Established in 1990 by Robert Merck and Richard Giger, the Historical Christmas Barn is celebrating over 20 years in business. Long time customers Gary and Jennifer Bean purchased the business from the original owners in July 2009 .
The Beans say that the economy and the way people shop has changed dramatically since they took over the Christmas Barn. They said that they find that people are looking for items of better quality and the majority of what they sell has great sentimental value for their shoppers.
Their premier line of ornaments is hand-made in Poland by Patricia Breen Designs. These ornaments are unrivaled in their detail and workmanship and are always made in extremely limited quantities. They are highly sought-after by collectors and are only sold by a dozen or so retailers in the United States. Americans Patricia and Eric Breen insist that their Krakow studio be environmentally conscious and free of harmful chemicals. Still packed in recycled cardboard boxes and hand-stamped with an original rubber stamp, these ornaments now range in price from $38 for the miniature eggs to approximately $220 for larger pieces. Most recently, Patricia’s styles have spanned every season in either enameled or glittered finishes. They are truly works of art.
Old World Christmas ornaments have always been part of The Historical Christmas Barn’s offerings. Founder Tim Merck (Bob Merck’s brother – see former owner) has created a huge variety of mouth blown glass ornaments designed to recall memories of Christmases past. They are affordable, nostalgic, quality glass ornaments and are wildly popular.
New for The Barn this year are Inge-glas – ornaments from Germany. The Historical Christmas Barn will be hosting Inge-glas’ own Thomas Ziesmer, Master Glass Blower, and 2nd generation IG glass blower who followed in his father’s footsteps working for Inge-Glas, on Sunday, November 13th for a glass blowing demonstration and celebration of this old world art form. Gary and Jennifer were drawn to these ornaments for their exceptional rich colors and their beautiful faces! Their favorites are the angels, the children, the Santas, the traditional German-themed fairytale ornaments ie. Rapunzel, Cinderella, Snow White, etc. The fruit, birds and mushrooms are also wonderful!
Re-introduced to The Barn this season are Christopher Radko ornaments. This year, the Beans said that they could not resist the Radko fresh designs, particularly their new town building series which includes the Town Library a Toy Shoppe, an Inn, etc. They are going to celebrate their arrival to The Barn by hosting long-time Christopher Radko artist (25 years), Mario Tare, on October 1st. Mario will be at The Barn to sign a special event ornament which features Santa and a classic sleigh full of beautiful gifts.
The inventory from the Egyptian Glass Museum has also been expanded. The 24-kt. gold trim makes this substantial, etched glass even more desirable and the owners can barely keep in stock their jumbo sized ornaments (14” to 22”) which their customers hang from their ceilings all year long. Surprisingly popular are the non-traditional Christmas colors: deep purple, blue, pink, light blue-green and pink.
The Historical Christmas Barn has a beautiful variety of Christina’s World delicate ornaments in the shape of teapots, flowers, dinosaurs and shellfish, as well as traditional Christmas orbs painted with beautiful, almost “poetic” scenes. Christina Mallouk is a lovely woman who lives in New York, where she creates her beautiful designs which are made in Poland and the Czech Republic. Her ornaments make very special, thoughtful gifts.
Patience Brewster is another Christmas Barn favorite. Prior to having established her own company, Patience designed colorful ornaments for Dept. 56 and many customers recognize the unique whimsical faces of her pieces. Her ornaments all begin as Patience’s original, beautiful, water-color drawings and are then sculpted in plaster, hand-painted and finished with feathers and/or ribbons to embellish them further. Her special collections include the Twelve Days of Christmas, all of Santa’s reindeer and a brightly colored but reverent Nativity.
Gary and Jennifer have brought in many new lines in the last two years but among their favorites are those that are made in the United States including Cape Cod Seashells, made by an artist on The Cape with shells from The Cape. Also, “Still Life Leaves” – leaf and botanical ornaments which are made from actual leaves coated in precious metals in a seven-step process. The perfectly chosen ribbon on each leaf makes them extraordinary, artful gifts that were crafted in northern California.
Worth mentioning, and new since the Bean’s ownership, are pewter and straw ornaments made in Sweden, Joy to the World cat and dog ornaments made in Poland and a small sampling of Glitterazzi Santas. Not many visitors leave without finding something special to bring home.
The Historical Christmas Barn is easy to get to but somewhat hidden. It is located on the corner of Route 7 and Route 33 in Wilton in one of the oldest barns in Connecticut. Once inside, it is impossible not to feel the spirit of Christmas surround you – at any time of the year. It is worth the trip.
Article and images used with permission from HistoricalChristmasBarn.com
