It’s a new business for northeast Wisconsin, but it’s old hat for Barb Leiterman.
Leiterman recently opened The Cabin at Lone Pine Farm, a shop with home accessories and decor in the county primitive style, north of Cecil. She had previously run a similar shop in Appleton called The Cinnamon Heart before moving to Oconto County permanently.
“I sold the shop, and then we moved up here,” Leiterman said. “I was getting a little stir crazy and wanted something else to occupy my time. This is what I really know and love.”
The best way for Leiterman to describe country primitive is the type of decor you would expect to see at grandma’s house. The outside of the business also has the look of a country home in the woods.
“We hope to have a friendly, warm, welcoming setting for our customers,” Leiterman said, noting that she has maintained good friendships with many of her repeat customers.
There are several differences between The Cabin and Leiterman’s previous shop. She is selling antiques now, and she is raising alpacas to sell their wool.
For wool spinners, Leiterman raises alpacas and offers wool roping at The Cabin. The wool, once it is cleaned and carded, is fed via spinning wheels for their projects.
Leiterman also invites parents to bring their children to view the alpacas up close. She started raising alpacas after moving from Appleton almost a year and a half ago.
“We love living in the country,” Leiterman said. “We thought we would never leave Appleton. It was always home, and I thought I would go crazy out here in the quiet of the woods.”
Leiterman and her husband had a cottage in Legend Lake in 2000 for vacations, and the couple in 2008 bought the 40 acres where they now have a home and business. With their main home in Appleton, it was ultimately decided that having three homes was not suitable, so they downsized to the one in Oconto County.
“After a long winter, I knew I wanted to do something,” Leiterman said. “This is what I know, this business, and so we took it from there. I personally like country primitive, and my home is furnished this way. It was kind of the obvious thing.”
The Cabin is built on the site where an actual cabin was years ago, prior to Leiterman’s purchase of the property, before a fire destroyed it, she said.
The Cabin is open Wednesdays through Sundays. Leiterman opens her doors at 11 a.m.
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