exploring Penn Yan

One of the perks of opening up the vintage shop is stocking it with finds from the region. Sometimes with Travis and the baby, and sometimes with just the baby, I've been making day-long circuits to scope out the thrift stores in the area. First I pick a general direction that I plan to drive, conduct a little internet research to see what's out there, and then I connect a circuit that includes 5 or 6 stops in a couple towns. It's been a blast to explore upstate New York, which is full of small villages, each with their own distinctive feel and history.

One of the circuits I took with Travis went around a Finger Lake and ended with a pass through Penn Yan. I was excited to visit Penn Yan because Travis had mentioned it was in the middle of Mennonite country. Apparently, the area is experiencing a Mennonite population growth that has made the town noticeably more robust than the quiet villages that we had been seeing. It was also rather gritty in feel, with an abandoned factory, ominous warning signs, and an overgrown elevated railroad track with rotted-through wood that made it treacherous to navigate. In the window of one shop was hand-lettered apocalyptic sermons.

We did see some Mennonite folks--a stern-faced older couple traveling by horse and buggy, and a group of young women in colorful dresses riding bicycles (to my satisfaction, I've been stocking my shop with similar dresses).

We also found the thrift shop we were looking for, and I scooped up a cute sweater with a row of hearts across the chest. Afterward, we ate lunch at an old railroad car turned diner and sampled some yummy hand-churned ice cream in one of the downtown shops. All in all, it was a really fun outing that we might not have made but for the excuse of scouting thrift shops. So even if my vintage store endeavor doesn't pan out, I think that the fun of learning new things and exploring a new region (to me, since I've only lived here about a year) will make it worthwhile, regardless.