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Paynesville Press - Dec. 18, 2002

Guenther opens craft boutique

By Bonnie Jo Hanson

Ellen Guenther - photo by Bonnie Jo Hanson After years of dreaming about it, Ellen Guenther has opened a craft shop.

Ellen's Crafts Etc. is a consignment shop that carries a plethora of handmade items such as rustic wood crafts, appliqued clothing, floral crafts, painted toys, and quilts. It is locted in the same building as Jim's Standard, which Guenther has owned with her husband, Jim, for 26 years.

Guenther, who has been crafting herself since she was in high school, said she always wanted to open her own business in the building, but it was always leased to other businesses. When it became available in October, she decided to move ahead with her plans.

Currently she has 37 crafters that sell their items on consignment, and she's had several more inquiries. She thinks she can fill the shop, which she wants to have the feel of a boutique, in short order.

Consignees determine their own prices and many of the items are quite reasonably priced, she said.

Guenther is the mother of two grown children and has worked alongside her husband for the past 26 years doing the books, and office work for the service station. In her spare time, she likes to crochet, a skill she taught herself from a book.



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