Turning trash into treasure

NEW HARTFORD — On Saturday, March 4, The Hurley Business Park welcomed its newest store, Poppi Vernon Farmhouse.

The store is owned by Elizabeth Gray, who opened her doors to her first customers last weekend.

The store is jam packed with handmade household statement pieces and repurposed treasures.

“The store is very hard to describe,” Gray said. “I describe it as eclectic, reclaimed and repurposed. Nothing is ever the same in here.” 

At the store, Gray fills custom ordering for items such as handmade signs.

“I do custom ordering if you are looking for a particular estate piece or just something fabulous and unusual,” she said. “I look at everything before it goes in the trash, because I still feel like it has a purpose. I dig out the broken rake and take the rake head and put that on and make it a jewelry holder.”

A long time flea market vendor and artist, Gray has accumulated a statewide following at markets, such as the Elephant’s Trunk in Enfield. Gray said she has dreamed of owning her own shop for over 25 years.

“I quit working for a corporation because I was absolutely miserable there, and I hit middle age,” Gray said. ”This is my one-year experiment. I found this building by chance and just fell in love with the space. It all came together.”

Beside housewares, Poppi Vernon has plants and one-of-a-kind gifts. “If you are looking for anything that is going to give your house a little spot of interest, something where there’s a blank canvas, or if you are a new homeowner and you need to fill your house up with some special pieces, then this store is for you,” Gray said. 

The store is open on Tuesdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. For more information, call 860-519-4000.