In the Marketplace

In the Marketplace By Lisa Melillo, photo by Dan Epstein WHERE THE ORDINARY IS EXTRAORDINARY G y p s y Farmhouse Offers Exotic, Vibrant, Funky Furniture G ypsy. e word evokes a nomadic, devil-may-care sensibility…an exciting world filled with vibrant color. One visit to Gypsy Farmhouse and you'll understand why the name is so fitting: it's a lively, carefree place where standard rules need not apply. "Like gypsies, I buy and sell whatever I like," explains owner Patty Cain. "And I've always liked the unusual." What can you find there? Ten rooms of eclectic, unique furniture, decorative objects, reclaimed architectural finds, and Cain's unmatched creativity, knowledge, and inspiration to guide you. Her specialty: creating custom-made rustic furniture out of 1800s reclaimed barnwood, culled from Amish and Mennonite farms in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. (Cain herself is a native of Lancaster, the oldest inland city in America.) She partners with Lancaster-area master craftsmen to create pieces bursting with character, beauty, and distinction. " e wood is just gorgeous, and the furniture is all handmade, hand- finished, and hand-waxed," she notes. e spectacular antique farm tables on display provide inspiration to create your own: choose the size, style, thickness, leg style, and finish. Cain also specializes in handmade chairs in several styles that can be finished to match the farm tables. Other custom pieces include hutches, vanities, sideboards, coffee tables—even kitchen islands. If you need something right away, peruse her large selection of lovely ready-made barnwood pieces, and stunning antiques imported from Morocco, China, and Turkey. Every twist and turn of this unique space brings a new discovery, including a cornucopia of Lancaster architectural salvage: antique barn and stable doors, benches, fences, columns, porch posts, ladders, shutters, trunks, boxes, and hardware—even wooden outhouses that are reincarnated as potting sheds or pool cabanas, and hand-hewn barn beams that Cain transforms into striking fireplace mantels. She's also on the forefront of a hot new cat- egory: industrial antiques. Barnwood coffee and other tables are topped with iron grilles. She also converts antique factory carts into kitchen islands. Rounding out the shop are decorative accessories—unique and whimsical, old and new— from all over the world. "We have a mix of beautiful things," Cain says, "and a lot of humor and creative combinations." Cain has been thinking creatively all her life; she once ran a novelty business that sold, among other items, owls painted onto driftwood. As she speaks, her son Josh, the shop manager, chimes in: "When I was growing up, our house was incredibly eclectic." If you shop at Gypsy Farmhouse, there's no doubt your home will be eclectic, too—and you just might catch some of that fun and funky gypsy spirit along the way.  Gypsy Farmhouse 106 Pompton Avenue, Route 23, Cedar Grove 973-239-9886 October 2009 VicinityMagazine.com 35

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