A Crafty Success

By Corinne Minard

Eloise Drenner is a perfect example of the accidental businesswoman. She did not start making crafts to sell them. And she did not start selling them in hopes of one day owning a store. While she did not originally plan to own a business, she’s been the owner of Weaving Stitches (a peculiar mix of home décor store and handmade craft shop) for almost 15 years and doesn’t see that ending any time soon. “It’s pretty much my baby,” she says.

Eloise started this crafting venture by making items she loved. “I’ve always sewn and I just started making baskets,” says Eloise. While she started making baskets and stuffed creatures for the fun of it, she eventually found herself selling them at craft shows as well. Soon, she was behind a table every weekend. Eloise says, “My house was getting so full of product that I needed to get out of my house and into a store.”

To make room for her expanding business, Eloise opened her own storefront to sell her crafts. To keep up with demand, Eloise began buying from other vendors. Along with her work, she sold painted signs, dishes, candles and other forms of home décor. “It took 10 years. It wasn’t something that happened overnight. It was mostly gift items to start with and then I got really interested in home décor, enough to start helping people decorate their houses,” Eloise says.

She would eventually move to two other locations and cut shows from her schedule completely to keep up with the business. When she moved to the current location and its 4000-square-foot showroom, she asked herself what was more important: her crafts or the business. She says, “I asked God, ‘What do you want from me? What’s your purpose for me?’” Eloise found that she wanted to be able to spend more time helping customers and stopped making her own product completely.

What started as a platform for Eloise’s crafts has instead become a store that lets Eloise help people design their homes. “I love to decorate,” she says, and she loves to show people different ways to do it. The store is divided into sections and each section is filled with displays. Using furniture she’s bought from others as display pieces, she’s worked to fill the store with different examples of what their home could be.

A friendly woman who smiles while she speaks, Eloise uses her approachability to help her customers. “I want to be able to read you and know what you like, not just trying to push my product, but listen to you and know what you like and please you because if I don’t please you to start with, you won’t come back. So I listen real hard to what you like and try to get on your page,” says Eloise.

She works to keep the place homey. With the antique furniture, the oldies music and the staff that has been with her for years, she works to keep the place a reflection of herself. “This is where I can show people who I am and who I am through God. I believe God gave me this place ... and he wants me to let my light shine so you can see God through me. That’s what I believe my purpose is here,” she says.

The Buffington Island Battle

by Shane Holtzman

The fight of Buffington Island was fought in what is now called Portland, Ohio, and left 53 men dead as the memorial on the island states. It was a minor affair, a skirmish at best. The Battle of Buffington Island is the only Civil War battle fought in Ohio, making this site a prime place to visit for Civil War buffs.

As a Civil War enthusiast, the Meigs County memorial to the Buffington battle is a must see. The simple fact that Ohio is a part of Civil War history is astonishing. I had never heard of this battle, surprised me because I grew up in Ohio and have a proclivity for history.

The Battle of Buffington Island was fought by around only 14,000 men. It was miniscule compared to the Battle of Gettysburg, in which a staggering 163,000 men entered combat. However, despite the seemingly insignificant nature of the Buffington Island Battle, it is unique in that it contained three future Presidents of the US, which were James Garfield, Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley. A single skirmish involving three presidents is a steep claim for any Civil War battle.

There are four acres of preserved battlefield in Portland, Ohio, which is operated by the Ohio Historical Society. The Park to preserve the Battlefield of Buffington Island contains battle monuments, an Indian burial ground, and a pair of interpretive markers. Even though the four-acre park does preserve a very specific part of the battlefield, the entire 600-acre battlefield is in danger of coming under construction. This possible construction would turn the majority of the battlefield into a cement lot, which would make the re-enactments of the battle slightly less realistic.

Every spring, people from around Athens County and around the state of Ohio gather on the narrow field, barren of trees stretching along the flood plain of the Ohio River, to re-enact the battle. It smells old. A stiff breeze blows the topsoil off the field and I wonder if that’s the same dirt from 100 years ago. The memorial contains pictures of past re-enactments, even pictures of those portraying the three Presidents. These men were the lucky ones, the pretend future Presidents. From the pictures, the men look authentic, prideful, and even maintain certain nostalgia reminiscent of the real battle.

The Buffington Island memorial is not just for Civil War aficionados, but is a place that will allow the younger and older generation to connect with history.

Wildhorse Cafe

by Danielle Kees

Nestled on the banks of the Ohio River in Pomeroy I was able to find a spicy surprise in the form of a Southwestern-themed restaurant called The Wild Horse Café (www.thewildhorsecafe.net). The restaurant boasts about its great atmosphere, with space for large gatherings as well as intimate booths perfect for parties less than four people.

Before I was even able to visit The Wild Horse, I took a gander at the food options listed on the restaurant’s Web site. Burgers, pasta with Alfredo, pulled barbeque pork, and quesadillas were all listed on the menu. But the truly intriguing menu options were labeled with an icon of a bucking horse to symbolize the food with an extra “spicy kick.”

When I finally arrived at The Wild Horse Cafe, I was hungry and, boy, was I glad when the waitress brought a basket of chips with chunky mild salsa to my table. I was able to munch on the snack while I chose my meal. Before I arrived I fully anticipated on getting one of the “spicy kick” meals, but, alas, the Favorite Burger with a side of wedge fries was my final choice.

While I waited for my burger and fries, I was able to take a look around the restaurant. Cattle horns, stuffed deer heads, chaps, boots and a plethora of other Western-themed objects hung around the dining room. The Wild Horse’s web site didn’t lie about the restaurant having a great atmosphere. There were several families seated at large round tables and smaller parties looked comfortable in the booths along one side of the dining room. Opposite the booths, there was a wall of windows, which offer panoramic views of the Ohio River.

Just as I started to admire the views from my seat, the waitress brought out my burger and fries. I’m no food connoisseur, but this food was delicious and there was a lot of it. The wedge fries were hot and golden. The burger was juicy and, for an extra 50 cents, cheesy. To top it off, my bill was under $10!

All in all, I was very content with my visit to The Wild Horse Café: the service was good, the atmosphere relaxed, the food was tasty, and I left with a full stomach and a (slightly less) full wallet.

Bun’s Party Barn

BY Gloria Lomeli

Along Main Street in Pomeroy, Ohio, sits Bun’s Party Barn, along the other side flows the Ohio River.

Buns Party Barn, originally a carry-out opened in September 2005 by David Averion, now includes a deli, a specialty wine shop, a bakery, and an enclosed patio for customers to meet, socialize and dine.

With a “great view of the river,” says Averion, Bun’s Party Barn is great place to enjoy the Southeast Ohio community and a great meal.

So, how did the name Bun’s Party Barn come to be?

Averion says, he and his wife came up with a list of 50 names, and one night an idea came to him. It was his wife’s nickname, Bun-Bun, given to her by her father when she was younger. Averion woke up that night and immediately wrote down, Bun’s Party Barn, and it stuck.

As for the horse barn architecture, well that was intentional. The couple looked through the plans and worked with contractors to find a style that fit their business’ name.

Bun’s Party Barn offers many specials, such as Thursday Night Wing Night, which includes their locally recognized house sauces: Honey, Hickory, Hot, Hotter than Hot, and last but not least Burn the Barn Down Hot that Averion says can only be handled by a few, brave people.

“We had a guy come in yesterday and tried our Burn the Barn Down Hot wings and he left here crying,” says Averion.

In addition to hot wings, the business has daily specials. The Italian Sub is the number one seller, with the pulled pork sandwich a close second. Other favorite dishes include the Antipasta Salad and bakery sweets. Averion recommends you order ahead of time, and to help you with your decision the menu can be viewed on their Web site, www.bunspartybarn.com.

The community atmosphere around the shop comes to life when the weather warms. Starting in April, every Thursday evening Bun’s Party Barn holds corn hole tournaments and people from all over the area come to play. Every second Saturday of the month, a bigger corn hole tournament is held. People form teams for $20, and all the money goes to the first, second and third place contestants.