Storytelling with stained glass artists
Written by Kathy Witt
One of Kentucky’s only authentic stained glass shops, Heirlooms & Gretchen’s is a colorful and distinctive business mix based on the passions of its proprietors, Gretchen Soards and Kim Hooks. Custom stained glass – design, repair, supplies, workshops; lamps, lamp parts and lamp repair and restoration; dollhouse miniatures; and costume, antique and estate jewelry combine for a unique shopping experience.
Pictured left to right: Gretchen Soards, Kim Hooks
This Georgetown gem dates back to the late 1980s when it was actually two independently owned businesses sharing space in the Broadway building of the Georgetown Antique Mall. Liz Cox had a booth for her stained glass, heirloom bears and framing; Soards had one for lamp parts and miniatures.
“We manned the building (antiques up front, also) during the week,” said Soards. “When Liz was gone I took care of her business and vice-versa – so I had to learn to cut glass.”
The building was sold in 2001, prompting the two entrepreneurs to move to the current shop location at 136 West Main Street. A year later, Cox sold her business to Soards and the business officially became Heirlooms & Gretchen’s. Fast forward 11 years to 2013 and Hooks, who had taken stained glass classes through the shop for more than 20 years, entered the picture, buying half the business from Soards.
“I loved stained glass and working on pieces,” said Hooks. “When I bought half of the shop, I began doing custom work, repair and teaching classes, with help from Gretchen.”
Soards retired five years later, in 2018, to become a silent partner, although she continues working on custom pieces – “at home or wherever I happen to be,” she said.
Treasured designs
Both artists have favorite stained glass designs they’ve created. For Soards, it is the designs generally made of bevels and clear glass, which she describes as elegant pieces that can fit in any home.
“I love sitting down with bevel clusters, boxes of bevels and different clear, textured glass, moving them around on the table and occasionally adding just a subtle touch of color, until a design pops out at me,” said Soards. “I dislike making a piece of stained glass strictly from a pattern in a book, although I find it a pleasant challenge to create a ‘picture’ in stained glass from a photograph or focusing on an unusual item.”
Said Hooks: “When I think about the designs I’ve made they all are favorites in differing ways. I made a pair of windows for a yoga studio – vines curling around trellises with bluebirds – that I loved. I also made an abstract one that looked like the universe to me, with swirls of glass, rondels, geodes and small gemstones.
“Then there was one that just made me laugh – a fat squirrel mosaic steppingstone – made for a customer who thought her friend fed the squirrels too much. Never saw one that fat or with that big an acorn in his hands.”
Classes and services
Heirloom & Gretchen’s stained glass classes are held 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday. New students begin in these classes every six weeks. Their first project is a copper foil piece. Students choose from a pre-selected group of patterns to ensure they go through each of the steps in making a copper foil piece during these classes.
The finished product is a nice sized piece to hang in a front window. Following the first set of classes, students may continue coming to class on the same days and can then broaden their horizons by trying other techniques, designs and projects. See more class information at www.heirloomsandgretchens.com/category/our-shop.
Lamp repair, rewiring and restoration is also part of the business. Back when she had her booth, Soards saw a need for lamp parts because so many area antique stores sold old lamps. Making lamps out of Buddha statues, clarinets, vases, birdhouses, lanterns and other items followed.
Soards also noted how popular dollhouses and miniatures were so these were also added to the mix. Once the business was at the Main Street location, which provided more showroom space, the inventory was expanded again with antiques and collectibles. When Hooks joined the business, she brought her love of costume, antique and estate jewelry – along with stock – with her.
“I really enjoy having a wide variety of jewelry, from early in the last century, collectible and signed jewelry as well as jewelry that people love to wear for everyday occasions,” said Hooks.
“All the differing retail ‘branches’ of our shop make our business truly one of a kind,” she added.
**Storytelling with stained glass artists is a part of a narrative blog series written through the eyes of Georgetown, Kentucky's most decorated storytellers.
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6 Reasons Why I Love Georgetown, KY
Written by Trip101
There are a lot of reasons to love this quaint, charming town in the heart of Bluegrass country. Georgetown is the epitome of small-town America. Slap-bang in the middle of the golden triangle of Cincinnati, Louisville, and Lexington, this special place is a homely and familiar escape from the big cities.
There’s a lot more on offer than you might expect. The town has a picturesque downtown, but it doesn’t stop there. Head out into the countryside where you can stroll through cornfields, passing horses and cows, and seeing some unusual roadside art. Adventurers can try their hand at riding said horses, whereas those who appreciate the finer things can visit bourbon distilleries, craft beer shops, and vineyards.
1. Horses
There is no better place than Georgetown for horse lovers. There are 3 great equine attractions in and around the town, which are all a great day out.
Old Friends Equine – This outstanding not for profit organization takes care of retired racehorses. The facility, founded by Boston Globe film critic Michael Blowen, is part of a tri-state initiative that looks after over 165 horses. Come here to meet horseracing heroes of yesteryear, and see them deservedly enjoying their old age running, rolling in the mud, and of course, being fed.
Whispering Woods Riding Stables – Not content with just looking at the horses? This is a great place to try your hand at riding. Even better, you won’t just be riding in a circle. Whispering Woods is a 250-acre site where you can choose one of the beautiful 24 horses to take on their miles of trails.
Kentucky Horse Park – A little trip out of Georgetown, this amazing tribute to our equine friends is still well worth seeing. Not just a working horse farm, but also an educational theme park and competition facility, this is a great place to learn about man’s relationship with the horse. There are several museums on the horse farm with interactive displays, and it’s a great place for the whole family.
2. Bourbon 30 Spirits Distillery
The site here (originally called Lebanon prior to Rev. Elijah Craig) was upon the town’s water source, Royal Spring. These very waters are about as close to the Birthplace of Bourbon as you can get, marking where Elijah Craig drew the water for the very first batch of Kentucky Bourbon. And just across the street enjoy a pretty great experience at Bourbon 30 Spirits. Each barrel at the distillery is different from the next, and you can even pick up your own bottle!
3. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Visitor Center and Plant Tour
Georgetown is home to the first Toyota manufacturing plant in America, which also happens to be the largest in the world. The best-selling car in the US for 14 years, the Camry, was produced here and you can even see the first one ever to have rolled off the production line. Next, embark on a guided tour around the factory by tram, learning about the processes and the history of Toyota in the USA. Currently, the factory still makes the Camry, along with the Avalon and the Lexus ES-350.
Even better, the tour of the Toyota plant is completely free! Don’t miss your chance to see this marvel of engineering and international co-operation. You can do the hour-long tour, but make sure you visit from Monday to Friday as it’s closed on weekends.
4. Yuko-en on the Elkhorn, Kentucky-Japan Friendship Garden
Thanks to Georgetown’s Toyota plant, the town has had a strong and fruitful relationship with Japan for many years and is even twinned with the town of Tahara in Aichi province. Both towns combined to create this peaceful and serene Japanese garden, which was the first of its kind in Kentucky. The garden is influenced by both Japanese and American culture, with a rock garden, a pond stocked with koi carp, and landscaped pathways which meander through the greenery. The 5-½ acre garden is free to enter and is open from dawn till dusk throughout the whole year.
5. Buffalo Gals Barn Quilt Trail
Get yourself out into picturesque Scott County by taking the Buffalo Gals Barn Quilt Trail. The ‘quilts’ are 8 by 4-foot squares painted on wood and attached to the side of barns (both old and new), fences, and yards across the county. These fascinating and enchanting pieces of roadside art are not the only great thing about the trail. The trail itself is beautiful and will take you past proud horses and grazing cows on country roads flanked by cornfields and wildflowers.
The Barn Quilt Trail is free and it’s a great way to learn about local history and culture. Please be respectful when on the trail, as a lot of the quilts are located on private property. You can download a map of the trail at HERE.
6. Downtown
Saving the best til last, Georgetown’s downtown is one of the most picturesque in the whole of Kentucky, if not the States.
A beautifully preserved area boasting over 200 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, you could happily wander down the streets not even noticing the fantastic boutique shopping and restaurants serving delicious home-style food.
When you do notice them though, you’re in for a treat. For the best souvenirs in town, head to either Birdsong Quilting and Crafts or the Georgetown Antique Mall. Tie a stroll through Royal Spring Park in with the Bourbon 30 Spirits Distillery, mentioned above.
To learn about Georgetown’s history and culture, head to the Georgetown & Scott County Museum.
Although it doesn’t offer the bright lights and big city vibe of nearby Cincinnati, you shouldn’t miss out on Georgetown. There are so many reasons to love it! The laid-back vibe means you might end up staying here a lot longer than you originally intended. For more destination guides and accommodation reviews, check out Trip101.
All content written by Trip 101 guest blogger
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5 things to do with your kid this summer in Georgetown
Written by Kathy Witt
Bring your fishing pole, favorite float and appetite for adventure to Georgetown this summer. No need to rein in the horseplay – it’s encouraged in Kentucky’s Horse Headquarters, especially at these five kid (and parent) pleasers:
Make a beeline to the Kids Barn for lots of hands-on activities. Do horses only eat raw carrots? Find out at the exploration station. Play detective at a stall to uncover 10 things that are wrong in this horsey home. At Breeds Around the World, learn about our various equine friends from around the world and the jobs they do. Check out horse grooming kits and all the tools used to make horses beautiful; then attend the Groom and Shine demo – and have a hand at grooming the dusty coat of a horse or pony just in from the paddock. Collect Breyer horses? Don’t miss seeing the park’s amazing collection of these realistic equestrian models.
2. Toyota Plant Tour (Currently closed to public due to Covid-19: Attraction Updates)
Board the tram and roll along an assembly line to see some of the more than 2,000 cars built from the ground up – every single day! – on a free tour at the Toyota Manufacturing Plant, the largest in the world. It’s a chance to see robots working side by side with humans to maneuver forklifts, drop carburetors into partially constructed engines, add wheels to a car’s body and generally whip and zoom around various car parts as they transform into a finished and gleaming Toyota car that will roll out of the plant and onto the showroom floor for someone to buy. Tours are available Monday through Friday and reservations are strongly encouraged.
3. Geocaching
Families can match wits together on the Scott County GeoTrot or Historic Buffalo GeoTrail, romping through the countryside to see horses, koi fish – even a bushwhacking bandit’s former hangout – as they collect stamps or trinkets along with way. Both geocaching trails take adventurers all over Scott County to historic churches, parks, cemeteries, a Greek Revival antebellum plantation mansion once home to the “Belle of Louisville,” the free-admission Georgetown Scott County Museum and other fun Georgetown attractions. Not familiar with geocaching? Visit www.geocaching.com for more information on the world’s largest treasure hunt.
Lace up your sneakers and prepare for zany, nonstop fun on the Jumbo Jumper, Rat Racers Big Wheel Track or Pedal Cart Track, Apple Cider Slider and the Swings and Tire Climbs, in the Corn Bin Play Boxes or at the Hay Castle. Evans Orchard’s Play Area is full-on farm fresh fun and, each year, more activities crops up in the field. Open every day that the farm market is open, the play area also has a Barn Yard & Petting Zoo with goats, pigs, donkeys, sheep and other friendly and lovable critters. Parents can join in the carousing or take a load off at the nearby picnic tables and benches and simply enjoy watching their little ones run, laugh and play.
Rent a canoe or kayak for an afternoon of paddling on Kentucky’s largest creek – and one of the most scenic anywhere. Find a shady spot and drop in a line; Elkhorn Creek is also known as one of the best smallmouth bass streams in the state. Plan a picnic before or after at nearby Great Crossing Park, named for its location on an ancient migratory path the Native Americans called Alant-I-wamiowee, or buffalo path.
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7 Sweet Somethings in Georgetown
Written by Kathy Witt
Georgetown is more than just a pretty face – and with its Victorian-era downtown and rolling countryside, it is a really pretty face! – but it’s romantic, too. Wear your heart on your sleeve at these hot spots for a day or evening of romance:
• Step inside Kentucky’s grandest Greek Revival-style house at Ward Hall and learn about Sallie Ward, the very famous, extremely vivacious “Belle of Louisville,” who held court here over 170 years ago, stirring up scandal, shocking polite society and entertaining her (many) gentlemen callers. Look at her portrait there – is that a sparkle in her eye?
• Take a class together and create a keepsake for yourselves or your home. The idea of painting a decorative plaque at Crafty n’ Blessed with a special saying on it fills us with romantic notions, as does crafting a beautiful piece of stained glass to add a pop of color and light to a living or bed room at Heirlooms and Gretchen’s.
• Browse along a Victorian streetscape of lovely shops downtown to find “just because” gift goodies, like a special bottle of wine at Maime’s Fine Wine & Gifts or fun scrapbooking supplies at Scrap-Paper-Scizzors to design a “this is us” couples album.
• Give each other the gift of relaxation with a stroll through the gardens and by the pond at Yuko-en on the Elkhorn and meditate on what makes you smile the most about your significant other. We love meandering through the grove of pine trees near the Maho-An Tea House and imagining what an authentic Japanese tea ceremony would be like and visiting the jewel-colored koi that are always flitting about waiting for a treat.
• Book a table for two at Rodney’s on Broadway and linger over an artfully plated gourmet dinner. Filet mignon, grilled lobster tail, Woodford Reserve shrimp and scallops – these are a few of our favorite things at this cozy charmer tucked into a historic house (and where the well-trained waitstaff knows not to hover).
• Grab a seat by the fireplace at Slainte Public House for an after-dinner cocktail and live music. Make it an Irish red ale for him and a thoughtfully crafted Old Fashioned with fine Kentucky bourbon for her.
• Disconnect from everything but each other at a cozy hideaway. The My Old Kentucky Home Suite at Blackridge Hall B&B makes our heart go pitter-patter with its cushy sitting area, four-poster rice-carved queen-size bed and French doors leading to a marble two-person Jacuzzi bath and enclosed brick veranda.
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Six Free Things to See & Do in Georgetown
Written by Kathy Witt
Free? As in no charge?
Yep, you read that right. Here are six fun Georgetown attractions you can’t put a price tag on because they’re all on the house. Yours for the taking – and enjoying.
1. Explore Local Artistry
Kentucky artistry can be found throughout Georgetown's Historic streets, from its characteristic murals to the regional crafts found in its downtown shopping distric but there's so much more to be discovered just beneath the surface. Our local galleries and collections present art from the cutting edge to the historic masterpiece, painting a beautiful canvas of the creative minds in the heart of the Bluegrass. Check out how you can explore it all HERE
2. Yuko-en on the Elkhorn
Here is the place to get your Zen on: Yuko-en on the Elkhorn Creek – the only official Kentucky-Japan Friendship Garden. An homage to Georgetown’s sister city since 1990, Tahara, Japan, this 4-season, 5-acre garden is a place of peace.
Enter through the Tokugawa gate, stroll the grounds planted with an abundance of native plants blended with Japanese garden principles, see the statuary and relax near the pond for quiet reflection. Namaste.
3. Georgetown and Scott County Museum
Equine portraits, rotating collections and special exhibits – the Georgetown and Scott County Museum is all about celebrating the history and heritage of the local community and in a really cool setting: the historic 1905 Post Office building. Check out the museum’s video here. The museum is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday or by appointment.
4. Geocaching Trails
The hunt is on! And depending on which of the two adventures you take – the Scott County GeoTrot or the Historic Buffalo Trail, you’ll be all over Georgetown, Sadieville and Stamping Ground, including at the Birthplace of Bourbon, cemeteries, a site connected to outlaw Jesse James – even a craft brewery! Passports are available here and here.
First time? Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting activity that uses GPS coordinates to locate hidden geocache containers that house customized trinkets for Geocachers to collect or replace, and a rubber stamp to mark the geocache location. They are designed hunts featuring specific locations or attractions oftentimes unfamiliar to participants.
Geocaching trails are typically recorded on the geocaching.com app or with a designated GeoTrail passport. Also visit www.geocaching.com to learn more about the world’s largest treasure hunt.
5. Historic Walking Tour of Downtown
Georgetown has a picture-postcard downtown lined with Victorian-era buildings that are filled with art galleries, boutiques, bakeries and restaurants and trimmed with American flags and colorful hanging flower baskets.
Experience a “Walk Through Time” on a self-guided tour of this architecturally beautiful and significant downtown that includes a stop of the Birthplace of Bourbon, Royal Spring Park. This is where it is believed Reverend Elijah Craig first distilled spirits. Grab a copy of the tour at the Georgetown/Scott County Tourist Information Center and Chamber of Commerce.
6. Elkhorn Creek
Drop a line in Kentucky’s longest creek. Elkhorn Creek is considered one of the best smallmouth bass streams in the state, and one of the most scenic. Pack a picnic and enjoy the view at Great Crossing Park, a true piece of Georgetown history.
This tiny greenspace with shade, picnic shelters, walking and nature trails and boat ramp is on an ancient migratory path the Native Americans called Alant-I-wamiowee, or buffalo path, for the great buffalo herds traversing the land in search of a salt lick. The buffalo and salt licks have vanished, but the park is still a great place to kick back and while away a few lazy hours.
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