southern vermont country store, antiques,orivs products

Taddinger's History Inside and Out
Taddingers is a unique country gift, antique and wildlife shop, displaying more than the usual fare. There is no store quite like it in southern Vermont. In addition to the marvelous one finds inside, the building and attached house hold a rich heritage of Wilmington history.

Taddingers owner Mary and Jim Knabe say that the building, which has been expanded, remodeled and altered over a period of many years, has hosted an ice skating rink, discount store, ski bum house, a service station and a farm. The current building was added to the small house in the 1950’s, although there have been buildings at the same location throughout the 1900’s that were used for small businesses.

“In the 1960’s, this was known as The Red House,” Jim relates. “There were thirty sets of bunks, one floor for girls, and a floor for guys. It was $3.00 a night. Then it went up to $5.” Jim says there was also a “communal area, a kitchen.”

Ray Raiche and Randy Cross once owned Wilmington Auto Repair, a garage located at the same site. That building, situated behind Taddingers and the Scoop II ice cream parlor, is now being used by W.W. Building Supply for storage.

“We used to have a sign on the roof,” says employee Ken Davie. “It was for The Red House, $3.00 a bunk,” Ken says there was a sauna there when the garage moved in.

Co-owner Raiche says The Red House was run for a time by Gary “Gig” Boyd. Ray’s garage, which moved in after The Red House closed, was “kind of a trip. We didn’t have a lift or anything.” He remembers that there was a “huge circular fireplace in the middle of it. We had to get it out of there so we could bring the cars in. It was left over from the ski bum days.”

Before the garage was there, the site was, believe it or not, an ice skating rink. The Valley Ice Rink was born in about 1979, and traveled here from Montpelier after the Lions Club decided it would be a good idea.

After deliberation, however, the Lions felt it was too large an under-taking for their organization, and a group of citizens got together to take over the project. A victim of high maintenance costs, the rink closed in 1982. The rink was not enclosed, and had to be shut down numerous times because of bad weather. The rink was eventually sold to the town of Auburn, Maine for $35,000.

Johnny’s Discount opened up in the place where Taddingers is now, although anyone that had been our of town for the last couple of years would never recognize it as the discount store. John Swanson’s discount shop was the place to buy inexpensive ammunition, boots, fishing equipment and anything else you were looking for at a reduced price.

In the late 1980s, the Moray Corporation, which is Dick and Georgi Raymo, had the Johnny Discount building remodeled to its present incarnation. Dick says that Georgi oversaw the extensive remodeling and her efforts were well rewarded.

Georgi says that she had to find contractors who would be willing to work “without floor plans or a design.” “Getting an idea across was quite a challenge,” she says. Georgi knew how she wanted the building to appear and had architect Rod Williams sketch out her idea. “We were able to move forward with that,” Georgi recalls. “It came out visually the way I wanted it to.”

The Raymos were very successful. The structure is beautiful and the windows have been placed in such a way that is perfect for showing off Taddingers extensive collection of merchandise. The ice cream shop is well suited to its section of the structure.

About the merchandise available at Taddingers, Mary says she was looking for something other than “the usual fare.” “We felt there was a void. We wanted more gifts, more collectable items, that could be purchased by people out-of-town.” Another factor was that she was beginning to realize that money was limited. People were spending more and more time within their homes, and wished to enhance their living quarters.

“We also shopped within the Valley,” she says. “”We didn’t want to duplicate established businesses.” So Taddingers carries items such as porcelain dolls, woodcarvings and cast animal figurines.

“When we first opened up, we had a very limited product selection. We listened to people who came in.” Mary explains that the expansion of the bird and wildlife section was a result of listening to Taddinger’s clientele and their own investigation. “We had done our research. Knowing that bird feeding is one of the fastest growing hobbies, we decided to invest in it. We go from suet balls to $350 Martin houses.”

Taddingers opened the men’s section for the same reason. “There were no men’s shops,” she says. Upstairs there is a wide array of “gentlemen’s gifts,” In the adjoining room, there is a multitude of unique Christmas items, ranging from cast Santa figurines to unusual ornaments.

One facet of Taddingers that makes the store well known to locals and visitors alike is the huge lit Christmas tree in front of the store. It’s around 72 feet tall, “We were told it is the second largest decorated live Christmas tree in Vermont.“ Mary proudly state. “We have to have Bermis Line Construction come out and change the bulbs!”

In 1938, that very same tree was ab out three feet tall, and was knocked down in the flood. “That tree was right out flat,” said Evelyn Keefe, who was born in the house. “We put it back up,” That tree survived, but the row of magnificent maples that was in front of the farmhouse is now gone.

“Every tree was named,” Eveyln said. “There were seven maples. We just loved our trees. There were Hester and Grace, named for Pa’s twin aunts, then there was the Schoolhouse Tree. The last one was El Capitane.”

Evelyn grew up on the location, which was known at the time as the Fitch farm. She says it was a 52 acre farm, “A one-horse farm, we called it,” Evelyn says. “We had 27 acres a half-mile above the house, and a mowing where WW is now,” Evelyn says the horse was Dandy (he used to eat doughnuts) and Homer would lead the cows to the upper pasture by sitting in the trunk of the family car while someone else drove. “Pop owned it for over 50 years,” Evelyn continues. “It was a beautiful place, so homey. And it was old. The partitions were sawn with an up and down saw, that’s how old it was.”

Evelyn’s father, Homer Fitch, came here in 1901 with his bride. “One night, within a week of them moving in, they woke up and heard voices.” Evelyn told the story. “Pa got up and got dressed. Well, there had been tenants here, and they had to move out when Ma and Pop moved in. Right under the window, there were two apple trees. They were digging up two baby caskets, stillborns, to move them somewhere else. Pop yelled, he wanted to know why they didn’t do that before they left, in the daytime. Ma said “I’m not going to stay here. I’m going back to civilization!”

To get to the pasture and maple sugaring lots across the road, Fitch decided to build a sort of “elevated railway” across the Deerfield, because during high water, the footbridge was under water. “Pa got sick of the footbridge, “Evelyn confides. “I used to run that footbridge at fifty miles an hour, I’d shut my eyes and run over it.”

Fitch’s cousin, Burt, was the elevator inspector for the city of Boston at that time. “Pop wanted to know, when we would get the cable, “ Evelyn says. “Burt said don’t worry about it. Within a week that cable came up to Wilmington.” The tiny railway stayed in place until the flood of 1938.

“The day of the flood, the elevated railway was no more,” says Evelyn. She saw it floating away down by Adams Bridge.

Another thing that vanished during the flood was a spring across from the house. “It was right across from the last tree, a beautiful spring. When people were logging, we’d see them with their teams, getting a drink,” Evelyn remembers.

Evelyn loved the old homestead. It had a “pocket handkerchief porch, Pa called it, “ says Evelyn. For years Dan, Evelyn’s husband, operated Wilmington Plumbing and Heating out of the building attached to the house.
Through the years, the homestead and whatever business was being run out of the adjoining building have been important parts of Wilmington’s heritage. And now, with Taddingers array of fine antiques and gifts, one can purchase a piece of the past or an heirloom for a future generation while shopping in a place of history itself.


Taddinger's History Inside and Out Taddingers is a unique country gift, antique and wildlife shop, displaying more than the usual fare. There is no store quite like it in southern Vermont. In addition to the marvelous one finds inside, the building and attached house hold a rich heritage of Wilmington history. Taddingers owner Mary and Jim Knabe say that the building, which has been expanded, remodeled and altered over a period of many years, has hosted an ice skating rink, discount store, ski bum house, a service station and a farm. The current building was added to the small house in the 1950’s, although there have been buildings at the same location throughout the 1900’s that were used for small businesses. “In the 1960’s, this was known as The Red House,” Jim relates. “There were thirty sets of bunks, one floor for girls, and a floor for guys. It was $3.00 a night. Then it went up to $5.” Jim says there was also a “communal area, a kitchen.” Ray Raiche and Randy Cross once owned Wilmington Auto Repair, a garage located at the same site. That building, situated behind Taddingers and the Scoop II ice cream parlor, is now being used by W.W. Building Supply for storage. “We used to have a sign on the roof,” says employee Ken Davie. “It was for The Red House, $3.00 a bunk,” Ken says there was a sauna there when the garage moved in. Co-owner Raiche says The Red House was run for a time by Gary “Gig” Boyd. Ray’s garage, which moved in after The Red House closed, was “kind of a trip. We didn’t have a lift or anything.” He remembers that there was a “huge circular fireplace in the middle of it. We had to get it out of there so we could bring the cars in. It was left over from the ski bum days.” Before the garage was there, the site was, believe it or not, an ice skating rink. The Valley Ice Rink was born in about 1979, and traveled here from Montpelier after the Lions Club decided it would be a good idea. After deliberation, however, the Lions felt it was too large an under-taking for their organization, and a group of citizens got together to take over the project. A victim of high maintenance costs, the rink closed in 1982. The rink was not enclosed, and had to be shut down numerous times because of bad weather. The rink was eventually sold to the town of Auburn, Maine for $35,000. Johnny’s Discount opened up in the place where Taddingers is now, although anyone that had been our of town for the last couple of years would never recognize it as the discount store. John Swanson’s discount shop was the place to buy inexpensive ammunition, boots, fishing equipment and anything else you were looking for at a reduced price. In the late 1980s, the Moray Corporation, which is Dick and Georgi Raymo, had the Johnny Discount building remodeled to its present incarnation. Dick says that Georgi oversaw the extensive remodeling and her efforts were well rewarded. Georgi says that she had to find contractors who would be willing to work “without floor plans or a design.” “Getting an idea across was quite a challenge,” she says. Georgi knew how she wanted the building to appear and had architect Rod Williams sketch out her idea. “We were able to move forward with that,” Georgi recalls. “It came out visually the way I wanted it to.” The Raymos were very successful. The structure is beautiful and the windows have been placed in such a way that is perfect for showing off Taddingers extensive collection of merchandise. The ice cream shop is well suited to its section of the structure. About the merchandise available at Taddingers, Mary says she was looking for something other than “the usual fare.” “We felt there was a void. We wanted more gifts, more collectable items, that could be purchased by people out-of-town.” Another factor was that she was beginning to realize that money was limited. People were spending more and more time within their homes, and wished to enhance their living quarters. “We also shopped within the Valley,” she says. “”We didn’t want to duplicate established businesses.” So Taddingers carries items such as porcelain dolls, woodcarvings and cast animal figurines. “When we first opened up, we had a very limited product selection. We listened to people who came in.” Mary explains that the expansion of the bird and wildlife section was a result of listening to Taddinger’s clientele and their own investigation. “We had done our research. Knowing that bird feeding is one of the fastest growing hobbies, we decided to invest in it. We go from suet balls to $350 Martin houses.” Taddingers opened the men’s section for the same reason. “There were no men’s shops,” she says. Upstairs there is a wide array of “gentlemen’s gifts,” In the adjoining room, there is a multitude of unique Christmas items, ranging from cast Santa figurines to unusual ornaments. One facet of Taddingers that makes the store well known to locals and visitors alike is the huge lit Christmas tree in front of the store. It’s around 72 feet tall, “We were told it is the second largest decorated live Christmas tree in Vermont.“ Mary proudly state. “We have to have Bermis Line Construction come out and change the bulbs!” In 1938, that very same tree was ab out three feet tall, and was knocked down in the flood. “That tree was right out flat,” said Evelyn Keefe, who was born in the house. “We put it back up,” That tree survived, but the row of magnificent maples that was in front of the farmhouse is now gone. “Every tree was named,” Eveyln said. “There were seven maples. We just loved our trees. There were Hester and Grace, named for Pa’s twin aunts, then there was the Schoolhouse Tree. The last one was El Capitane.” Evelyn grew up on the location, which was known at the time as the Fitch farm. She says it was a 52 acre farm, “A one-horse farm, we called it,” Evelyn says. “We had 27 acres a half-mile above the house, and a mowing where WW is now,” Evelyn says the horse was Dandy (he used to eat doughnuts) and Homer would lead the cows to the upper pasture by sitting in the trunk of the family car while someone else drove. “Pop owned it for over 50 years,” Evelyn continues. “It was a beautiful place, so homey. And it was old. The partitions were sawn with an up and down saw, that’s how old it was.” Evelyn’s father, Homer Fitch, came here in 1901 with his bride. “One night, within a week of them moving in, they woke up and heard voices.” Evelyn told the story. “Pa got up and got dressed. Well, there had been tenants here, and they had to move out when Ma and Pop moved in. Right under the window, there were two apple trees. They were digging up two baby caskets, stillborns, to move them somewhere else. Pop yelled, he wanted to know why they didn’t do that before they left, in the daytime. Ma said “I’m not going to stay here. I’m going back to civilization!” To get to the pasture and maple sugaring lots across the road, Fitch decided to build a sort of “elevated railway” across the Deerfield, because during high water, the footbridge was under water. “Pa got sick of the footbridge, “Evelyn confides. “I used to run that footbridge at fifty miles an hour, I’d shut my eyes and run over it.” Fitch’s cousin, Burt, was the elevator inspector for the city of Boston at that time. “Pop wanted to know, when we would get the cable, “ Evelyn says. “Burt said don’t worry about it. Within a week that cable came up to Wilmington.” The tiny railway stayed in place until the flood of 1938. “The day of the flood, the elevated railway was no more,” says Evelyn. She saw it floating away down by Adams Bridge. Another thing that vanished during the flood was a spring across from the house. “It was right across from the last tree, a beautiful spring. When people were logging, we’d see them with their teams, getting a drink,” Evelyn remembers. Evelyn loved the old homestead. It had a “pocket handkerchief porch, Pa called it, “ says Evelyn. For years Dan, Evelyn’s husband, operated Wilmington Plumbing and Heating out of the building attached to the house. Through the years, the homestead and whatever business was being run out of the adjoining building have been important parts of Wilmington’s heritage. And now, with Taddingers array of fine antiques and gifts, one can purchase a piece of the past or an heirloom for a future generation while shopping in a place of history itself.
Taddingers 800-528-3961 • 802-464-6263. Orvis wing: 802-464-1223 FAX: 802-464-1223. For brochure or catalogue requests, e-mail taddingr@sover.net ORVIS® • fly fishing • shooting • hunting country gift store • baskets • nature store • country food • christmas shop • victorian room about us • directions • contact us • home • store history