More Giveaway Goodies!

Since we have a very good supply of ephemera at Wellers, I thought I would add some to the giveaway pot. Here is just a small sample of the vintage milk caps we have. I'm going to pick out some nice ones for the giveaway package!

Giveaway in August!

Weller's is having a great giveaway in August! There will be more than one package to choose from and there may be more than one winner. It all depends on how many followers there are at the time of the drawing!

Stay tuned for more details!

'Bout Time!

Where does the time go? Summer is half over already and I'm getting behind on posting pictures.

Here are some visitors who always have a lot of fun at Wellers! Diane Rait and her granddaughter, Kailey, like to spend time shopping together in the store. They have a ball looking at all the vintage items and they always bring home something wonderful.



Here they are trying on hats and they both look gorgeous!


Kailey finally decided on the 1920s cloche pictured in one of the previous posts. (As you can see, she really looked great in all of the hats.)

What's New At Wellers?

Oh, lots of vintage and primitive items have come into the store in the past week! Here is just a sampling...




Splish, splash! Can you imagine taking a bath in one of these? No wonder they only took one bath a week (year?) back in the good old days!


Aren't these just beautiful pulley wheels? They would look smashing with a little oil finish!



We have also received a nice apple ladder, primitive tree planter, potato planters, nail keg, wooden barrels, crocks, a large selection of zinc canning lids, and so much more!

Rust You Can Trust

(A couple of people have asked about this rusty fleur de lis - so sorry, it's now sold and no longer available!)

If Rust Could Talk

There is something about rust and peeling paint and honest every-day wear that fascinates me. I find myself wondering who owned the item. What was it used for? Where did it come from? How did it get the way it is today? Was it a well-loved tool or kitchen gadget? I have one of my grandmother’s old paring knives that has been sharpened down to less than half its size with the handle worn smooth as silk. I can still picture her sitting in her apron with a pan full of potatoes in her lap; her hands quickly and deftly paring them with her favorite knife.

Aside from the personal stories and pictures these old things bring to mind, I love the varied colors and textures of a well-used or rusted object. Those that contain iron or steel will, over time, begin to decay as the mixture of moisture and oxygen attack the surface. A discarded piece of metal or a long unused tool will take on random patterns and patina from this natural process.

Using rust in collage or assemblage art lends an interesting historical or industrial air to the piece. But who wants to sit around watching a piece of metal rust when the creative muse is beckoning? Sometimes we just have to help the process along and there are a number of ways to accomplish that task.

If you live in places like Houston, where the sea breezes are loaded with moisture from the salt water, you’re probably spending a lot of time getting things NOT to rust. You’re probably also thinking that people with a real lust for rust are a bit loopy. If you live in a rust-starved area of the country, however, read on for some trusty rust recipes. (Remember to read package directions, protect your skin and clothing, and work outside where there is plenty of ventilation!)

The Natural Method on Steroids

If you have no time to wait for Mother Nature to do the trick, you can hurry the process along by adding your metal pieces to a solution of two parts bleach to one part vinegar in a non-metal bowl or pan. Let the solution do its thing overnight – longer if you crave more rust. No rinsing is necessary; just place the oxidized objects on newspaper to dry. Bleach and contact with rust will ruin clothes and other porous surfaces. Which brings me to another way to rust.

The Contact Method

Natural, non-metal surfaces can be rusted by contact with metals that have already been rusted. Synthetics will also take on some rust but not as well as the naturals. Simply wet the item (paper, fabric, ribbon, etc.) with vinegar and put them alongside the rusted metal. Placing the wetted items in a plastic bag out in the sun will help speed up the process.

Fabric treated with rust will continue to decay over time. Neutralize the fabric with a mist of baking soda and water to slow down the process.

Rust Solutions for Wood, Plastic and Other Non-metals

I recently played with some Modern Options Sophisticated Finishes paint to rust a ceramic angel and a wooden box. Simply paint with their primer and follow with the rust solution. You’ll have a very robust faux rust in less than a day.

You can also try out coarse garnet gel, coarse pumice gel, or a rusty-colored embossing powder to simulate the look of rust


Trusty Rusty Tin

Modern Options also has a green patina solution that will rust up tin lickety-split. Give the solution a place to hold onto by roughing up the tin with some sandpaper. Use an old brush to paint the patina and work it around with a bit of pressure. The results are as fast as a squirrel on crack. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!

Of course, if you don’t want to experiment with solutions or wait for Mother Nature, you can always find some nice rusty goodies in the Junque Shoppe at Wellers. We would even be happy to ship you some. See the website for contact information: www.wellerstore.com

Everything From Clothespins To Quilts

We try to offer something for everyone at Wellers and we're getting better at it all the time. We're pleased that the Junque Shoppe at Wellers has tickled so many people who have that lust for rust and all things old. It's fun to hear how out customers will use or repurpose their purchases.

Kay Peters from Stratton Lake looked through the stash of vintage clothespins to find just the right shapes for her granddaughters. She remembered painting faces on them and making dolls when she was a girl and she wanted to share that experience with them. How sweet!



You can tell by the look on her face that Kay is having fun down in the Junque Shoppe.

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Judi Niesen admires the Amish quilt she purchased yesterday.

Thanks to Kay and Judi and all those who stopped in to shop or say "hello"!

And So The Season Begins...

The Weller Store is officially open for the season today! All the hard work paid off and I must say it's looking pretty good. The Junque Shoppe at Wellers is now open and "The Mayor" is already clearing out yet another room for collectible toys. Pre-season visitors to the store loved the Junque Shoppe and had fun sifting through all the ephemera and do-dads. One woman really had a lust for rust and she left with a whole trunkload of goodies. It may be a challenge to keep the room well stocked if things continue to fly out of there.

Look for the opening of the Collectible Toys room soon. In the meantime we have a huge new assortment of glassware, including some nice depression glass pieces. I especially love the light blue Bubble and Fire King items. We even have a few "Porta-Walls" from an old Packard and some more vintage tools for the guys. We brought in even more vintage jewelry and some lovely old hats for the ladies.

Below Zero But Still Beautiful!

I went out to take some pictures a few days ago and the wind chill was so bad that I kept having to get out of it in between shots. I was bundled up with hat, scarf, mittens, boots and a heavy coat but the chill easily penetrated everything. Just above my boots my legs felt as though they were burning from the cold and, indeed, they were very rosy when I was finished photographing.

Still, it was a gorgeous day and I couldn't keep from capturing some winter scenes for these pages.




The Crystal River looks so much different now than in the summer with bare trees and banks of snow and ice framing it. There is a lot of open water near the portage where the river runs down a small drop and is diverted for the mill race. If not for that, I'm sure there would be a thick coating of ice from one bank to the other.





The first three pictures were taken from on top of the bridge by the portage on old state highway
22 - now the corner of Main Street and Cleghorn Road across from The Weller Store.













The last picture is a tease. I couldn't resist taking several shots of the Radley House that day. It is so much easier to get photos of this wonderful house when the trees are bare. It is encircled by black walnut trees that partially obscure the building from view during the other seasons.


I will publish more photos of this house and some of the architectural details in a future blog.



Stay warm and stay tuned...

"Downtown" Rural - summer of 2008

On a snowy day like today I just can't help thinking about how wonderful it is here in the summer.

I keep telling myself that the days are already getting longer.

Can't you just imagine sitting on the front porch with a tall glass of lemonade?

Visit our website! www.wellerstore.com

The Weller Store

The Rural Store - currently The Weller Store - is the oldest retail building in the village of Rural.

The Rural Store was originally a carpentry shop, built in 1898 over the Crystal River mill race by Mr. Herbert Radley across the road (old Hwy 22) from it's current location. It is said that the building straddled the river so that the current could provide power for the lights and equipment used in the shop. The original color of the structure was red with white trim.

Above is the first known photograph of the carpentry shop and its builder , taken in the spring of 1901. You can see the building raised on stilts over the water.


In 1906, Radley moved the carpentry shop from the river to dry land across the road from its original location. The building was altered slightly and repainted. It then became the general store.

Radley and his infant son, Howard, (in the buggy) are shown at left circa 1906.

Charles Weller stands in front of The Weller Store in this undated photo.

Robert Weller, Sr., Charles' son, is pictured at the storefront after a truck ran off the highway and crashed into the cement in front of the store.














After State Highway 22 was rerouted the gasoline business dropped off drastically. Eventually the pumps were removed. The change in traffic affected the business in a negative way but allowed the village to retain its unique character and beauty.









In the mid-1960s the building was moved slightly to the east and an adjoining cement block structure was built by Robert Weller, Jr. The Wellers continued to operate the grocery store in the new building while renting out the original building to other retail businesses. The Weller Store is well known throughout the area for 25 cent ice cream cones and locally bottled Ting soda.

The original building as it appears today.

Re-opened in the spring of 2008 by Robert Weller, Jr and Eileen Schwanke, The Weller Store now features antiques, collectibles, original art, ephemera, baskets, tools, - all things vintage from every era. Visit our website (still under construction) for a peek at some of the merchandise!

www.wellerstore.com