Country Primitive offering a new, old style in Farmington

FARMINGTON – Old is the new new on Main Street this week, as Country Primitives Decor & Gifts opens this Friday with furniture, dishes, lamps, signs and other decorative items.

Dell and Pam Nichols aren’t opening until April 20, but that hasn’t stopped a steady stream of would-be customers from stopping in to check out the partially-completed displays. The pair make and paint the furniture, signs and many other wood products sold at the store, while other items, such as decorative tin work, is purchased wholesale. The Nichols hope to feature consignments from other local craftsmen and artists as well.

After they got married and began decorating their house, Pam Nichols said, they began experimenting with the primitive style – evoking an earlier period in American history. “We decided to decorate our house and do it primitive,” Pam Nichols said, “and it got out of hand.”

Pam Nichols has a background in decorating, working with her father and painting for Belle of Maine over a 30 year period. Dell Nichols has a 50-year history in construction, starting when he was a teenager working with his father. Building cabinets and hutches for Country Primitives out of the Nichols’ home was “kind of the reward for doing the heavy stuff.” As the Nichols put it, Pam is “crafty” while Dell “can’t stop eating sawdust.”

The primitive style is designed to look worn and handcrafted, the sort of stuff one might find in a home 100 years ago. Dell Nichols said that he didn’t shy away from using wood with a knot in it, for example. After a cabinet is finished, to use another example, the Nichols sand it, paint it, sand it again, then stain and wax it. Their store features little known kitchen accessories like dough boxes and noodle boards; the Nichols said they make a special point to try and use the old product names and history.

Some items are made by other craftsmen. Dell Nichols’ brother, owner of John’s Chip Off the Old Block, makes the cutting boards, for one. Other items, like much of the decorative tin work, is purchased wholesale down in Lancaster, Penn., but the Nichols intend to offer local crafts when possible. They’ll also be selling local maple syrup and soaps, as well as other gift items.

The store will be opening Friday, April 20. It’s initial hours of operation would be 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday. It will be closed Sunday and Monday because, as Dell put it, the Nichols need some time to make the stuff.