Caledonia Argus

Caledonia Variety Store lives up to its name

Posted: 9/16/03

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

Thereís really nothing else you could call the newly opened Caledonia Variety Store. With a combination of consignment clothes and furniture, crafts, dollar store items and furniture, ìvarietyî pretty much sums up the offerings at South Kingston.

Barb Twite and Duane Strub are the owners of the store, which opened after two monthís of remodeling. The building was most recently home to Rochester Fruit, and before that was The Wise Choice cafe for many years.

Twite came up with the idea for the store taking a little bit of the things she likes: rummage sales, dollar stores and crafts.

The consignment items include clothes, and there is a very nice selection, Twite noted. She said she noticed a lot of school kids shopping for back-to-school. Many items are new or like new. She has 37 consignors, which helps her keep the shelves fully stocked.

The main part of the store features a wide variety of items for just a dollar. There is an aisle dedicated to novelty items for kids, and there are health and beauty aids, kitchen utensils, cleaning products, and decorative items to choose from.

Twite says her favorite room is the craft room. She can take credit for the atmosphere there, since she is the creator of the scented candles and soaps that provide an inviting aroma. She has been making candles for about three years and most come in miniature jelly jars. Sheíll give a free candle to anyone who returns three jars. The fragrances range from floral and spice to those that smell good enough to eat, like melon and apple pie.

Twiteís handmade soaps come in several fragrances, and together with the candles, they are popular items for gift baskets at Christmas time.

At the very back of the store, there is used furniture for sale. One unique item recently offered was a ìcowboy bath tub,î a long, galvanized tub used to wash off the trail dust after a long ride.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. An open house is being planned for the fall foliage festival.

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