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.)

"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