Tag Archives: little conestoga road

double standard much, upper uwchlan?

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So as everyone knows Upper Uwchlan has a thing about barn sales.

Saw this sign on our way back from the Elverson area. We decided to drive down Little Conestoga Road. Of course this begs the question of why is this farm allowed to have barn sales and not the Smithfield Barn? It is the same road and same municipality.

If these people can have barn sales the township should let others have barn sales, right? Unless of course only select barns are allowed to have barn sales?

Very curious indeed, and apparently the sign has been up a while?

a vintage holiday barn sale….how can you resist?

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I wonder, is there a Christmas or holiday ditty about a-barning-we-will-go???

Now you know my love for a special pickers barn on Little Conestoga Road, right? Well Kristin and Phil are having an extra FUN and FABULOUS sale this weekend!

They have raided Santa’s vintage workshop and in addition to all the normal fun stuff, there is vintage holiday everything. They are open ALL weekend this weekend November 23rd, 24th, 25th!

Here is the announcement:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!  Just a little note to those of you who will be staying close to home this weekend….. the barn will be open this FRI SAT AND SUN from 10-4.  We are going to be kicking off the holiday season with our annual vintage holiday barn sale.
The barn is bursting at the seams with all our great items along  with a whole lot of vintage holiday mixed in! Our vintage holiday items include trees, ornaments, and other vintage holiday items.    
In addition we also have great new furniture, household items, toys, collectibles, Hess Trucks, Depression Glass, along with tons of other goodies!!  Everything is priced to sell………..so come stop by, say HI, and find a treasure or two!!  Hope to see you then!
                                                                
Smithfield Barn   425 Little Conestoga Road
smithfieldbarn yahoo.in
Now I happened to see a small fraction of the cool ornaments and holiday stuff a couple of weeks ago.  This is my favorite barn.  These people are all about the deal and I never walk away feeling I paid too much for anything.

Bring a small flash light with you.

NOTE THAT THE PHOTOS ARE PHOTOS I TOOK IN THE PAST OF VINTAGE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS AT VINTAGE MARKETS.

 

the bell “tolls” for thee, chester county

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With apologies to John Donne, the poem reference just popped into my head.

I find it somewhat ironic that I just posted within the past few days a post cautioning about allowing Chester County to be swallowed by rampant development . And well here we are, with a story in The Daily Local about one of the kings of plastic houses, Toll Brothers.

The long and short of it is, now I know what that itty bitty zoning notice was about on Little Connestoga Road that I saw within the past few months.

How saddened am I by this news?  A lot, actually.  Among other things, although I don’t know Chester County really well yet, I think this is proposed rather close to the Byers Station Historic District. This is all being proposed in Upper Uwchlan, a municipality I know nothing about.

I am pretty sure when the hot air balloons landed on 9/11, they landed within a Toll Development – maybe even Byers Station.  It was a very Welcome to Stepford feeling with rows and rows of houses exactly the same.  From the air, they looked like Lego buildings.  The field we landed on had something to do with the development’s septic.  I don’t know much about this stuff, but that was what I was told when I asked why everything had a wafting odor of rotten eggs – you know that icky sulphur smell?

Anyway, I am very troubled by all this development.  Not just because once open space and agricultural-use land is gone, it’s gone, but also because Chester County is so very beautiful.

I don’t like plastic houses.  I don’t think developers should be allowed to continue to contort Chester County into a series of homogeneous plastic communities with no spirit, no soul, zero individuality.

Here’s the article I found today.  Below it is a very interesting one from the Inquirer in 1987 which talks about the Frame property now in play….when it was a cattle farm and they were worried about then proposed plastic house developments causing the farm to flood.

Again, this is all happening in Upper Uwchlan Township.  I guess Upper Uwchlan sees its future as being composed of 100% recycled plastic material?  Will they be substituting grass for Astroturf too?

When is enough development enough in Chester County? Where do communities draw the line?  What do you think about development in Chester County, especially in this economy?

What happens here is bog turtles are discovered? (And by all means, if you have seen bog turtles around here, by all means speak up!)

And based upon the article I found in the archives of the Philadelphia Inquirer, when did this Frame family go from their position back then of concern about development, to becoming part of the problem?

Toll Bros. wants to build 67 new homes

Sara Mosqueda-Fernandez

09/21/2012 – 11:55 AM EDT  Updated 09/21/2012 – 7:28 AM EDT

UPPER UWCHLAN – The Toll Brothers company is currently seeking a conditional use approval from township supervisors in their attempt to construct 67 new single-family homes on the Frame Property.

The conditional use would include use of the Flexible Open Space Design Option, and placing improvements within steep slopes to construct the dwellings.  The proposed site for the construction is located along Little Conestoga Road.

Plan For 183 Townhouse Units Is Presented To Commissioners

March 15, 1987|By Wendy Walker, Special to The Inquirer

sunday swapping

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S is for Sunday.

S is for Swapping.

I went swapping today.  I had this vintage country quilt and a vintage quilt topper I scored on Ebay a while back.  I decided I wasn’t digging the quilts and rather let them collect dust, I contacted Kris at Smithfield Barn to see if she might be interested in them. She and some of the ladies in her family are quilters.

She was.  So I mosied out today for a swap.

Love that barn, and I had fun!  Scored a vintage blue box purse (I have always had a vintage purse disease), a small tole tray, a couple more antique wooden spoons, and a Heisey jug.

Heisey is a depression glass that is a particular favorite of mine.  This jug I *think* is from the Colonial line, pattern named “Puritan” or “Wide Panel” or something.

A.H. Heisey & Co. closed in 1957. Heisey was a German immigrant who settled first in Pennsylvania, but the Heisey factory was actually in Ohio.

Heisey is to many the king of depression glass.  I always liked it for the clean lines. And the fact that a lot of it is clear like crystal.  I actually met an older gentleman and his wife years ago who were actual Heiseys.  I thought it was pretty cool and they thought it was cool what they termed a “young person” appreciated Heisey glass.

I am not suggesting to go to the Smithfield Barn to swap.  I just happened to know something that Kris likes …actually after speaking to her today I discovered she and I like a lot of similar vintage things. (Sigh,  I see years of trouble ahead….)

I think she said the barn is open next weekend.  If it is, I will post.

The Smithfield Barn is definitely the find of 2012.  I stalked it without going in during 2011, and discovered it in 2012.

And remember, if you love chestercountyramblings, please consider nominating this blog for a Blue Ribbon Blogger Award with Country Living Magazine.

the smithfield barn is OPEN this coming memorial day weekend

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The barn is going to be open again!

YAY! Treasure hunting at the Smithfield Barn!

My pals at Smithfield Barn sent me a note this afternoon:

Happy Memorial Weekend Everyone! 
For those of you who will be sticking around this weekend the barn will be open Fri, Sat, and Sun from 10-4.  We have new items since last week including a vintage baking hoosier cabinet, large hutch, and server, in addition to a variety of other exciting and new items!!  This will be our last sale until the end of June, so if you are around stop by, say Hi, and go home with a new treasure or two!!! 
                                                                 
Smithfield Barn    –      425 Little Conestoga Road

 

 

 

 

the barn! the barn! the barn is open this weekend!

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The barn! The barn!

So….as you know I am having this love affair with a dusty old barn on Little Conestoga Road .

It’s not fancy, but it’s full of cool stuff.  People who collect match box and other little cars like slot cars should check it out, for example.

From stem to stern it is filled with almost everything you can think of.  You have to be willing to dig and if it is not a bright day, it can be a little dim inside (bring a pocket flash light!), but oh it’s so much fun.

And guess what?  The barn has a name after all.  It is the Smithfield Barn and today they sent me a little note:

Hello Everyone!!  Just wanted to let you all know that the barn will be open this Fri Sat and Sun from 10-4 Rain or Shine!!!  We have  lots of new items to check out!!  Come stop by and find a new treasure or two!
                                                 Smithfield Barn
                                       425 Little Conestoga Road

 

Go check out the barn.  Even if you don’t find a treasure, it’s FUN!!!

 

 

antiques exploring….

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Down on Little Conestoga Road not so long after you pass through Eagle, there is a barn.  It’s an antiques barn I have been obsessed with discovering for over a year.

This past Saturday after months of closed barn doors, it was open. They aren’t quite ready for what the owner describes as their season, but they let us poke around.

I had so much fun.  It is packed to the gills with all sorts of stuff and I look forward to future exploration as it reminds me of a similar barn I stumbled upon in rural New Hampshire once upon a time.

I also look forward to exploring in MilkHouse in Glenmoore, although truthfully, the other barn just holds more interest and curiosity for me.