Elkhart Holiday Open Houses offer insight for those who shop on Small Business Saturday

[November 22, 2022]  

Over the past weekend, the downtown businesses in the Village of Elkhart hosted holiday open houses for shoppers. While the event was very well attended with several shoppers visiting The Station, Country Bumpkin, Birdsong and Horsefeathers, it also served as an opportunity to preview what is available when you shop this coming weekend on Small Business Saturday.





The first stop on Saturday was the Station, the newest retailer in the downtown area of Elkhart. For those who are unaware the Station is filled with Illinois made products. Those products range from cheeses and wines, fresh eggs and meats, to clothing, jewelry, and home décor.



The ladies behind the counter were enjoying a very good day and are looking forward to a wonderful shopping season.

Inside the store, shoppers were perusing the many offerings, while a couple of young ladies took the opportunity to sit a spell and the large antique table in the front of the building.



Moving on down the street to the Country Bumpkin, Gillette Ransom was busy on the phone taking reservations for the upcoming Christmas event at Gillette Chapel at the Elkhart Cemetery.

Between phone calls she was anxious to visit with guests arriving at the shop to check out her merchandise.



Some took advantage of the warm cider being offered by Ransoms helper. The ladies taking a sip of the cider agreed that on a very cold and windy day in Elkhart a warm beverage was certainly welcome.

The Country Bumpkin is a beautiful building that was carefully restored by Ransom and her husband. The contents inside the store are all antiques in a wide variety of eras and styles. From primitive farm tools to the finest of china, elegant glassware, and beautiful furniture items, the Country Bumpkin is a must stop store in Elkhart for those on your shopping list that enjoy collecting antiques of any variety.

Another stop on the same side of the street was Birdsong. This is one of those vintage stores where that truth be told, if they don’t have it, you may not have needed it as badly as you thought you did.





The store is packed and overflowing with a huge variety of vintage items from books to clothing, housewares, Christmas décor, glassware, stoneware and oh so very much more.

Shoppers were plentiful inside the store on Saturday and one in particular was all smiles as she stocked up on new items for her bird ceramic ware collection. Isn’t it fun to think that the shopper left Birdsong with a bird in hand, actually a couple of them.

On the other side of the street and at the other end of the street Horsefeathers and the Wild Hare Café were also busy. The café was open for lunch and several shoppers had timed their trip to town so they would be able to satisfy their hunger pangs at the popular little café.

In the store, there were also shoppers picking and choosing a wide variety of items from soaps and lotions to jewelry, greeting cards, local art, Amish food products and much more, the selection at the store is wonderful and they again have something for everyone in the small village of Elkhart.



The icing on the proverbial cupcake at Horsefeathers was the table filled with sweet treats courtesy of Peter Neuhaus, the owner of Horsefeathers along with his wife Andrea. Peter oversees the food in the café and has a knack for incorporating his Old World background into the menu.

On Saturday his brownies were heavenly, and the cinnamon rolls a sweet delight. Everyone who stopped in was immediately drawn to the table of treats and picked up something to much on as the shopped throughout the store.

If you love to shop local and shop with our wonderful small businesses in Logan County, the be all means, be sure to put a trip to Elkhart on your to do list this holiday season. We’re betting you won’t leave the town empty handed. We know we didn’t!

[Nila Smith]