Route 353 Shop Hop
Route 353 Shop Hop
Kick Off Fall With a Little Shopping, September 21st
Photos / Various Route 353 Shop Owners
Bid farewell to summer and say hello to fall on Saturday, September 21st during the Route 353 Shop Hop! On the last day of summer, four different small businesses, all located along Route 353, are opening their doors and welcoming visitors to check out their beautiful assortment of gifts, décor, vintage items, and more. Stop at each shop and enter your punch card for a chance to win a gift basket filled with items from all four shops!
LUV Jam Pottery
Located at 4111 Center Street Extension, also known as Route 353, LUV Jam Pottery specializes in hand-built and wheel-thrown pottery made by owner Judy MacMillan. Shop Hop organizer Linda Welch said, “She usually has an assortment of bowls, trays, and mugs. For this ‘hop,’ she’ll also have ceramic pumpkins.” Whether they are hand or wheel-thrown pieces, no two are exactly alike! This is the perfect occasion for shopping for house-warming or wedding gifts, home décor, or just for fun. For more information, follow LUV JAM Pottery on Facebook or call 716-244-7926.
Rustic Originals
Rustic Originals is located at 5111 Route 353 in Salamanca, and there is something for everyone in this family-owned and operated gift shop. Just over the hill from Ellicottville, Rustic Originals, owned by Jodi Scanlon, has hand-crafted signs and décor, candles, Willow Tree figurines, Rada Cutlery, Melissa & Doug toys, dolls, specialty foods, and more. “She has a lot of cute signs with great sayings on them,” said Welch. “There’s just a lot of variety.” For more information and to see the many items Rustic Originals has to offer, follow the business on Facebook or call 716-257-2565.
The ShabBee Fox
The ShabBee Fox at 4205 Center Street Ext. (Route 353) in Salamanca is Welch’s own business. “I do painted furniture, repurposed pieces, soaps, and candles,” she said. “The business is in my barn, a big old cattle barn, so I also have a lot of vintage furniture that’s for sale, too.” Combining shabby and chic décor and gifts, the ShabBee Fox also carries seasonal décor, antiques, and jewelry. “My soaps are consigned by Chautauqua Soap Company, and she consigns some of her candles, as well,” Welch said of these popular shop items. For more information about the ShabBee Fox, contact Welch at 614-570-2732.
Weatherworn
Located at 4473 Route 353 in Salamanca, Weatherworn Home Décor & Gifts is owned by Jaimee Ebert, founder of the Shop Hop! Her charming “she-shed” is chock full of homemade and handcrafted items, with an emphasis on fall and Halloween! Home décor, hand-painted items, candles, pillows, engraved signs and more can be found in her cozy shop. “Jamiee was the first one to have her shop open for an event like this,” Welch explained. “And then as those of us opened other shops, it became the Shop Hop!” Visitors should note that while the Shop Hop is scheduled from 10:00 to 4:00pm, Weatherworn will only be open until 2:00pm on Saturday.
Be sure to bring your appetite, because Over The Coals BBQ truck will be serving food at Weatherworn beginning at 11:00am until sold out! Jaimee Ebert’s husband, Ed, is chef and owner of Over The Coals, and it’s the perfect place to stop and enjoy lunch when you’re out and about during the Shop Hop. The business has plenty of parking, too.
Regardless of where visitors get started, they can pick up a punch card from the shop owner. Once they visit each participating shop, visitors’ completed cards can be entered into a drawing for a gift basket full of items from all four businesses. Due to the location and relative proximity of all four businesses, Welch said that visiting all of them is very easy to do. “I would say, safely, that we’re all located along a six-to-seven-mile span on Route 353,” she said. Stay tuned for details about the annual Holiday Shop Hop, when these Route 353 businesses will invite visitors to prepare for the gift-giving season!