by Jessica Weible
Located along route 36 north in Clarington, Through the Woods has quickly grown into a destination for both locals and travelers looking to browse collections of local antiques and handmade goods.
Three years ago, owners Josh and Ashley Thorpe opened the store, which includes two buildings full of their own antiques for sale, as well as space that other vendors can rent. Though they had experience in the antique business, they both say they started with modest expectations.
“We started with Mack’s Shack, our original vendor, and one or two others,” Ashley said. “We were happy with that. Then people started approaching us. Now we have a waiting list. We are out of space.”
While Through the Woods offers a large assortment of local antiques dated all the way from the late 1800s to a few 1990s collectibles, several vendors are local people looking to sell their handmade goods. The store offers Sam Hill Coffee Company, Simple Goods’ lavender neck and body pillows, Susy Bee’s handmade soaps, Wicks and Knits handmade candles, Farm Fresh Stitches needlepoint, Flaherty’s Maple Products, and The Watershed Journal literary magazine featuring local artists, photographers, writers and poets.
With nearly 30 vendors currently represented at Through the Woods, Ashley added that they are grateful for the variety and quality of what the store can offer. “That’s part of what is making this so successful,” she said. “It’s not just us. We have been so fortunate to have so many amazing vendors.”
“Whenever we got this place, we decided we were being blessed with it, so it wasn’t going to be just for us,” Ashley explained. “This place is something we have to share with the community and share with our vendors. If we had the ability to help, then that’s what we were going to do.”
Both Ashley and Josh say they have a deep connection to the Cook Forest area where they make their home and business. Josh started out coming as a kid going to his grandfather’s camp in Cook Forest. He enjoyed the outdoor recreation opportunities and making memories with his family, going to flea markets and auctions in the area. Now, living in the area, he says he has a whole new appreciation for it.
“As a kid, it was more about going to camp and it was a nice change from home, with the woods and the outdoor aspect,” he said. “Now I live here and I’ve gotten to know that there are a lot of good people here.”
Ashley moved here from a town near Erie and says she was surprised when she immediately fell in love with the community. “Moving out here– there’s no cell phone service, it’s very remote– I did not think I would love it, but I do. Now, I would never live anywhere else. I don’t know if I can put into words what it is about this place. It is a sense of community. It’s like a family.”
According to Josh, the same is true for their customers, who often return to the area after visiting or living there for even a short time. “Our last customer was from Baltimore,” Josh said. “Her mom has been coming here since she was a baby. People are still coming to the area. That tie stays.”
Josh and Ashley say they hope to be able to find more ways, as the business grows, to be able to bring more opportunities for community engagement at Through the Woods. In particular, they have been trying to get a farmer’s market going and they say they would love to put in a pumpkin patch.
As a business owner, Ashley emphasized the importance of supporting other small businesses in the community. “If you want these small mom and pop businesses to stay, you have to shop at them,” she said. “We buy all of our milk and regular staples from Truman’s in Sigel. I don’t even notice if its a couple cents more, but we want them to stay, so we are going to support them.”
They couple agrees that they would be happy to see more small businesses starting up in the area, adding to an already vibrant rural area. “There are new businesses opening and thriving,” Josh said. “If we can get people to continue and open businesses, people will come.”
