About Us
The Barn Antiques was founded by Ednamay Wales in the Fall of 1969. Having had great success with starting the Lazy W Ranch Day Camp with her husband Ed, she wanted to share her passion for English antiques and collecting. As it is located on the same land as the Ranch, she figured that continuing the theme in its naming would give shoppers a sense of a special destination. Housed in a building that Ed built with their sons, they were proud to offer personally selected pieces for reasonable prices.
As the store gained popularity, Ednamay realized that there should be a compliment for those visiting who were looking for other items. She devoted a small part of The Barn to hand crafted Americana items that were sourced as far as Evergreen, Alabama and Southern Georgia. Her son Tom contributed by carving wooden Christmas tree ornaments that his wife Jan painted. For years the collection gained popularity, and the family decided it deserved it’s own proper space. The Stable was built next door to The Barn, and opened in 1976.
Jan and Tom continued to be involved in the operations of The Stable and began travelling to Atlanta to AmericasMart to source home decor and gifts, often making trips with their cattle trailer back to Florida with items for both stores. The Stable and The Barn continued to thrive into the ‘80s. Each store was expanded, and The Stable began selling Christmas items all year in the area where the fashion and jewelry collections are today.
Realizing that the stores were becoming a destination unto themselves, The Back Porch Restaurant opened in 1986. The Wales family wanted to offer a fixed price ‘picnic’ lunch to hungry customers with menu items based on family recipes. That tradition continues today with a constantly rotating variety of seasonal sandwiches and sides.
The rising popularity of seasonal decorations and gifts encouraged the family to expand yet again in 1994. The Seasons Gift Shop was opened to meet this demand and moving that collection to its own building gave more space for The Stable to branch into fashion and introduce new product lines. In 2000, The Back Yard Garden Shop was created to give customers a place to purchase plants and outdoor items.
Jan and Tom, together with their sons and their spouses, continue to operate The Stable, The Back Porch, The Seasons and The Back Yard while Tom’s brother Dick and his family operate The Barn Antiques. We are proud to continue Ednamay’s vision and are thankful for the support of all of our customers throughout the years!