So happy I found your channel! I love your sweet personality and I’m so envious of that amazing building! We aren’t lucky enough to have incredible old buildings around me that are even worth trying to save. I’m excited to watch you transform it into a home! 💕
Huge endeavor, but so much potential. My great great grand-dad was a merchant and owned a general store back in the day!(over 100 yrs ago!😉) this would be such a cool building to revive. Also kudos to your dad for helping you... he is joining the ranks of many dads on RUclips helping daughters with their big hairy goals! Give it up to the dads out there!👏🏻👏🏻 I look forward to watching this transformation.
We used to live in the apartment which took up the 1st floor of a general store exactly like this. (in the 1960's) There were some lovely stained glass windows in the front room, and gorgeous pocket doors ( which often came off thier runners) If it's like that upstairs it will be well worth the effort of renovating it.
Definitely save to counter n anything else that’s salvageable. Perfect idea of covering the poles to look like decorative beams. I so envy you finding this awesome place. It’s so good to see a younger generation liking many of the items you’ve found in this general store. I forgot to comment on the one video where you went to that old barn to get the wood. There’s a lot of beauty in that old wood n I’m so happy to see you want it in your place. Don’t make wood like that anymore. ♥️🥰👍🌟
I'm looking forward to watching your progress on your renovation of this oh-so-cool building. Your vision of the front window display area is greatness!
My grandfather (Poppie) had a country store as part of his many ventures. It had the first elevator west of the Mississippi. I played many a day upstairs with my dolls. After Poppie passed away in 1954 my Grandmother sold it and it remained open until the 80’s. It is still standing a few miles from where I live now. My husband thought about moving it here and making an office in it but never did. Would have loved that. So many precious memories!
My grandparents had an old grocery store that was actually built by my great grandfather. It burned down some 40 years ago. I am happy to see that someone sees the beauty and possibilities in those old buildings. I wish you all the best in your restoration. I am excited to watch your progress. That place surely holds a lot of good memories for the community .What you are doing is a very good and brave thing for a young lady to take on. I am EMPRESSED!
Hoping you film the cleaning out rather than what some people do which is just talk about what you did rather than film it, think it'll be super fun to watch!
@@emmashayeHi !! I love it! You could live upstairs which is what the original owners probably did! I hope you can find out the History of it, like about the original owners and what they sold there back then, with all the important dates, etc, etc, etc... where is your new "homestead"?
The fridge is actually a chest freezer. Even if it doesnt work you can use it. My grand dad had two of those filled with soil- he grew worms! He sold them to fishermen as bait. He just dug up some big ol Nightcrawlers from the yard and let them go to it in the old freezers. But you could certainly make it a big worm composter!!! He kept them outside of.course under a big shade treeGood luck!
I seriously cannot believe you found this original gem!!!! Absolutely obsessed with all of the original shelves! Love your cute personality! We seem so similar! Hehe! 💙
Your place is really great, love the ceilings and vintage appliances, don't lose your ambition or vision... It's going to be great.. And hard work too. Lol.. Do your roof as soon as poss, even if you just patch the obvious leaks. Give thanx for dad, and nigel too, Cool project Emmz.. Thank you. ✌️❤️😁
It appears as though December 1968 was the last year the store was in use? Calendar on wall at timestamp 15:11? I would have been in 8th grade, and I remember these types of neighborhood stores all over the place when I was very young. By '68, there were fewer because of all the Supermarkets that were taking over. I have great memories of these stores, especially the wood floors, the candy counter, and the 'creeek' of the screen door when you entered or left...usually with a little bell attatched to the top of the door. If anyone wants to see one in operation, watch 'Little House on the Prairie' episodes, the middle and latter episodes mostly! 📺 Good luck on your project! 🔐🪚🔧🪛🔨
Hi we LOVE your beautiful heritage building! Congratulations! We are heritage preservation experts, and we are professional heritage trades in Canada. Very respectfully, please, please do NOT throw out, or re-purpose anything original that was originally made by heritage Carpenters and created to belonged attached to this old general store. Many of these wood items, especially the original shelves, counters, wainscotting, and window shelves and window seats you seem completely unaware of what you own, the value, and of the fact that companies and their clients pay MANY THOUSANDS of $$$$ for via antique salvage companies for interior fittings of old general stores.We just bought only one large 14 foot antique old general store counter for our heritage 1884 triple brick building we are currently restoring for over $4000. Again very respectfully these antique valuable wonderful long ( which are rare as they are also massive) old general store wall shelves you now own, that look to be in good condition and only need repairs from a heritage trade professional, are also a fancy style and are worth MANY THOUSANDS of $$$$. These are made from original strong old growth valuable WOOD too, which too many people do not understand makes these wood shelves even more rare hence more valuable. The facts are these antique valuable WOOD shelves were never made to be used for any plants, or made to ever be used in any green house either. If you unwisely do so, you will decrease significantly the value of your heritage building when ripping out the original shelves, and then all these rare valuable wood shelves will over time only rot! These valuable wood shelves were made for a general stores stock of many dry goods, many bolts of cloth, old fashioned non electric supplies such a lanterns and oil lamps, crocks, tin wear, china dishes, and so many types of dry foods. The central tables in an old fashioned general store would hold barrels of many bulk foods such as grains and many baskets and simple wood crates of vegetables, herbs, and plants on metal trays. Respectfully a very basic second hand metal treated ( painted with metal anti rusting paint) large racking types of shelves will be most useful in a green house, are water proof ( if painted), hence will last a long time, while imperatively also being able to hold the great weight load of so much wet soil. Woods enemy is water and dirt ( rot and mould). Any item ( shelves, chairs, counters, pianos, floors, carved, and plain styles of wood banisters, any type of wood clap board siding, wood windows, wood doors, wood thresholds) , hence everything made of old growth wood and new wood can wonderfully be cleaned up ( I'm a Guild Restorer) with scrubbing via a very soft car cloth ( shammy) and amazing wood restorative real linseed oil soap, with the hottest small amount of water required via only the shammy being damp and well rung out, and well rinsed out each time. It will be very messy, but you'll be cleaning over a hundred years of dirt ( I wear basic gloves) , tobacco, and the original old bees wax finish ( hence the very hot water to help melt off the old bees wax finish) off all surfaces down to the original bare wood usually made of many different types of wood species too. Once all wood surfaces are fully cleaned ( three washings and three rinses at least) have fully dried, you can reapply a basic non toxic lovely smelling bees wax finish. All wood will appear lighter in colour as it is now clean! You can choose a wonderful non toxic plain clear bees wax so the natural wood tone and colour show through, or a type of bees wax finish with an added non toxic earth pigment in it so the wood shelves can look like the colour of a deep rich mahogany, or a dark brown oak, or a red oak, or yellowish country pine. This basic easy to apply via a sponge bees wax finish then will wonderfully protect all wood surfaces for another hundred years, is non toxic, smells terrific, is water resistant, ( not water proof), and makes dusting via a lambs wool or a feather duster so much easier too! Respectfully please talk to a heritage Carpenter in your region, and a local heritage association, historical society for many types of appropriate correct heritage advice. Please, please via professional licensed heritage trades advice carefully consider your what will be your very beautiful buildings true heritage value, its many heritage features are restored. Please consult a Realtor with expertise in understanding a heritage buildings resale value. Hence respectfully please consider researching heritage old fashioned country stores before undertaking any work or demolition, and before throwing anything in a large dumpster bin that you may deeply regret due to mistakenly thinking the item is not valuable . Please consider our respectful advice to save your heritage building via RESTORING, not renovating, and repairing and reattach all rare valuable old growth wood shelves back where they originally were located, and get them repaired, Please get professional Heritage Carpenter to reinstall large full 12 inch by 2 inch floor joist to a central very large central beam ( minimum 12 inches by 12 inches or a laminated LVL beam) on a structural craw space footing and very short foundation wall, the whole length of your building from the front centre of your building all the way to the back centre of your building, just as the Architect would have designed the supporting central structure of your heritage buildings floors, and central posts supporting the second floor.. Then a new 3/4 inch plywood sub floor ( not less than 3/4 inches due to all the necessary weight load and codes that must be met) , and then reinstall any existing hard wood floors, and patched in repairs of missing hardwood floor sections on top of the new level 3/4 inch sub floor. Then your heritage main level will be ready to hold the weight of so many items, people, and equipment, such as fridges , freezers, and possibly a country tearoom/coffee shop too! Have a blast on your new adventure in owning such a beautiful heritage building!
I agree. For me I would do as you say and leave every historical feature such as the shelves just as they were back in the day my dream is to buy a store like this in a small town and only put up walls for the bedroom and bathroom. I want to live in it as though they just moved the store stock out. No fancy paint or finishes. Wide open. Just adding lace curtains in the front windows for privacy. It likely will never happen but even at 65 a gal has to have dreams. ❤❤❤
I know you meant well with this comment, but it feels you don't respect that as the owners, it's now in Emma's control what happens to anything. Also, she alone knows the condition these things are in, we're only viewing through a screen and hearing the words she's chosen to describe them. She also knows her budget, and anything she choses to restore, however little, will be an improvement over yet more years of it standing abandoned and affected by the elements. Having lived in a centuries old property in Europe most of my life, antiques are treasured but the fact is not all will survive. Selling, restoring, and even just scraping pieces takes time and money, so (while sad) Emma shouldn't feel shame for any choices she makes. If the property was of any interest, a historical society or body could've stepped up to purchase it, but they didn't. She bought this with a vision of what to do with it, and without that she might've not bothered, so I'm simply grateful she saved the building from complete demolition and development -- anything else she manages to save is simply a bonus, but we shouldn't feel entitled to pressure her to do or spend more than she wants to.
Please don’t assume we all use TikTok, that said I hope that you will keep as much of the original items un this general store as you can. This stuff you have “acquired “ is highly sought after and valuable. It can be incorporated into your store or your home.
I would try and salvage the back door. Maybe cut the rotted part and make one of those doors that split in half and then you can open just the top if you like. ❤ So awesome that you bought an old store and are going to redo it and live in it. I hope you enjoy your journey fixing it up and all your dreams for the property.
I agree, if the door is mostly in good condition, the bottom could be cut off and replaced, and painted or even covered up with kkckboards (brass would likely be traditional), etc.
great video, i have a few recommendations: one is to get a decent sized dumpster to make cleaning out easier, second is to get a storage container to keep all the items you would like to keep, third is get a roofing company to check out the roof, and then look into getting the place weather tight, unsure if you live in an area that gets snow. Also unsure if the ceiling tiles have asbestos as they do look old so it might be something to look into. keep up the great job with the rebuild, it will be cool to see your progress
I agree with getting a dumpster and also a storage container. Empty EVERYTHING out of the building first, into either the dumpster or the storage container. Then, while the building is completely empty,do all the major building repairs. Floors, roof, windows doors etc. Nothing cosmetic yet--just major repairs so that the building is sound. After teh building has been made solid again, start to replace what you've decided to keep into the building in the area you intend to use it. That 'loft' looks like the most solid section of the building sorry you are taking it out. You could build a wonderful bathroom and storage areas for linens, etc back there. You might reconsider this. Anyway, Best wishes. I am so sorry about you losing your Mom. She will surely be watching and cheering you on with the rest of us--make her proud of you! ♥
The cabinet that you're going to use for your countertop I would take some of those fancier shelves with nice trim and put them on the wall, for my dishes and cups. It would really look nice. I would also look nice if you took some of those calendars and frame them and put them on the wall it tells a story. Maybe it would give you some ideas.
Emma, you don't have to replace the back doors, they can be rebuilt, if you need help or advice drop me a message, I restored twin 1879 buildings here in Texas. 8800 sq ft
I stumbled upon your channel recently and this was so fun to watch. You getting so excited about the standard square white tile was a hoot! I actually understand it thugs when you find something you treasure. I admire you for taking this on and can’t wait to follow your progress!
You're another channel that I will follow. I really enjoy watching people rehabbing old historic structures rather than tear them down. I can't help you with money, but if you are interested in helpful hands maybe buy simmer I can be there. This would be a fun experience.
Super cool shelving. Beautiful ceilings when you put the stairs in you will have what is needed to make repairs. Awesome kitchen island. Don't feel bad letting the freezer go, they require regular defrosting of the ice build up and higher electrical cost to run. 4x4 white tile and your excitement! I'd find a woodworker who can repair your back doors. They are beautiful.
Just so you know, those back doors are made so that you can replace parts of them. You don’t have to replace them entirely. I’m sure there are RUclipsrs out there you can learn from. I would buy a camper to live in cause the shed will take too much time to fix up into a tiny house. But do it later to let so you’ll have an income. Either let it week by week or for a longer time. I don’t have TikTok but wish to see what you’re doing anyhow so please consider showing everything here 😊 Good luck with your “store”!
I'm a new subscriber. I can't wait to see each video that you create. I also like your calm confidence, as one commenter stated. Old refrigerators make great deep planter boxes, laid on their back, with doors removed. Drainage holes can be drilled. Happy to have found you! 🎉
How cool is your place!?!? It’s going to take forever just getting through all of the stuff… so much history! Can’t wait to watch your progress…. Glad you have your Dad to help, sounds like you have a lot to learn… lol….
The bookshelves are awesome. They’d look good in a living room or library area. The tiered display in the window will look super cute with you plants a a few pillows or cushion to make the lower tier a type of bench seat with storage!😊 If your floor joist collapsed but the flooring is still good, consider keeping it and feather it back in with some new flooring when you rebuild the floors. You might not get it all original wood but some is better than none. Love the kitchen island idea. Maybe some of the shelving can be saved and used there as well. So much potential. Love the bead-board on the ceiling as well as the tin and tiles. And how cool is that dumbwaiter! It’s like a mini elevator! A good woodworker can repair the bottom of the original doors for you. Don’t get rid of them. You have a beautiful building. Not sure where your at in the country but it looks like a special place.😊
This is absolutely fascinating. Lotsa junk but lots of good stuff as well. Depending on how rotted out your back doors are you might be able to lop them off and replace to rotted part. It would be cheaper then replacing them and They looked kind of interesting.
Really great video and property to restore. Helpful speedy hint for you. Try to rent or find a company who owns a laser rust ablation machine. That tin ceiling would look like new in a day.
Hi, I just found your channel and I'm riveted. I'm really fascinated by places that are time capsules, particularly those that were closed up since the 1970s and before, so I really enjoy watching your journey towards reviving this beautiful building. I'm sure you're already aware, but there are collectors for a lot of the items that might have been left behind by the previous occupiers, so you could actually recoup a few dollars from the place if you let a reputable and trustworthy dealer in such things look through what's left. Just watching a few YT channels on the subject, I've been amazed at the sorts of items that people are willing to shell out more than a few bucks to own. Things like old-fashioned tins and tool boxes and just about anything from the mid-20th century or before. Oh, and newspapers and other old paperwork - I love that stuff. Check the paperwork for dates, and take some time to read the old newspapers for stories of the times they come from. I'd personally be interested in how old they are. I wish you the best of luck on getting this gorgeous piece of America fixed up 🙂
What a great project. Get a chance and look at our general store at Muddy Creek forks pa. We got our old elevator working. But we can't use it by Pa law under the elevator rules. We had to lock in place to the second floor, and it only on display now. Get a chance and look up Muddy Creek forks village in pa. Great video.
Wow Emma this is just great. I could spend hours rummaging through there 😊. As soon as the counter came into view I thought "kitchen island"....great minds think alike ! What a project, I can't wait for more 👌
I absolutely love that you’re doing this. I’m a reader and those build in store shelves are beautiful, I’d restore all those along that wall for all my books 😅
I really enjoyed your video and look forward to following your progress. My brother and his wife live in a similar renovated building from 1913, each floor is 2500 square feet.
Wow, such a great adventure ahead for you. And I imagine lots of memories to be made with your Dad! I left social media behind years ago, so I hope you will be making YT videos as you continue this journey. So many treasures to be found during the clean up & transformation. You need to get lots of gloves, safety glasses & a really good face protector of some type. Have fun😊
Looks like a great project! If you're in a warm climate then disregard this, but if not... that high ceiling will mean the downstairs space will be hard to heat comfortably. Heat of course rises, so upstairs will be toasty warm, but downstairs less so. And the volume of air due to that height means a lot of air will be swirling around, creating a draft. Ceiling fans working in reverse mode and can help push warm air back down along the walls...
@@emmashaye Also, as others will point out, make sure you have both a mask and safety glasses when cleaning up. (Maybe even a helmet!) I once got a face full of stuff from an old chimney and really wish I'd had a mask on (yuck). And given those busted floorboards wear safety boots too, since one old rusty nail into your foot can ruin the day. The big benefit from all this safety stuff is that wearing the correct gear actually makes the project more enjoyable, since you can plow ahead and not have to be concerned so much with certain consequences. Have fun!
The old fridge would be great for storage. Put dry coffee grounds in a nylon stocking in it to absorb the odor. That’s an old military hack we used when we stored our fridge for three years while living overseas. Worked great!
I'm sorry to hear about your mom, may she rest in blissful peace. My belated condolences. Anyway - Just found your channel by coincidence and am fully looking forward to the refurbishment of the building,... so i subscribed 👍. Greetings 👋 from the Netherlands 🇳🇱.
That frig that you want to keep, if you paint it t ourquoise, it'll be really cool. The reason I mentioned that color was because of the movie, "Blast from the Past" and they had that frig, but with that color. :)
My sister bought a house in the 1970's with what looks like an identical early 1950's GE refrigerator in a basement apartment. It's been unplugged for years, but was still running when replaced in the early 2000's. She won't get rid of it.
I would recommend keeping the loft, if it is structurally sound. Since the building doesn't have a basement this would make an ideal place for storage. I realize that you are used to living with little need for such a large storage area, but most of us need storage for "stuff". It might help the resale value of the building if it had storage space. I always think about resale value before I do major remodeling projects. Storage is low value, unless your buyer needs it!
All fascinating! I wonder at those 'metal poles' - floor jacks I would call the. But they seem to end at the collapsing wooden floor, so maybe not supporting much any more?
Anyone else notice the huge pit bull tied to the porch behind her at start of the video??? Anyway, I love old buildings! I have a feeling this will be awesome.
the danger with the general electric fridge is that if you get inside and close it there is no way to open it again from the inside, very dangerous for kids....
My mum and dad had that same fridge in the 60’s he got it from a doctor, the difference being I’m in the UK so they must have been sold far and wide and a luxury for us back then.
You should metal detect the dirt area for things that fell through the cracks in the floor from years ago or make a sifter and shovel the dirt into it and retrieve relics from there. Just a thought you might find some great treasures.
You have a treasure trove of good stuff in there. Some of the shelves can be reworked for your home. Love the old refrigerator, keep it and get it running. Be aware there may be some valuable things in there that you can sell to help with the money for your repairs.
Lots of work to be done on this one.Several major items have to be fixed before you can build this the way you imaged it.. You & your Dad have your hands full with this one.
Pretty cool old store. Too bad the back doors aren't in better shape and could be salvaged. Once you get clearing things out and more organized, hope you find some really cool treasures to reuse. I like the ceilings, the counters and shelving. Curious to where this is, at least the state? You might have mentioned it in other videos, but this is the 1st one I stumbled on.
That big huge island was probably a soda bar. My great great grandparents ran a soda bar and general goods shop and lived above. You have a lot of work ahead of you! 😂
The stairs, pour your supports and secure it, then buy an angle grinder you can plug in and a wire wheel for it; Save your arms. This is going to be a nice redo. A step at a time.
I noticed the window sign behind you on your intro. It’s of “Nolde’s Bread” which was based in my home town of Richmond, VA. Very interested in following your progress.
Those back doors could be easily repaired by someone with woodworking skills. Modern replacements would take away from the vintage look of the building, IMO.
Please get a Tyvek suit, respirator & gloves and always wear them. Shower everyday after you have been working. The animal and bird droppings can harbor all sorts of bad diseases and will become airborne as you move things around. One of the first things I would install is a big fan to pull in fresh air as you work. I have done several buildings like this. 👍
I'm sorry to hear about your mom. It's lovely that you are doing this with your dad, I'm sure it means the world to him.
I appreciate that 😊🫶🏼
Very cool. So sorry about your mom…😊 losing such an important person is never easy. Nice way to honor your mom by toasting her.
So happy I found your channel! I love your sweet personality and I’m so envious of that amazing building! We aren’t lucky enough to have incredible old buildings around me that are even worth trying to save. I’m excited to watch you transform it into a home! 💕
Those old shelves would look so nice with books, old tools, stuff like that. Nice that you and Dad can work together making it good again.
Huge endeavor, but so much potential. My great great grand-dad was a merchant and owned a general store back in the day!(over 100 yrs ago!😉) this would be such a cool building to revive. Also kudos to your dad for helping you... he is joining the ranks of many dads on RUclips helping daughters with their big hairy goals! Give it up to the dads out there!👏🏻👏🏻 I look forward to watching this transformation.
This is awesome, Emma! Thank you for sharing it with us.
We used to live in the apartment which took up the 1st floor of a general store exactly like this. (in the 1960's) There were some lovely stained glass windows in the front room, and gorgeous pocket doors ( which often came off thier runners) If it's like that upstairs it will be well worth the effort of renovating it.
Definitely save to counter n anything else that’s salvageable. Perfect idea of covering the poles to look like decorative beams.
I so envy you finding this awesome place.
It’s so good to see a younger generation liking many of the items you’ve found in this general store.
I forgot to comment on the one video where you went to that old barn to get the wood. There’s a lot of beauty in that old wood n I’m so happy to see you want it in your place. Don’t make wood like that anymore. ♥️🥰👍🌟
I'm looking forward to watching your progress on your renovation of this oh-so-cool building. Your vision of the front window display area is greatness!
My grandfather (Poppie) had a country store as part of his many ventures. It had the first elevator west of the Mississippi. I played many a day upstairs with my dolls. After Poppie passed away in 1954 my Grandmother sold it and it remained open until the 80’s. It is still standing a few miles from where I live now. My husband thought about moving it here and making an office in it but never did. Would have loved that. So many precious memories!
My grandparents had an old grocery store that was actually built by my great grandfather. It burned down some 40 years ago. I am happy to see that someone sees the beauty and possibilities in those old buildings. I wish you all the best in your restoration. I am excited to watch your progress. That place surely holds a lot of good memories for the community .What you are doing is a very good and brave thing for a young lady to take on. I am EMPRESSED!
OMG the old fashioned PEPSI bottles. I remember those from when I was Kid. What a great build. Can’t wait to see more.
Hoping you film the cleaning out rather than what some people do which is just talk about what you did rather than film it, think it'll be super fun to watch!
Thank you for the suggestion, I would love to! I can show what I find while cleaning. Great idea 🥰
@ so excited! This is an absolutely beautiful building! And you are so nice! I'm hooked
@@emmashayeHi !! I love it! You could live upstairs which is what the original owners probably did! I hope you can find out the History of it, like about the original owners and what they sold there back then, with all the important dates, etc, etc, etc... where is your new "homestead"?
Sometimes they don’t because they have help and their help don’t always want to be on camera
The fridge is actually a chest freezer. Even if it doesnt work you can use it. My grand dad had two of those filled with soil- he grew worms! He sold them to fishermen as bait. He just dug up some big ol Nightcrawlers from the yard and let them go to it in the old freezers. But you could certainly make it a big worm composter!!! He kept them outside of.course under a big shade treeGood luck!
I seriously cannot believe you found this original gem!!!! Absolutely obsessed with all of the original shelves! Love your cute personality! We seem so similar! Hehe! 💙
Wow! Those wall shelfs are amazing! Can’t wait to see how this project develops ❤
I found this series on New Year’s Day! I think I’m going to love it. It’s so nice to see your dad working with you. 😊
Your place is really great, love the ceilings and vintage appliances, don't lose your ambition or vision...
It's going to be great..
And hard work too. Lol..
Do your roof as soon as poss, even if you just patch the obvious leaks.
Give thanx for dad, and nigel too,
Cool project Emmz..
Thank you.
✌️❤️😁
It appears as though December 1968 was the last year the store was in use? Calendar on wall at timestamp 15:11? I would have been in 8th grade, and I remember these types of neighborhood stores all over the place when I was very young. By '68, there were fewer because of all the Supermarkets that were taking over. I have great memories of these stores, especially the wood floors, the candy counter, and the 'creeek' of the screen door when you entered or left...usually with a little bell attatched to the top of the door. If anyone wants to see one in operation, watch 'Little House on the Prairie' episodes, the middle and latter episodes mostly! 📺 Good luck on your project! 🔐🪚🔧🪛🔨
Hi we LOVE your beautiful heritage building! Congratulations! We are heritage preservation experts, and we are professional heritage trades in Canada. Very respectfully, please, please do NOT throw out, or re-purpose anything original that was originally made by heritage Carpenters and created to belonged attached to this old general store.
Many of these wood items, especially the original shelves, counters, wainscotting, and window shelves and window seats you seem completely unaware of what you own, the value, and of the fact that companies and their clients pay MANY THOUSANDS of $$$$ for via antique salvage companies for interior fittings of old general stores.We just bought only one large 14 foot antique old general store counter for our heritage 1884 triple brick building we are currently restoring for over $4000.
Again very respectfully these antique valuable wonderful long ( which are rare as they are also massive) old general store wall shelves you now own, that look to be in good condition and only need repairs from a heritage trade professional, are also a fancy style and are worth MANY THOUSANDS of $$$$. These are made from original strong old growth valuable WOOD too, which too many people do not understand makes these wood shelves even more rare hence more valuable. The facts are these antique valuable WOOD shelves were never made to be used for any plants, or made to ever be used in any green house either. If you unwisely do so, you will decrease significantly the value of your heritage building when ripping out the original shelves, and then all these rare valuable wood shelves will over time only rot! These valuable wood shelves were made for a general stores stock of many dry goods, many bolts of cloth, old fashioned non electric supplies such a lanterns and oil lamps, crocks, tin wear, china dishes, and so many types of dry foods. The central tables in an old fashioned general store would hold barrels of many bulk foods such as grains and many baskets and simple wood crates of vegetables, herbs, and plants on metal trays.
Respectfully a very basic second hand metal treated ( painted with metal anti rusting paint) large racking types of shelves will be most useful in a green house, are water proof ( if painted), hence will last a long time, while imperatively also being able to hold the great weight load of so much wet soil.
Woods enemy is water and dirt ( rot and mould). Any item ( shelves, chairs, counters, pianos, floors, carved, and plain styles of wood banisters, any type of wood clap board siding, wood windows, wood doors, wood thresholds) , hence everything made of old growth wood and new wood can wonderfully be cleaned up ( I'm a Guild Restorer) with scrubbing via a very soft car cloth ( shammy) and amazing wood restorative real linseed oil soap, with the hottest small amount of water required via only the shammy being damp and well rung out, and well rinsed out each time. It will be very messy, but you'll be cleaning over a hundred years of dirt ( I wear basic gloves) , tobacco, and the original old bees wax finish ( hence the very hot water to help melt off the old bees wax finish) off all surfaces down to the original bare wood usually made of many different types of wood species too. Once all wood surfaces are fully cleaned ( three washings and three rinses at least) have fully dried, you can reapply a basic non toxic lovely smelling bees wax finish. All wood will appear lighter in colour as it is now clean! You can choose a wonderful non toxic plain clear bees wax so the natural wood tone and colour show through, or a type of bees wax finish with an added non toxic earth pigment in it so the wood shelves can look like the colour of a deep rich mahogany, or a dark brown oak, or a red oak, or yellowish country pine. This basic easy to apply via a sponge bees wax finish then will wonderfully protect all wood surfaces for another hundred years, is non toxic, smells terrific, is water resistant, ( not water proof), and makes dusting via a lambs wool or a feather duster so much easier too!
Respectfully please talk to a heritage Carpenter in your region, and a local heritage association, historical society for many types of appropriate correct heritage advice. Please, please via professional licensed heritage trades advice carefully consider your what will be your very beautiful buildings true heritage value, its many heritage features are restored. Please consult a Realtor with expertise in understanding a heritage buildings resale value. Hence respectfully please consider researching heritage old fashioned country stores before undertaking any work or demolition, and before throwing anything in a large dumpster bin that you may deeply regret due to mistakenly thinking the item is not valuable . Please consider our respectful advice to save your heritage building via RESTORING, not renovating, and repairing and reattach all rare valuable old growth wood shelves back where they originally were located, and get them repaired, Please get professional Heritage Carpenter to reinstall large full 12 inch by 2 inch floor joist to a central very large central beam ( minimum 12 inches by 12 inches or a laminated LVL beam) on a structural craw space footing and very short foundation wall, the whole length of your building from the front centre of your building all the way to the back centre of your building, just as the Architect would have designed the supporting central structure of your heritage buildings floors, and central posts supporting the second floor.. Then a new 3/4 inch plywood sub floor ( not less than 3/4 inches due to all the necessary weight load and codes that must be met) , and then reinstall any existing hard wood floors, and patched in repairs of missing hardwood floor sections on top of the new level 3/4 inch sub floor. Then your heritage main level will be ready to hold the weight of so many items, people, and equipment, such as fridges , freezers, and possibly a country tearoom/coffee shop too! Have a blast on your new adventure in owning such a beautiful heritage building!
Great advice!!
I agree. For me I would do as you say and leave every historical feature such as the shelves just as they were back in the day my dream is to buy a store like this in a small town and only put up walls for the bedroom and bathroom. I want to live in it as though they just moved the store stock out. No fancy paint or finishes. Wide open. Just adding lace curtains in the front windows for privacy. It likely will never happen but even at 65 a gal has to have dreams. ❤❤❤
I know you meant well with this comment, but it feels you don't respect that as the owners, it's now in Emma's control what happens to anything. Also, she alone knows the condition these things are in, we're only viewing through a screen and hearing the words she's chosen to describe them. She also knows her budget, and anything she choses to restore, however little, will be an improvement over yet more years of it standing abandoned and affected by the elements.
Having lived in a centuries old property in Europe most of my life, antiques are treasured but the fact is not all will survive. Selling, restoring, and even just scraping pieces takes time and money, so (while sad) Emma shouldn't feel shame for any choices she makes. If the property was of any interest, a historical society or body could've stepped up to purchase it, but they didn't. She bought this with a vision of what to do with it, and without that she might've not bothered, so I'm simply grateful she saved the building from complete demolition and development -- anything else she manages to save is simply a bonus, but we shouldn't feel entitled to pressure her to do or spend more than she wants to.
Please don’t assume we all use TikTok, that said I hope that you will keep as much of the original items un this general store as you can. This stuff you have “acquired “ is highly sought after and valuable. It can be incorporated into your store or your home.
Right!
Agreed, I don't even use TikTok.
I would try and salvage the back door. Maybe cut the rotted part and make one of those doors that split in half and then you can open just the top if you like. ❤ So awesome that you bought an old store and are going to redo it and live in it. I hope you enjoy your journey fixing it up and all your dreams for the property.
I agree, if the door is mostly in good condition, the bottom could be cut off and replaced, and painted or even covered up with kkckboards (brass would likely be traditional), etc.
great video, i have a few recommendations: one is to get a decent sized dumpster to make cleaning out easier, second is to get a storage container to keep all the items you would like to keep, third is get a roofing company to check out the roof, and then look into getting the place weather tight, unsure if you live in an area that gets snow. Also unsure if the ceiling tiles have asbestos as they do look old so it might be something to look into. keep up the great job with the rebuild, it will be cool to see your progress
I agree with getting a dumpster and also a storage container. Empty EVERYTHING out of the building first, into either the dumpster or the storage container. Then, while the building is completely empty,do all the major building repairs. Floors, roof, windows doors etc. Nothing cosmetic yet--just major repairs so that the building is sound. After teh building has been made solid again, start to replace what you've decided to keep into the building in the area you intend to use it. That 'loft' looks like the most solid section of the building sorry you are taking it out. You could build a wonderful bathroom and storage areas for linens, etc back there. You might reconsider this. Anyway, Best wishes. I am so sorry about you losing your Mom. She will surely be watching and cheering you on with the rest of us--make her proud of you! ♥
A lot of work but it's good to see this old building get a new lease on life!
My Granny and Grandpa had a 1950s soda fountain/ general store. I have such great memories of the store.
The cabinet that you're going to use for your countertop I would take some of those fancier shelves with nice trim and put them on the wall, for my dishes and cups. It would really look nice. I would also look nice if you took some of those calendars and frame them and put them on the wall it tells a story. Maybe it would give you some ideas.
This is a gem! An absolute one. I'm staying.
Emma, you don't have to replace the back doors, they can be rebuilt, if you need help or advice drop me a message, I restored twin 1879 buildings here in Texas. 8800 sq ft
I stumbled upon your channel recently and this was so fun to watch. You getting so excited about the standard square white tile was a hoot! I actually understand it thugs when you find something you treasure. I admire you for taking this on and can’t wait to follow your progress!
You're another channel that I will follow. I really enjoy watching people rehabbing old historic structures rather than tear them down. I can't help you with money, but if you are interested in helpful hands maybe buy simmer I can be there. This would be a fun experience.
Sorry about your mom, I lost mine young too. I made my life about making her proud and I can see you are too. She’s no doubt very proud of you.
The freight elevator ( not dumb waiter) can be made to work with the addition of an electric motor , simple and cool. Also useful.
Super cool shelving. Beautiful ceilings when you put the stairs in you will have what is needed to make repairs. Awesome kitchen island. Don't feel bad letting the freezer go, they require regular defrosting of the ice build up and higher electrical cost to run. 4x4 white tile and your excitement! I'd find a woodworker who can repair your back doors. They are beautiful.
So much history in there!! I love old General stores. I wish you the best of everything. I'd love to watch!!
Just so you know, those back doors are made so that you can replace parts of them. You don’t have to replace them entirely. I’m sure there are RUclipsrs out there you can learn from.
I would buy a camper to live in cause the shed will take too much time to fix up into a tiny house. But do it later to let so you’ll have an income. Either let it week by week or for a longer time.
I don’t have TikTok but wish to see what you’re doing anyhow so please consider showing everything here 😊
Good luck with your “store”!
Awesome tour; that eagle lamp is very cool
I'm a new subscriber. I can't wait to see each video that you create. I also like your calm confidence, as one commenter stated. Old refrigerators make great deep planter boxes, laid on their back, with doors removed. Drainage holes can be drilled. Happy to have found you! 🎉
Thank you so much 🤗 That's really interesting about the fridge... now I want to save it again! Lol. Glad you're here!
How cool is your place!?!? It’s going to take forever just getting through all of the stuff… so much history! Can’t wait to watch your progress…. Glad you have your Dad to help, sounds like you have a lot to learn… lol….
The bookshelves are awesome. They’d look good in a living room or library area. The tiered display in the window will look super cute with you plants a a few pillows or cushion to make the lower tier a type of bench seat with storage!😊 If your floor joist collapsed but the flooring is still good, consider keeping it and feather it back in with some new flooring when you rebuild the floors. You might not get it all original wood but some is better than none. Love the kitchen island idea. Maybe some of the shelving can be saved and used there as well. So much potential. Love the bead-board on the ceiling as well as the tin and tiles. And how cool is that dumbwaiter! It’s like a mini elevator! A good woodworker can repair the bottom of the original doors for you. Don’t get rid of them. You have a beautiful building. Not sure where your at in the country but it looks like a special place.😊
This is absolutely fascinating. Lotsa junk but lots of good stuff as well. Depending on how rotted out your back doors are you might be able to lop them off and replace to rotted part. It would be cheaper then replacing them and They looked kind of interesting.
Right, those old doors would be gorgeous, restored.
I agree. Restore the old back door (just add new wood to the bottom of the door) Will look fantastic when all restored.
Really great video and property to restore. Helpful speedy hint for you. Try to rent or find a company who owns a laser rust ablation machine. That tin ceiling would look like new in a day.
Hi, I just found your channel and I'm riveted. I'm really fascinated by places that are time capsules, particularly those that were closed up since the 1970s and before, so I really enjoy watching your journey towards reviving this beautiful building.
I'm sure you're already aware, but there are collectors for a lot of the items that might have been left behind by the previous occupiers, so you could actually recoup a few dollars from the place if you let a reputable and trustworthy dealer in such things look through what's left. Just watching a few YT channels on the subject, I've been amazed at the sorts of items that people are willing to shell out more than a few bucks to own. Things like old-fashioned tins and tool boxes and just about anything from the mid-20th century or before.
Oh, and newspapers and other old paperwork - I love that stuff. Check the paperwork for dates, and take some time to read the old newspapers for stories of the times they come from. I'd personally be interested in how old they are.
I wish you the best of luck on getting this gorgeous piece of America fixed up 🙂
Yes! Many treasures for sure.
What a great project. Get a chance and look at our general store at Muddy Creek forks pa. We got our old elevator working. But we can't use it by Pa law under the elevator rules. We had to lock in place to the second floor, and it only on display now. Get a chance and look up Muddy Creek forks village in pa. Great video.
It's a huge project but it sounds like you have some awesome plans, just take your time and make lots of video. Good luck on your journey!
Great building. I like your energy, calm and natural. Some RUclips women are so giggly and self conscious. You seem very grounded and confident.
That's very kind, thank you!
Oh yea! Was following on tik tok this is awesome let's go!
What a cool building.
You just showed up on my feed, look forward to your episodes, how cool is this place !
That floor has me super nervous for ya the waves are crazy but the building it self looks amazing cant wait to see what you do
Wow Emma this is just great. I could spend hours rummaging through there 😊. As soon as the counter came into view I thought "kitchen island"....great minds think alike ! What a project, I can't wait for more 👌
I absolutely love that you’re doing this. I’m a reader and those build in store shelves are beautiful, I’d restore all those along that wall for all my books 😅
I admire your ambition and vision for the future. Much success to you!
That freezer would be a really cool warm compost if you cut out the bottom of it! Really cool building and all the stuff Inside!! ❤🇸🇪
I really enjoyed your video and look forward to following your progress. My brother and his wife live in a similar renovated building from 1913, each floor is 2500 square feet.
Wow, such a great adventure ahead for you. And I imagine lots of memories to be made with your Dad!
I left social media behind years ago, so I hope you will be making YT videos as you continue this journey. So many treasures to be found during the clean up & transformation.
You need to get lots of gloves, safety glasses & a really good face protector of some type. Have fun😊
I have that same model fridge in my garage, I replaced the cord and it still works perfectly!
Looks like a great project! If you're in a warm climate then disregard this, but if not... that high ceiling will mean the downstairs space will be hard to heat comfortably. Heat of course rises, so upstairs will be toasty warm, but downstairs less so. And the volume of air due to that height means a lot of air will be swirling around, creating a draft. Ceiling fans working in reverse mode and can help push warm air back down along the walls...
Great advice! I'll definitely keep that in mind when I'm renovating and hopefully can find a good solution for this :)
@@emmashaye Also, as others will point out, make sure you have both a mask and safety glasses when cleaning up. (Maybe even a helmet!) I once got a face full of stuff from an old chimney and really wish I'd had a mask on (yuck). And given those busted floorboards wear safety boots too, since one old rusty nail into your foot can ruin the day. The big benefit from all this safety stuff is that wearing the correct gear actually makes the project more enjoyable, since you can plow ahead and not have to be concerned so much with certain consequences. Have fun!
new subscriber, look forward to this series.
Welcome to the journey! ❤️
Me too!
The old fridge would be great for storage. Put dry coffee grounds in a nylon stocking in it to absorb the odor. That’s an old military hack we used when we stored our fridge for three years while living overseas. Worked great!
What a place! Best of luck on your project!
Great project!
I would keep the safe right where it is and use it as a novelty display case.
Best of luck on your journey.
The display benches in front of former/future window you want to put cacti, it would be cute to make part of it as reading/resting place.
Looks good keep up the good work
Very exciting !!
What a gem! Please do mask and glove, but among all that stuff are collectibles you could definitely sell. You got a new subscriber today!
Just found this from the Tidewater News story. I just had to go "tee, hee" when I saw the Sundrop bottle! So typical of this area!
I'm so jealous! I would love to do this project!
Those corner rounded shelves would make a great desk!
thanks for the video
Exciting adventure. ❤
I'm sorry to hear about your mom, may she rest in blissful peace.
My belated condolences.
Anyway -
Just found your channel by coincidence and am fully looking forward to the refurbishment of the building,... so i subscribed 👍.
Greetings 👋 from the Netherlands 🇳🇱.
That frig that you want to keep, if you paint it t ourquoise, it'll be really cool. The reason I mentioned that color was because of the movie, "Blast from the Past" and they had that frig, but with that color. :)
My sister bought a house in the 1970's with what looks like an identical early 1950's GE refrigerator in a basement apartment. It's been unplugged for years, but was still running when replaced in the early 2000's. She won't get rid of it.
Aw! This is so cool Emma! Excited to see the journey unfold. Kisses to Nigel too xoxo
We miss you!!! 💗
Cool project.
I have an Ice Cream freezer like the one you intend to keep in my building. Painted up it look good.
After you get done with the renno, maybe you can re-open the "General Store" and just live upstairs, watch out walmart, competition! heehee. :)
I would recommend keeping the loft, if it is structurally sound. Since the building doesn't have a basement this would make an ideal place for storage. I realize that you are used to living with little need for such a large storage area, but most of us need storage for "stuff". It might help the resale value of the building if it had storage space. I always think about resale value before I do major remodeling projects. Storage is low value, unless your buyer needs it!
I’d love to find a project like this!
Hopefully you can save those back doors. They look awesome. Rot can be fixed. Are the back doors original to the building?
Yes they are! A lot of people are suggesting I save the doors, so I might just try and do that!
All fascinating!
I wonder at those 'metal poles' - floor jacks I would call the. But they seem to end at the collapsing wooden floor, so maybe not supporting much any more?
So much potential. Instead of discarding many items, there are many restaurants that use old items as decor.
Nice tour - what potential!
This looks exactly like a building I was interested in buying in Arcadia, Missouri
Anyone else notice the huge pit bull tied to the porch behind her at start of the video??? Anyway, I love old buildings! I have a feeling this will be awesome.
Wow, Em. You've got quite a job ahead of you! I know Gilroy. The Garlic Capitol of the World! Looking forward to your journey.
So much potential!
the danger with the general electric fridge is that if you get inside and close it there is no way to open it again from the inside, very dangerous for kids....
That's called natural selection 😅
My mum and dad had that same fridge in the 60’s he got it from a doctor, the difference being I’m in the UK so they must have been sold far and wide and a luxury for us back then.
You should metal detect the dirt area for things that fell through the cracks in the floor from years ago or make a sifter and shovel the dirt into it and retrieve relics from there. Just a thought you might find some great treasures.
You have a treasure trove of good stuff in there. Some of the shelves can be reworked for your home. Love the old refrigerator, keep it and get it running. Be aware there may be some valuable things in there that you can sell to help with the money for your repairs.
Lots of work to be done on this one.Several major items have to be fixed before you can build this the way you imaged it.. You & your Dad have your hands full with this one.
Pretty cool old store. Too bad the back doors aren't in better shape and could be salvaged. Once you get clearing things out and more organized, hope you find some really cool treasures to reuse. I like the ceilings, the counters and shelving.
Curious to where this is, at least the state? You might have mentioned it in other videos, but this is the 1st one I stumbled on.
My opinion is you need to make it another general store or bakery and live upstairs.
That big huge island was probably a soda bar. My great great grandparents ran a soda bar and general goods shop and lived above. You have a lot of work ahead of you! 😂
Oh, that's so cool! And yes, a ton!
The stairs, pour your supports and secure it, then buy an angle grinder you can plug in and a wire wheel for it; Save your arms. This is going to be a nice redo. A step at a time.
I noticed the window sign behind you on your intro. It’s of “Nolde’s Bread” which was based in my home town of Richmond, VA. Very interested in following your progress.
Suggestion: Maybe your dad could help you make the doors in the back of the house. :)
Those back doors could be easily repaired by someone with woodworking skills. Modern replacements would take away from the vintage look of the building, IMO.
Please get a Tyvek suit, respirator & gloves and always wear them. Shower everyday after you have been working. The animal and bird droppings can harbor all sorts of bad diseases and will become airborne as you move things around. One of the first things I would install is a big fan to pull in fresh air as you work. I have done several buildings like this. 👍
looks like a big project
Wow...very cool project. What town and State are you in?