Walk into Dot’s Country Kitchen and Auntie’s Fabrics and you immediately feel at home. Cozy displays of colorful spatterware, home decor, housewares, handmade signs and other beautiful objects draw your eye around the room. Step into the back section and you suddenly get an urge to sew for your entire family, or at the very least, make something creative with their amazing selection of fabric!
Auntie’s Fabrics was opened by Leanna Wedel seven years ago in the tan building across from the airport (previously a furniture building business). Her inventory has increased over the years; she now stocks flat folds and bolts of high-end dress fabrics, along with a large selection of notions: threads, zippers, buttons, trim and much more. Being of the Mennonite Church, she offers a number of beautifully sewn simple dresses and slips.
Dorothy Unruh had started a spatterware business, popular in both her church and the community, in her home before quickly outgrowing the space. Needing more room and exposure, Dot moved into the building with Leanna six years ago, and their businesses blend nicely together. They share shop coverage, which works well for both women; they can work and spend time at home and doing other projects.
The splatterware business expanded to carry top-quality kitchen products (she carries the best cookie sheets ever!), home decor and ware, and furniture (built by Dot’s husband, Clayton, as well as Leanna’s brother, Roger Unruh, and his sons), clocks and mirrors. Along the way, Dot added her first vendor. Her daughter, Becki Minden, makes beautiful hand-printed signs, which are a perfect addition to the store. Her business, My Rusty Heart, is expanding also; she sells her products online and at local holiday craft sales and Sandpoint’s iconic Funky Junk Sale. Becki also does custom work; see a sign that you like but want different colors or have a design in mind? Ask and Becki will create one just exactly the way you want it.
This past spring, another of Dot’s daughters, Willa Unruh, added a greenhouse along the west edge of the parking lot. Her business, Hen & Chicks, got off to a great start, selling garden plants, succulents (thus the name!) and hanging baskets along with some fun outdoor decorating pieces. Right now, the greenhouse is being used by Becki for a fall-themed sale; you’ll find fun old doors and windows, wreaths, pumpkins and succulents!
The list of what they offer goes on. They have eco-safe cleaning products, Scentsy products and bulbs, and recently added a line of pure flavorings for baking and candy making. Like to read? There’s a bookcase tucked in the fabric area, filled with classic storybooks, some vintage, for sale. Enjoy reading but don’t want to collect books? Outside, there’s a small lending library; choose a book from the selection inside, bring it back when you’re done. They also welcome additions to the collection if you have a favorite book to share.
Shopping local—for the holidays or any time of the year—is easy when one shop offers so many gift options and specialty items for everyone on your list. From little knick-knacks to full-size pieces, it’s almost impossible to walk in and not find the perfect gift—for someone else or yourself!
Located at 64891 Highway 2, they are open Monday through Friday, 10am to 4pm.
Dot’s Country Kitchen and Auntie’s Fabrics
64891 Highway 2
Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805
208.267.1175