Mackenzie Childs.....

Mackenzie Childs is located on a 65 acre former farm in Aurora, NY, overlooking Cayuga Lake in the heart of the Finger Lakes,
I used to go about once a year when I was younger and explore-- the barn sale every summer is fabulous ----many of the items are discounted and it's easy to blow hundreds !!!! The grounds is open to the public and home to a herd of 25 Scottish Highland cattle, more than 90 birds roosting in the Gothic Revival-style Chicken Palace, a duck pond, a former Cornell horse barn, a 1930’s greenhouse, spectacular and ever-changing gardens ! About 3 years ago I went with a Ceramics class for a tour of the factory-- each piece is handcrafted and handpainted allowing the possibility for NO two pieces to be the same !!!



The story behind the magic--- Richard and Victoria Mackenzie-Childs start the company and after years of creating a fantastic and unique brand- the company was slowing sulking into bankruptcy-- Pleasant Rowland founder of Pleasant Co. (Wells College ALumna-nearby College in Aurora), maker of The American Dolls buys Mackenzie-Childs after making millions with the American Girl Dolls....but recently in May the company was sold to a private company with offices in Rochester and Manhattan-- Rowland put millions of dollars into the company and opened the stores in NY and Florida....the brand is still amazing and simplistic and hopefully will be around for many many more years !
i'll update with next years barn sale when I have the date :)



(photo credits: Mackenzie Childs website)
1st photo: beautifully handcrafted patio table and chairs-- note the gorgeous checkered pattern on the table (their my favorite
2nd photo: Courtley checked patterned dishes- my favorite of the patterns- so simple and elegant-makes any kitchen appear as perfection
3rd photo: gorgeous tablesetting-- featured in the Aurora store


Xoxo
Ciao