Shop opening soon offers Tiffin new way to heal

By Bret Nye Staff Writer bnye@advertiser-tribune.com Handcrafted artistry and entrepreneurial spirit come together to offer something special for Tiffinites at Healing Vines, a new crystal and handmade gift shop opening in a renovated building at 213 E. Market St. Annette Walters joined her son Jacob and daughter-in-law Kari in starting the store, which is set to open Saturday, June 6. All three are co-owners of the business. "We started discussing it years ago," Annette Walters said. "At one point my son wasn't sure if he'd keep his business, and I told him to 'let me do my rock shop.' "Honestly, I've wanted to share my excitement and the passion and joy I get from rocks with others, to help start a new adventure for them, and the way I saw to do that was to open the store." A key element of Healing Vines is the shop's collection of semi-precious stones, believed to have healing properties of various kinds. There are rocks of all shapes and sizes for perusal and purchase in the store, carefully arranged by type and design across the shop's selection of displays. Walters said she first became fascinated with stones on a trip to California with her sisters. "We went to Arizona for a day trip and the rocks I saw that day were unlike anything I'd ever seen," she said. "Of course, I couldn't carry them all home with me, because I flew, but every chance I could I'd go to stores back home and look around. "There aren't a lot of semi-precious stones to be found in this area, so I realized we needed a store," she said. Walters also makes jewelry with the stones, paints ceramic sculptures of a wide variety and has begun making clay figures, all put up for sale in the shop. But Annette isn't the only artist in the crew. Co-owner Kari Walters works in resin art and acrylic art, and Jacob Walters makes tree spirit statues. Much of this creation happens in the back half of the shop, which has become the Walters' art studio. "I started working with epoxy resin, using my knowledge from the construction side of things, learning about countertop work and things and then I started making bowls, candle holders and suncatchers and other items," Kari said. "And it was once the pandemic hit that I was able to take the time to jump into acrylic painting, which involves a lot of pouring rather than drawing and ends up creating more abstract pieces." Kari said that almost everything in the shop was created by a person, "right here in Tiffin, Ohio." "We've already had a lot of good comments on our Facebook page, with our art and Annette's jewelry, so we're excited to open the shop," she said. But, of course, there's more to opening a store than a passion for craft. "It's not like you can just throw together a store overnight," Annette said. A great deal of planning went into the upcoming opening, and the Walters' found shelving through Pat Catan's when the store closed in 2019. The store began coming together in earnest at the end of 2019, and after months of work and remodeling, everything was set for a grand opening – and then the coronavirus crisis came to the region. "We were this close to opening and then the pandemic hit," Annette said. "But there was something good that came out of it for us: if it wasn't for me being laid off and us all having extra time, we wouldn't have been able to do the final touches to be able to open," she said. Kari said the three are practicing proper pandemic-related measures to keep browsers safe. "We made sure there was plenty of space between the aisles, and we had to put tape down," she said. "There's also a special stand by the door so people can get hand sanitizer, and we're going to use masks. "It'll be a bit easier, because we don't have any employees aside from us operating and running the store," she said. After Saturday's grand opening, Healing Vines' operating hours will be Wednesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Kari said the store's open hours are subject to increase if the demand calls for it. Looking ahead, Jacob hopes to eventually lead energy and spiritual healing workshops in the store, and there's a great deal that the three Walters can teach patrons about the healing properties of crystals. "We're so excited to share," Annette said. For more information, visit the Healing Vines Facebook page.