A new home for Country Traditions will eventually allow owners Chad and Angie Turner to increase the wooden gift items they can offer.
But first they need to catch up on filling several cornhole orders.
Cornhole games, thats what everybody seems to want, Angie Turner chuckled, referring to the popular lawn games. Thats about all weve been working on since weve moved.
Once those orders are filled, the Turners have big plans for their roomy environs at 115 W. Madison Ave.
In addition to a significantly larger showroom than their old store, the Turners also have a large workroom in the back.
That means they can create their crafts on site, Chad Turner noted.
Well be selling bigger things, furniture, dining room tables, things like that, Angie Turner added.
The move is the first of two expected in the 100 block of West Madison this year.
Around the Corner, Iolas downtown coffee shop, will move into the old Country Traditions site at 102 S. Washington Ave. sometime this fall.
The Turners stayed open in both locations until they could complete their move in May.
Prior to that, the Turners had to take care of a number of renovations to their new location.
A coat of plaster covering the west wall was removed entirely, leaving underlying brick exposed. (The Turners were so pleased with the look, they kept it.)
We had to get the building up to code, Chad Turner said, most prominently replacing the front door. Because the old door opens inward, it must remain open until the new door arrives later this month.
Upgrading the building also revealed a bit of the structures history.
While clearing the plaster, the Turners found an old Iola High School graduation announcement that had apparently slipped through a crack in the wall in an upstairs apartment and sat undisturbed for more than a century.
The announcement, still in pristine condition, invites the recipient to the commencement ceremony on behalf of Blanche Thompson dated 1904.
