Spooky Nook Produce and Greenhouses, an Amish farm stand
Lancaster is a beautiful place. My dad calls it “God’s country” and with good reason. The bucolic region has miles of lush farmland. The downtown area is surprisingly hip, a center for arts and culture with fine restaurants, the bustling Lancaster Central Market, and the historic Fulton Opera House.
Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis in Witness (1985)
Lancaster is perhaps best known for being home to the Amish. Each year, thousands of tourists visit the area to experience Amish country. If you can’t get here physically, but want to experience the place vicariously, I highly recommend the movie Witness (1985) starring Harrison Ford. It is a movie that I show in Anthropology Through Film, a course titled that I teach at the University of Connecticut.
A lesser known aspect of Lancaster is that it has a well-established subculture of old money. When my stepmother lived in downtown Lancaster, her next door neighbors were members of the Woolworth family, whose ancestors founded the department store bearing their name.
Frank W. Woolworth built Lancaster’s tallest building and first “skyscraper“ in 1899.
Designed by architect James H. Warner, the house was built in 1891-1892 as a private residence for heiress Catherine Haldeman Long,. The Hamilton Club, named for James Hamilton, purchased the property in 1911.
They spend their summers in places like Stone Harbor and their winters in resorts like Hobe Sound. In matters of style, they favor the sort of traditional clothing that we celebrate at Ivy Style.
Yesterday my dad took me took me one of his favorite local stores. Next To New Fine Furniture in Lancaster is a consignment shop that sells antique furniture and home décor, as well as jewelry and clothing. The vast space is filled with treasures. It is evident from a walk though that the local clientele has excellent taste.
On my visit I noticed a leather chesterfield, rattan furniture, a riding saddle, a wooden duck, vintage picnic baskets, and a brass lamp with a tartan shade – all that looked very much in the WASP old money Ralph Lauren aesthetic.
The selection of vintage clothing is exceptional – classic pieces from well-known shops in gently used condition. There are racks of sport coats and dress shirts for men. Items for women abound, especially much sought after colorful prints from Lilly Pulitzer. I picked up a very nice 100% cotton summer dress for my wife in coral and white from Caribbean Joe.
The highlight of my visit to Next To New was the discovery of a vintage madras jacket from Murphy’s Menswear in Vero Beach, Florida. A label inside the jacket states that it was “Tailored in the United States by American craftsmen.” According to my research, the store operated in upscale Florida resort town of Vero Beach in the mid-twentieth century, but I cannot find a record of it today. Any additional information from Ivy Style readers would be most welcome.
In the world of vintage shopping, this sort of discovery is known by the term “grail” which refers to a highly coveted, rare, or personally significant item that a collector or enthusiast spends a long time searching for. In the context of a thrift shop, finding a grail means scoring an ultra-rare, high-value, or vintage gem hidden among everyday secondhand goods.
For a madras lover like me, this item is certainly a grail. The madras pattern, in fact, bears a striking resemblance to the cover of The Official Preppy Handbook (1980).
Clearly it was serendipitous that my dad and I visited Next To New this Father’s Day weekend.
If you find yourself in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, do yourself a favor and visit Next To New. Who knows, maybe you will find your own grail.
Not sure if father’s day is plural, posessive, or both, so Happy Pappy Day!