The first event of the newly reimagined Shops at Sandstone Village “Fabulous and Affordable Finds” went off without a hitch despite a slight drizzle March 25 as they welcomed back hundreds of visitors to their 763 Milan Ave. location.
The village, owned and maintained by the Amherst Historical Society, has sat as a fixture for the town since it first opened alongside the Historical Society in 1973. Since then, the village has continued to be refurbished to bring guests a glimpse of life in Amherst from the 1840s to modern day.
During the sale on March 25, guests were able to tour the village and to explore the different storefronts and locations including original buildings that have sat on the property since the 1880s.
According to Deanna Houston, office manager for the Historical Society, “The turnout has been so far so good. We have been moving furniture all morning and people have been exploring what the village has to offer.
Some of the more popular spots along the tour of the village include live blacksmith demonstrations put on by local resident Joe Fought and his son William.
“I began doing this with my dad a little over a year ago”, said William Fought. “It has been very fun to learn how to make things and also know that this skill will help me survive in the wild if I need to”.
As for the sale, various items were available for guests to peruse ranging from lampshades to complete living room sets.
“It’s our biggest fundraising event,” says Sandy Kaiser, director of the Amherst Historical Society. “Each week during the sale we have new items arriving and guests always find something wonderful to take home.”
The Historical society also hinted at what’s to come next at the village. According to Elizabeth Fought, a member of the society, “We are planning on eventually selling some of our items made here in the village like woodworking, wool and blacksmith products and beeswax candles.”
Fought, alongside giving tours of the various buildings, also showed guests how wool was made during the late 1800s and early 1900s in homes such as the Harris Dute House.
“We are trying to bring more trades to the historical society and so I recently have taken up wool making. It is a long, but very rewarding process and is quite interesting as well,” she said.
The next sale opens on April 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the village. For more information on the village and the historical society itself, visit www.amhersthistoricalsociety.org.
