|
|
|
Spotlight on business: Lewis County Tack Shop / Riddles & Rhymes
|
By MARLA TONCRAY, News Editor
|
LEWIS COUNTY TACK SHOP:
BURTONVILLE -- If you are not familiar with the Burtonville area of Lewis County, but are in need of new or repaired tack for your horses or having the strap on your favorite leather purse repaired, a stop at John Miller's Lewis County Tack Shop may be worth the drive.
John and his family moved to Burtonville from Fleming County two and a half years ago and in August, 2007, John opened his tack shop, which sells hand-made Amish trail saddles, bridles, harness, breast collars, riding chaps and other products for horses and riders.
Other leather products and repairs also offered at the shop include belts, wallets, purses and even dog collars.
"Pretty well anything with leather," John said, referring to the products and services offered from his shop.
Having been in the tack business for the last 10 years, John's knowledge of the horse industry goes back to his father, Mose Miller and uncle, Eli Miller. Mose Miller owns Miller's Wholesale Harness in Columbia, and his uncle, Eli created a line of trail riding saddles under the business name of Miller Saddle, also of Columbia.
Today, John's brother Eli creates the custom-made, hand tooled trail riding saddles begun by their uncle Eli from his own shop in Pennsylvania.
John said one unique feature of a Miller Saddle is its flex-tree construction, which provides a better fit to a horse's back and a more comfortable ride because the design gives with the horse's movements.
Not all of the saddles in John's shop are equipped with the flex-tree design, but each saddle is made for trail riding and built to last "a long, long time," John said, noting he also sells mule saddles.
Lewis County Tack Shop also takes custom orders for saddles, if customers can't find what they need from his existing inventory, which receives new saddles from Pennsylvania each month.
Because John offers other hand-crafted leather products, he is always on the watch for leather tools, which he said are sometimes hard to find or the cost is to high. John said some of his best purchases of things like leather tooling/stamping tools are found at yard sales and flea markets or when another tack shop is going out of business. He told one story of buying 500 stamping tools from a man in Pennsylvania for $1,000, but said the quality of the tools was worth it.
He found a leather splitter at a yard sale in Mount Sterling that had never been used and had a value of $600.
"He said $12 and I paid him real quick," John said, pleased with the piece of equipment needed to help his business grow.
"It takes a lot of tools," said John of his trade.
Being one of eight sons in a family of 16 children, John and all of his brothers are involved in the tack business in one form or another, following in their father's and uncle's footsteps, crafting and designing custom leather tack and saddles.
Lewis County Tack Shop is located at 11410 Salt Lick Road (Kentucky 989) in Burtonville. Business hours are Monday thru Saturday "from sun up to sundown," closed Sundays and holidays.
RIDDLES & RHYMES:
ABERDEEN, Ohio -- When Tangela Taylor received her masters degree in early childhood care and education from the University of Cincinnati in 2004, she didn't know then her future would include operating two childhood care and education centers.
With 10 years of experience working in day care environments and now as the owner and director of Riddles and Rhymes Early Childhood Care and Education Center in Aberdeen and Manchester, Tangela has taken her experience as a mother of a special needs child to her work in an effort to help others.
Tangela said her third child was born with a condition known as hydrocephalus, which caused excess fluid to form on the brain due to a blockage between the third and fourth ventricles. The condition can cause impairment of motor skills and learning disabilities if not treated properly.
Once her child's condition was diagnosed, Tangela worked with her son daily and weekly through early intervention programs focused upon cognitive stimulation and motor skills, and utilized her knowledge as a day care and early education provider to help him prepare for enrollment in school.
"I was learning by working with him," Tangela said.
Her experience as a day care employee also made her realize she wanted to provide more to the families of children enrolled in the center than just baby-sitting services while they were at work.
With that goal in mind, Riddles and Rhymes accepts children into their program from infants up to 12 year olds, with a focus on early childhood learning for children ages 3 to 5 years through the state of Ohio's Early Learning Initiative program.
Tangela said the program is designed for children in day care to get educational benefits before enrolling in kindergarten and can also help day care providers and parents recognize learning disabilities in children at an early age.
The ELI program also has information and services available to the entire family, not just the child, which can help with things like family counseling, obtaining a GED, after school programs, how to be an involved parent with your child's school and more.
"We don't just serve the child, we serve the entire family," Tangela said of the programs offered at Riddles and Rhymes.
After nine months, the Riddles and Rhymes Aberdeen location has reached its maximum enrollment of 30 children, but Tangela is already working with the village of Aberdeen council members to expand into a third building on the property of the former Aberdeen School.
If the building is secured, it will be used as a classroom for children ages 6 to 12 years and will enable the center to expand its enrollment.
In addition to the ELI program, Tangela provides breakfast, lunch and a snack for the children through the state's child and adult care food program, a savings realized by families enrolled in the center.
Working with her sister Tracy, the Manchester location opened in 2005, followed by the Aberdeen location in 2007. Tangela credits their success to being able to care for children of all ages, the ELI program, the staff at both locations and community support.
"I think I've got the best job in the world," Tangela said.
Riddles and Rhymes Early Childhood Care and Education Center is located at 99 1/2 Main Cross Street, Aberdeen, Ohio; telephone number 937-795-2311 and 418 East Second Street, Manchester; telephone number 937-549-8000. Business hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday thru Friday. |
|
|
Reader Comments
Comments are limited to 200 words or less.
Add your own comments:
|
Copyright © 2008 Maysville Newspapers, Inc., A Lee Enterprises Publication
This site is protected by applicable copyright laws and no part may be reproduced, transmitted or used in any way other than its intended purpose without the prior written permission of The Ledger Independent. Click here to view The Ledger Independent's privacy policy. |
|
|
Jobs
Homes
Cars