You never know what you may find at The Hollow. They always have a very eclectic selection of unique items. Tinkess Photo

WINCHESTER – It is the kind of unassuming place that you could walk by and not really notice, but increasingly feel the urge to venture inside. Eventually your curiosity gets the best of you, and once that happens, you’ll discover it is the kind of place that’s hard to forget.

The Hollow, located at 504 Main St. in Winchester is the creation of Katie Robertson and her mom Elfie. The shop opened in 2021 and has been growing since then. Katie and her family had developed a bit of a connection with the village of Merrickville and its creative culture. She says she often thought of opening her own shop and finally in 2021 discovered a location right on Main St. in Winchester, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“We are basically a family of artists,” said Katie. “We all have our own sort of things that we’ve gotten into. We just thought that having a place to sell from would be a great idea.”

The list of items they carry is diverse. Most of it is handcrafted and unique. Elfie (mom) creates the pottery and most of the art such as paintings and the engraving. Katie does a full line of bath and body care products under her own label, Dana (Katie’s sister) does some painting as well as some of the pottery while Doug (brother-in-law) builds metal contraptions (small statues and figurines.). They also stock a selection of crystals, jewelry, candles, and other unique decor items.

As anyone who has built a business from scratch would understand, it has been a lot of work; Elfie still works full-time, and Katie is a dental hygienist as well as having a young daughter to care for, but they agree it has been worthwhile watching the business grow.

“We’ve noticed this year there has been a lot more repeat customers, but also people are hearing about us through word of mouth,” says Katie. The feedback she has received from out-of-town customers is that they have heard about The Hollow from friends but were just waiting for a chance to check it out themselves.

One of the nicest things about The Hollow, is that with so many artisan creations, many things are truly one of a kind. The bath and body items also make The Hollow a place where you can buy for someone, or just pamper yourself.

Maybe it’s time to give in to curiosity and step inside. What you find might surprise you.

For more information about The Hollow, visit their Facebook page at: facebook.com/thehollowwinchesterontario.

If you would like to have a light shined on your business, please contact us at: editor@etceterapublications.ca or call us at 613-448-2321.