Something New For The Farmhouse...

Back Porch Gatherings Image

There's a shop in Ripon, Wisconsin that carries vintage and antique items, and items created from repurposed vintage and antique items. They also have a nice representation of fragrant candles (and probably other new treasures that I missed when I was there).

The shop recently relocated, just down the street from their previous storefront, and I learned about them on Facebook. Tammy is the owner, and her son, Dan works with her. Their displays are creative, beautiful, and practically demand that you rush right in to purchase whatever they're selling! Tammy has a wonderful eye for arranging her displays, and Dad contributes not only muscle to get things delivered to clients, but he also has a friendly, bubbly personality that left me looking forward to meeting him, in person, after our telephone conversation.

They posted photographs over the weekend, as they set up display areas in their new shop, and a particular image caught my eye. This gorgeous butcher block couldn't be ignored. I showed the picture to Handsome, and we agreed that I should call the shop to get more information.

After getting all the dimensions and price from Dan, we asked if they'd hold it until we could get there yesterday morning. We made an appointment to go to their shop to see it, and by 10 am, we were parked and heading in to check it out.

New For Our Hickory Hill Farm Kitchen

 

Dan told us that this butcher block was manufactured in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and that each style block they made was given the name of a different city in Wisconsin. This is an "Appleton" butcher block. It measures 30" square, is 37" tall, and even has its original bevel, which is unique for any block of its age.

 

The block sits on new legs that were turned by a local woodworker in the Ripon area. They match the style of the original legs, except that they're beefier. Then, they added an industrial caster on the end of each leg. As Handsome stands 6'5" tall, and I'm 5"7" tall, the fact that this block is 37" tall was a huge selling point, too. Just right for both of us to use comfortably.

Dan said the block is probably 100 years old...and, yes. I know what you're thinking. PERFECT for our 100 year old farmhouse, so after careful inspection, Handsome and I decided that this Appleton butcher block will be the focal point of our kitchen remodel. We purchased it on the spot, and made arrangements for it to be delivered to the farm. It will be here within the next two weeks.

Our plans are coming along for the kitchen, and we'll soon visit showrooms for cabinet styles, countertops and flooring. We're not rushing our process, as we're getting a feel for desired functions and layout at this point. We'll likely contemplate our choices through fall, when we'll finalize everything and set a remodel date. 

 

I'm quite sure we'll be keeping track of future offerings at Back Porch Gatherings, too...just in case we see something else Tammy and Dan have brought in that we have to have for the farmhouse.