Our Main Antique Showroom

Our Main Antique Showroom
Housed in Post Civil War Era Barn

Welcome, Ohio Travelers!

Planning a trip to Ohio Amish country? A stop at our family-owned shop, Spies Farms Antiques, in Dover, Ohio is a must. When you see our two big showrooms of one-of-a-kind antiques, you'll be sure to find special yet affordable treasures that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. Your friends will wonder where you found unique, well-made pieces like these for such a good value. Items we frequently have in stock include antique solid wood tables (e.g. harvest, dining, library, etc.), various styles of antique wooden chairs, antique sideboards, dressers and chests of drawers, antique store counters, antique shutters, doors and mirrors, enamelware and other old-time kitchen items, as well as rustic accents such as lanterns, coal buckets and old farming tools. Our family constantly searches throughout Ohio Amish country, selecting and procuring unusual, rare finds – virtual “buried treasures” that have often been tucked away for over a century.

Our main antique shop is housed in our old barn (built in the 1800s) which has been in our family for 4 generations. The post Civil War barn is in its original state, with beams made from hand-hewn logs – it even contains some wooden nails, so the shop itself is something to see. Don’t miss our auxiliary building which holds some of the larger furniture items plus unusual finds like antique rug looms, work benches and cider presses. The newest addition to Spies Farms Antiques is our authentic log cabin, originally built in southern Tuscarawas County, which our family “rescued” and painstakingly moved and rebuilt, log by hand-hewn log, near the main antique showrooms. When you visit, take a peek inside the cabin at the old-style chinking in the log walls, the restored original wooden floors on both the ground floor and the second floor loft, and the working stone fireplace that we rebuilt by hand with stones from local farm fields.

Getting to Spies Farms Antiques is easy – we’re located at 2694 State Route 39, about 1 mile west of the Interstate 77 Dover exit, heading towards the heart of Ohio Amish country e.g. Sugarcreek, Walnut Creek, Berlin and Millersburg. (Note: Ohio is home to the largest Amish/Mennonite population in the entire world). Our hours are: March - September and November: Thurs., Fri. & Sat. 8:00 - 5:30, and by appointment. October: Mon. - Sat. 8:00 - 5:30.  December - February, open as weather permits.

Many of our customers seem to think we’re worth a repeat visit – we regularly have visitors to Spies Farms Antiques from across the nation, all the way from Washington State to Florida to Texas and everywhere in between – plus Canada, so we think they must appreciate both our wide selection of antiques as well as the friendly conversation and our “insider” advice on local attractions.  Especially in these times of high gas prices, we know you want to make your trip to Ohio Amish country as memorable and worthwhile as possible, so check this site often; we'll be offering our suggestions for other interesting places and events in the local area, plus updates from the antique shop.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Anticipating Autumn

There’s nothing like the beginning of the school year to send young mothers dancing in the streets – or at least planning what they will do with a few hours to call their own. One mom told me that she can now have two or three connected thoughts without being interrupted!

If you need a break now that Fall is finally here, why not plan a little day trip to Amish Country with some of your friends. The weather is cooler, the colors are beginning to change, and all the shops – including ours – are loaded with all kinds of unique items to use in transforming your home décor from summer to the fall season. We have lots of boxes, crocks, jars, enamel ware, all of which can be used with golden rod, leaves, cat tails – all of nature’s bounty that is quite plentiful and just yours for the taking along many country roads. You could even take the kids along on a nature hike and enjoy the beautiful weather. The lower humidity of crisp, fall days is a welcome treat after the long, hot summer that we’ve had.

In addition to being open on the weekends from Thursday through Saturday, we’ve expanded our hours to include Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. since many travelers come to Amish Country when the shops are not as crowded. If you happen to pick up some cider and want to make it extra tasty, try this recipe for…

Hot Mulled Cider

Combine 16 whole cloves – 2 sticks (broken) cinnamon – 1 teaspoon whole allspice in cloth bag and tie it shut

Put 2 quarts Apple Cider into large kettle and add – ½ Cup Brown Sugar

Bring to boil – add Spice Bag and simmer for 15 Minutes

Remove spices

Keep lot in Crock Pot, Serve hot garnished with orange slices

Monday, March 15, 2010

Time On My Hands

Do any of you have a lot of “time on your hands”? If you are like most people these days, probably not. Even though some of you are retired, you may be busier now than when you were working a regular job. It seems everything we do is related in some way to “time” and that’s one reason why we switched the to daylight savings time, so that we have extra “time” to enjoy more outside activities as the weather gets warmer.
Here at Spies Farm Antiques we have been surrounded by that white stuff called snow and Grandpa Spies, the guy in charge of our furniture inventory, has been spending a lot of time in his workshop making corn-hole games and some unique benches. These items are on display now that we are open every weekend. We’ve also acquired several oak sideboards with mirrors from the 1920’s which are very popular right now.
I’ve been putting in my time by sorting through a mountain of recipes I’ve collected for a few to use in the family cookbook I’m compiling. Here’s one that takes a lot of time since it cooks all night.......

Slo-Good Roast Beef

Buy a 10-pound beef roast when it’s on sale – here that’s usually around $2.00 per pound. Rub the top and sides of the roast with one Tablespoon Lemon and Pepper Seasoning.
Place in large Dutch Oven deep enough so that the roast is lower than the top of the pan. Pour in water to a depth of ½ inch in the bottom of the pan.
Using heavy-duty foil, cover and tightly seal the top of the pan. Place the lid on top of the foil. Put in the oven on the lowest rack and cook all night at 250° degrees for 10 – 12 hours. Check only if your smoke alarm goes off! When done, the pan will have lots of broth. Chill this liquid to remove the fat easily.
Chop or shred the meat, add broth and freeze in containers for quick and easy meals when you’re short on “time”.

We’d love to have you take some time and plan a trip to Amish country. Be sure to stop by and check out what‘s new in our “Antiques and Stuff” barns. If you have questions concerning the times we’ll be open, just give us a call at 330-343-8358. We look forward to seeing you in the near future.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Winter-The Pause That Refreshes

As I sit in my kitchen on this typical winter day and gaze on the surrounding picturesque rolling hills covered with glistening snow, I can readily understand why so many people come to this part of Ohio to visit. Those of us who live here often take the beauty of the landscape for granted, but we certainly are blessed, no matter what the season. Each presents its own unique gifts for us to enjoy.
Although there are no “roses to smell” as yet, the aroma of wood burning in the fireplace brings to mind scenes of olden times gone by, at least for me. What is your favorite part of the winter season? Pause and be refreshed by the smell of freshly baked bread, the laughter of children playing in the snow, or dozens of other treasures right at our doorsteps.
As winter days lengthen and spring beckons, the doors of our “Antique Barn” will once again be open for you to stop by and see what’s new. We are always out and about looking for gems that our customers are delighted to find here. If there is something in particular that you are looking for, just give us a call. If we don’t have it, we will try to find it for you. Pictured at the left are some items which are available now. Just contact us via e-mail or give us a call at 330-343-8358.