closer!)

Unfortunately Sharon wasn't at the store when I visited (I didn't give any advanced notice) but the staff was charming and courteous.

If anyone has a chance to visit Sharon's in person, they'll find it as wonderful a place as we did. In the meantime, visit their website, it's the next best thing.

11 comments:

  1. Oh Patrice, of all days that was my day off! I'm sorry I missed you,i was looking forward to meeting you. Thank you for your kind words! That was our dream to have an old fashioned country store and with no old buildings around, this is what we ended up with, so i was thrilled to read your comments! Come see us again!

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  2. LOL -- that's what you get for taking a day off! Ya done did good, it's a great store.

    - Patrice

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  3. Curious about the cabinet/dry sink pictured with the drying racks, what is the purpose of the empty space in the middle ?

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    1. No idea -- hopefully Sharon will see this and answer.

      - Patrice

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    2. Its actually a changing table, so I'm assuming a trash can possibly would go under there?? I've never had one so so I guess you could stuff it full of wharever you choose! It just sold...

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    3. Its actually a changing table and I guess you could put trash can under there??

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  4. Patrice,

    Don't feel so enamoured of those stoves. My neighbor had one of them and while they do burn wood and are now made more or less airtight, they have so many deficiencies as to be alarming. They are in no way comparable to the Pioneer Maid or the newer Pioneer Queen made by the Amish.

    I have cooked on the Maid for years now. It not only cooks my food, it heats water for the plumbing system (using a passive thermosiphon system) and heats my home all winter. But you already know since Enola Gay has one.

    Winston

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  5. Drying racks are the greatest. I got my first one when I was in college. Almost everyone in my area had one. The matron came by once and asked "Doesn't anyone ever take their clothes off the rack?" Then she checked and found that all the clothes had been freshly washed and were still wet. We hand-washed everything but sheets and towels; so we ALWAYS had clothes drying. My mother took that rack, and I got another which dried diapers when I had a child (By that time I did have a washer). After that one died I got yet another. My daughter took that one to college, and I got another. Someone ripped off hers--yet another purchase. After she married and had children, she got a second one. Her two and my one are in constant use. What doesn't get put on my line goes on the rack. Her HOA doesn't allow clotheslines; so she uses hers for everything but towels and sheets. Sound familiar?! They save a huge amount on cost of drying and are great for humidifying the house in winter.

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    1. These are one of our popular sellers, esp. in the winter! We ship them from Pa. from Amish handcrafters . These racks are the sturdiest i've seen, they come in 2',3' & 4' ($45, $55, $65)

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  6. I was in southern Idaho this past weekend and saw that exact wood cookstove hooked up and functional in someone's house. It is amazing! Do you happen to remember how much it cost??

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    1. "Do you happen to remember how much it cost?? "

      That's what I'd be interested in knowing, too.

      They're gorgeous.

      A. McSp

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