How We Came to Be... "Land of Oz and Ends"

George Rao, a Cornell graduate who worked for many years with Agway, had thought for some time that when he retired, he'd like to open a small retail store of some kind in the red house he owned on New York State Route 5 just 2 miles west of the village of Chittenango. Karen Johnson, who hails from the true corn country of Iowa and had taught elementary grades for 32 years, retired with the thought that working in (even owning) a shop focused on fun stuff would truly be her dream job. So in 1998 George and Karen joined forces and began the planning of an antique shop, which would also have a few Wizard of Oz collectibles.

As often happens, things did not work out quite as planned. Early on the Wizard siezed the upper hand, and the result is a shop that opened in 2000, set in the homey atmosphere of the red house, with its five rooms and porch, and known for its extensive collection of OZ items. And Chittenango seems the ideal place for it, since L. Frank Baum, author of the OZ books, was born here in 1856. But anyone who browses through the shop will also find a large variety of antiques, plus Howard's Products and Briwax for those who do restoration projects.

George's long-time passion for flowers has prompted him to plant -- what else? -- poppies all over town. They bloom at just the right time, during the village's Ozfest celebration, the first week in June. They have been quite the attraction and provide a photo opportunity. At the shop there is also a spectacular poppy field, and shoppers are treated to free poppy seeds as long as they last each year.

The shop's customers (they range in age from 2 to 80+) enjoy spending time with the owners while browsing the artifacts, and talking with the owners about the history of the Baum family and the Oz mystique, including the signed first edition of DOT AND TOT OF MERRYLAND, written by Baum in 1901.

If you are in the area at a time when the shop is normally closed, give George and Karen a call; they'll be happy to try to accommodate you.