This is a nice little corner of the world. The flag, bicycle and tub full of flowers make an inviting tableau. A bench in the shade invited me to escape the sun and rest my weary self for a bit. Unfortunately, I had places to be and a schedule to keep so I walked right past this downtown Chillicothe, Ohio antique shop with plans to come back another day.
It really is a lovely corner of the world.
If you’ve been around here for a while you know I like things that are “a little extra,” as the kids say.
Why have a standard bus stop bench in front of the library if you can have one that looks like an open book?
This bench sits in front of the main library in Chillicothe, Ohio. Here’s a view of the back.
Good for the library for adding whimsy to an everyday thing! Life would be more interesting if we all took a page from their book!
A while back I told you about seeing a Crosley roadster that formerly belonged to Frank Lloyd Wright. The Crosley Company was a Cincinnati brand and I tend to geek out anytime I see a vintage Crosley product out in the real world.
So I may or may not have squealed like a little girl when I saw this Crosley stove at the Franklin House in Chillicothe. This 1907 Arts and Crafts style home is operated as a museum by the Ross County Historical Society. The kitchen is set up with three different stoves from different eras to demonstrate how kitchen work and cooking changed over time.
This stove dates to 1958.
Always be on the lookout for the details that interest you, friends.
Want to visit the Franklin House? Learn more here!
Chillicothe held its annual ghost walk this weekend. I go for the history stories and for a glimpse inside areas of buildings not ordinarily accessible to the public. Some visitors though are deeply into the ghost story aspect of the tour.
This year’s tour featured four locations.
Guests got to go backstage, onstage and upstairs to an abandoned ballroom at the Majestic Theater. This is America’s longest continuously operating theater and a fun place to see a show. It was used as a makeshift morgue during the 1918 Spanish Influenza, creating a certain sense of intrigue around the spaces where bodies were stored and processed during that crisis.
The tour also went into the former Odd Fellows Lodge which was on the second and third stories of a stained glass shop. This building has many cool features that are remnants of the fraternal organization that once met there. That group did a lot of good for the community but the tour guides seemed ill informed, some even suggesting that something inappropriate might have gone on in their meetings. Still, I enjoyed seeing inside the building.
The Chamber of Commerce was another stop. This nicely remodeled building is a hub for much good in the county and has been on the city’s Main Street for a long while. The thing I loved best about this stop was the new mural on their building. Click here to see it!
The fourth stop this year was the Franklin House which is a beautiful old home operated by the historical society. I really enjoyed our visit here and would like to go back someday for a more in-depth tour. The home features mostly original furnishings, gorgeous stained glass windows, and some truly lovely architectural features.
This is an annual event so mark your calendar far for next September. It includes a different variety of locations every year so you have a different experience every time.
Chillicothe, Ohio has gained a new mural and it’s a fun one. It looks like a vintage postcard with every letter featuring a local landmark. It’s colorful, bright, and a nice addition to this historic downtown.
Interestingly, it was printed on vinyl by a local business called Square Ghost Creative. Then these vinyl panels were applied to the building using heat and glue. This is a very modern technique for a growing community rooted in history.
If you’re in Chillicothe, pop over by the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce at 45 East Main Street. Be sure to stop in some local shops and grab a bite at a local restaurant while you’re there!
Last week, I found myself in Chillicothe with a few minutes to kill and a desire to support Wheatberry, an independent bookstore in downtown. Chillicothe’s largest industry was recently lost with the closure of the paper mill and the hit to the economy makes me worry for small businesses like this one.
So I gave myself permission to go in and buy a book. One book and nothing more. There were other things I needed to be spending my money on and, if you could see my collection of books waiting to be read, you would understand why I really didn’t need to be shopping at that moment. Yet I want to get into the habit of popping in more often and this was a good opportunity.
I had a lovely time perusing their selection, starting in non-fiction with a quick stop in children’s before making my way to fiction. I have often thought I would like to meet whoever does the buying for this store because it’s like they are purposefully packing their shelves with exactly the kind of books I want to read.
Given that my interests span so many genres, that’s not the easiest thing to do!
At some point, I struck up a conversation with the nice lady running the store and we began talking about specific books. Turns out, she and I have similar reading tastes and she began recommending books. Finally, she asked if I like thrillers and if I had read anything by Lisa Jewell, thereby introducing me to a new author. When she endorsed Jewell’s book The Family Upstairs, I said “sold” and purchased it immediately.
There’s something to be said for the services you receive at small businesses. In this case, it’s clear that the staff at Wheatberry love books and are thrilled to talk about them, not just sell them.
The folks that run our small businesses are our neighbors. They support our communities. They share our interests. They might be our friends. They are contributing something value to our communities.
Amazon might save you a few bucks but Amazon doesn’t support your local festivals or your kid’s ball team. Small businesses in your community not only will chip in to help with uniforms, they’ll show up and cheer too. And they may play it cool while you’re there buying but small business folk do a happy dance at every purchase!
The interaction made me think about how lovely it is to have an independent bookstore nearby. If we want a business to survive, we have to support them as much as we can and I need to do a better job with this.
If there’s a small business in your community that you appreciate and wish to keep, get your friends on board, and all of you step up to support them in whatever way you can. They need us now more than ever.
And if you’re in Chillicothe, Ohio and in the mood to find some books you never knew you couldn’t live without, stop by Wheatberry and let them hook you up!