The only problem with taking a Monday off is Tuesday. We took the day off for no particular reason other than to shake up the routine, and that we did. While we were in Chatham I had picked up a promotional postcard for a shop called Crazy 8 Barn on Hwy 3 in Palmyra which is about two-thirds of the way to Chatham from London. We considered stopping in on our way home on Sunday but the shop didn’t open until 11 and we would have had to wait for it to open. No thanks. Weekend minutes have too much value for that. Instead, we made it a motorcycle ride on Monday.
The Barn is the realization of a dream. The owner, a woman who owned a landscape company, purchased the barn on its original site, dismantled it and stored it in a trailer. It took about eight years to find the right property but when she did, reconstruction began. It took the better part of a year to reassemble the eight-sided barn and shore up the places where time (and in the lower level, manure) had taken its toll.
It’s spectacular. The “new” flooring and beams are from another barn in Illinois. Everything is done with such care and it’s really gorgeous. The owner has sold her landscape company and this is what she does. Inside there’s a cafe and all sorts of stuff for sale including milk paint, gardening tools and plant starters, clocks, mugs, artwork and more. I bought a hummingbird feeder and some red pepper jelly. We watched her use a reclaimed hydro pole with several extensions to open a couple of windows at the very top. It was a delicate operation!
I knew from reading the story that this was a place I would love. “I could see you owning a place like this”, said Derek. So could I.
Crazy 8 Barn, 14226 Talbot Trail (Old Hwy #3), Palmyra ON. If you’d like to know more, visit their website HERE.